SUNKARIMADA AKA MADARASA

A MADARASA

Sunkari Mada was one of our share croppers or what is know as Guththigethars of our father,
We had given l land with irrigation facilities for one wet crop per year. The share cropper was to deliver specified quantity of the produce in terms of paddy every year during Sankranthi which usually falls during January. All the expenses regarding fertilizers seed etc are to be borned by the share cropper. Along with the [addyy the sharecropper will get the straw and he can grow any other crops of his liking in the land which will be still wet after the paddy is harvested. This was generally the pattern. The Brahmin s were supposed not to cultivate and also not to indulge in business during those periods . They had enough time just to attend to their rituals and other studies connected with their religion and teaching them to the children.
When we were young all the family of five children and parentswe used to go the village to collect the paddy sell them if the price is right or ask these share croppers to keep it with them unttil august. The paddy required for our consumption used to be transported to our house at Mysore where we used to keep store it in a big bin. This paddy was useful for the entire year both for our use and also for festivities which our father used to conduct in a grand scale and invite all our friends and relatives. The collection of the paady was not so easy as the share croppers used to bargain in delivering the crop. They used to say that “there is crop loss due to pests , due to heavy rain , due to crop failure due to crop disese ett etc. There was no written records for the sharecropping as the families were sharecroppers for generations..
Now let us come back to Sunkaarimada
He is the only one who never used to bargain and just used to say what ever he has promised we can take it at any time. He had 3 sons. When ever I used to go to the thrashing ground of his I used to ask him about his ancestry. If his eldest son was not there he used to tell me in bits and pieces his story.
It seems that his ancestors were rulers under Maranayaka a chieftain who was ruling with capital Hadinaru. He had divided his kingdom into several smaller units and had fixed for smaller units administrative heads or chieftains known as Palegars.. Sunkarimada.s forefather was such a chieftain. When the rulers of Mysore became weak and maranayaka became strong he sent words to the then Maharani who had lost her husband with no other male relative to take care of the kingdom to giver her daughter in marriage to him. As the wodiyars family thought that Maranayaka belonged to Gamga,atha and whose caste was considered as thnically below that of wodiyars she refused. Maranayaka became angry and sid he will take over the mysore kigdom by force if necessary and carry away the princes. For this maharani was worried and did not knw as what to do. By that time there were two Princesses who had come all the way from Rajastan may be from a Royal family for pilgrimage to the south. When maharni came to k now about it she sent secretly her envoys and requested them to help her. The prices agreed with her request but on the condition that the pricess should be given in marriage to Yaduraya who was the elder brother of Krishnaraya. For this the Maharani readily agreed and charted out a plan words were sent to Maranayaka that he can come with all his escorts to Mysore palace for the function of betrothal. On the appointed day Maranayaka appeared with all his escorts and relatives with great pomp and show. At the entrance to the palce the guards asked Maranayaka and his entourage to keep all the arms aside as the function is a peaceful one and arms should not be taken to such a place where some auspicious religious function is held. It is not known as what made Maranayaka agreed. When the entire entourage and Maranayak were disarmed and when they entered the second gate the entire soldiers of Mysore palace pounced upon them and slaughtered them mercilessly. This included Maranayaka. The heads of all these were chopped and they were mounted on spikes and shown outside the palace. With no one to lead them the others who had accompanies Maranayaka ran helter skelter. So the entire amy of Maranayaka ws destroyed. As promised the Maharani gave her daughter in marriage to Yaduraya and the Yadu dynasty took root in Kysore.
As a subsequent development to please the news King other bad elements started pillaging the Palegars and their fortune and also the Fort of Maranayaka was completely destroyed , it ws converted into a level field , donkeys were harnessed and ploughed and castor seeds were sown.
In order to escape from this holocaust the ancestors of Sunkari mada came with whatever treasure they could lay their hands upon took it and fled north. Also it appears that they buried some treaure in some secret places.
They reached some villages and doing some farm work or other and later on moved to Hullamballi.. All along they never begged nor asked for any financial help from others. They sold some of the jewels they had brought with them and carried on. They had carried with them one PETA or the cap which adorns the head of the palegar and a steel sword. They also had some copper plates which had granted the lands by Maranayaka to their ancestors.
Sunkari mada used to say that Maranayaka was honest and just. If it were not so he could have easily tallk over the Mysore kingdom and married the young princess. Also it was Maranayaka who wa s dishonestly killed. If it were a real war Maranayaka would have single handedly slaughtered everyone of Myssore army.

Sunkari and his sons were hard working so for them getting work during non agricultural season ws also not difficult. They will not spend time in chitchatting and they vey rarely mixed with others. For any village panchayat Sunkari used to be absent as he used to say “whatever way the judgement is given the other party will feel that injustice has been done. So I do not want to get involved.” He never used to wear stitched clothes and never used to use foot wears. His wife was also following the same rules.. The reason being that only slaves and soldiers wear stitched clothes. Regarding foot wear he used to say that it is the duty of chamberlain to fit the footwear to his foot. He also was not using betel leaves which was very common among the villagers. His reasoning was that the betelleaves should be rolled by the “Sanchi” who was meant specifically for that work. So no stiched clothes no foot wear no betel leaves..
In the presence of paligar only these people were entitled to chew betel leaves 1) the senior minister 2) The court dancer 3) the of high caliber court appointed wrestler 4)the special advisor. By his sight the Paligar will show to the “Sanchi” to whom the betel leaves are to be given and she will give it to them.
When paligar leaves ususlly on a horseback the following retinue will follow 1) the torch bearer 2) Fan man who will carry the fan 3) official who will call the titles of the paligar
4)umberella carrier to shade the paligar 5) one or two body guards who were known as “halepaika” or “Garudas” who will carry a naked sword and who are prepared to even die to save their paligar. These bodyguards were given special privileges and land grants. In case the paligar dies even due to natural causes these body gurads were also put to death. It was considered a great honour to die for a king/palegar.
Coming back to sunkari mada every year at the time of harvest six persons used to come to him from somewhere from his ancestral old place. They were 1) karanika or minister 2)Defense minister of the fort also known as Daroga!!?? 3)minister for maintaining law and order in the country 4) person in charge of religious affairs.5) minister in charge of collecting taxes 6)judge who will advice the paligar on legal issues.
These poeple used to come to collect their annual pay. As soon as sunkari used to see any of them he used to call his wife and on a black blanket on a straw heap he will sit along with his wife. All these persons were not actually employed but descendants of the original servants of paligar. I do not know how many generation had passed and even sunkari does not know it. However the giving of annual pay continued. It is also not known as to how these people traced the descendents of the old paligar and continued to get their pay without rendering any service for generations.
These people will come to the thrashing field and will bow to the couple by prostrating on the floor. Usually sunkari used to ask thes following question 1) are the cows and people happy? 2) is there timely rainfall? 3)are the temples running well and feeding of travelers on pilgrimage being looked after? 4) is the fort maintained properly 5) is the justice rendered properly 6)is the tax collected properly with out harassing the people?
6)is the law and order maintained properly?
For all these questions the answer was yes. .then sunkari will say with a flourish “go to the treasury and get your share “. The visitor will go to the paddy heap and he will be given around 40 litres of paddy.
I do not know as to how long this donatoin was carried out by the successive ancestors and sunkari.. Sunkari’s eldest son was named Nanja. His wofe’s name ws nanji. Nanja was very much opposed to his father giving paady to people who ar not doing any service but come during harvest season to collect paddy as if it their rightful due. Sunkari had kept his sword and the “Peta” or turban in a old wooden box. When the Dassera starts at mysore and on the day the King sits on the throne sunkari will take early bath with well washed dhothi he will don the turban and take out the sword. A black blanket will be spread over the wooden box. He will wait to hear the sound of Gunshot which will be fired at mysore palace as soon as the king sits on the throne. Bust by this time sunkari would also sit on the wooden box. He will sit and his feet will be washed by his wife madmma/madarasi. None of his sons woud take part in this as they considered this as a joke. On the tenth day of dasara he will be ready with his dress and turban and the sword. As soon as the Gunshot boomed by the afternoon he will go to the nearby shrub farst and come home with a branch of “Bannitree”. Again his wife will wash his feet and welcome him home.
According to sunkari he wanted to crown his eldest son nanja as the next paligar. For this nanja’s reply was that he is fed up with the antics of his father and would like to remain as mere nanja and his wife mere nanji and not nanjaarasa and nanjarasi. The crowing was also an elaborate affair. It was conducted during midnight as it was thought that enemy may ride if it is held during day time and all the people are assembled. The paligar and his wife will take bath and the old turban will be put on the new paligar and sword will also be handed over to the new paligar.
Nanja used to make fun of his father and say “if as you say that there is lot of treaure

hidden why you did not try to get these treaure all these years? How you can claim right to a small Palaya whose details are not exactly known?. For this sunkaris reply was that it is all secret and can be revealed to nanja only when he takes charge. When I asked sunkari as what he will do as nanja is refusing to become next paligar. Sadly he said that he will throw the turban and also the sword into the deep abyss in the river cauvery known as malangi and forget about the past. I also asked him as to what happened to the copper plates. He said that there were some problems during his fathers period and he sold them to the Veerashaiva land lord or the village and he in turn got it made into good vessels with the help of village coppersmith..
We have sold all our lands and I have lost touch with sunkari and the village. I am sure that hs sons would have come up in lfe. I don’t think that sunkari or his wife is alive now.
All these which I have recorded concerning sunkari was told to me in bits and pieces
If Nanja found his father talking about the past in the paddy thrashing ground he will shout to his father to attend to work. Only when nanaja was cutting paddy sheaves in the field which was a bit away could I gather information . I was around ten when I gathered all the above information not in a single sitting. For me it ws more like a story rather than actual incident Sunkari Mada AKA Madarasa