SRIMATHI RANGAMMA AKA RANGU AKS RANGANAYAKAMMA
SRIMATHI RANGAMMA AKA RANGU AKS RANGANAYAKAMMA
Smt Rangamma was a very intelligent girl. I do not know much of her past except that she was distantly related to our father ..As per the custom during those days she was married when she was quite young. She passed the rs5/- examination (that is lower secondary examination) with distincton. Her parents refused to send her to the high school. She appeared privately and passed the re 12/- examination (secondary school leavin certificate) again with flying colours. Mean while the boy to whom she ws married died. As rangamma had not yet attained pubety her head was not shaved.
She was not sent outside the house. after she attained puberty her head was shaved and given white cloths to wear without any blouse or anything…I don’t know as to when she moved to “Pusthakam Krihnan temple situated on the college road. She spent her entire itme there. She used to get up early morning and sweep and wash the temple premises and decorate it white powder (rangoli). On special occasions she will draw designs using rice paste diluted and also red earth. What all the temple priest used to offer as neyvediam to the God ( the priest was not a paid servant but the hereditary owner of the temple belonging to the pushtakam family) he will give it to Rangamma. This was all Rangamma used to have. No snacks no tiffin no coffee . very rarely she usedto visit her relatives . her wold was the Temple.
Our father knew only kannada, tamil and a bit of Sanskrit. When ever he received the judgement copy of the documents from the court whether from Highcourt or local courts he used invite Rangamma to our house. she will come home after the pooja at the temple .. evesn though she was aged she never used glasses. Our mother usually used to offer milk to Rangamma in a silver tumbler. This is the only exception and Rangamma used to drink it. She will take the documents and she will read it as though it is in kannada.!!! Whenever our father wanted he used to ask her the mark the relevant portion/sentences in pencil and make a note of it in kannada on the margin. I was young and used to wonder as to how she can read the text that is English in kannada. She never ever used to take food in any house.. It appears that her husband” share of ancestral property was ususrped by her husbands relatives. She did not make any efforts to get back the property…she never asked any one for any help.
Once she told our father that on the south west of the present day palace outside the rampart wal and in a deep tunnell lots of jewellery ,gold and treasure such as precious stones are hidden. When our father asked as to how she knows about it she simply said that when the old palace was burnt all the trasure were traqnsported to this under ground tunnel. Nobody knows the exact location at that period there was a moat and one has to go under water and emerge in the tunnel which was dry. Al l the treasure were bundled in bees wax coated clothes. For traqnsporting this treasure all the palace premises were cleared of all men and only service of some tribals from Biligiri Rangan Hills and Brahmins were used. After wards the Brahmins were gifted with good amount and they were asked to hold the tail of cow and swear upon God that they will not reveal the secrets. It appears that the Grand father or great grand father of the present hereditary priest while in death bed blabbered this information when Rangamma had gone to visit him in his death bed. Also she told me that the Red sanders pillars of old palace were taken by some of the Brahmins and used for the construction of their houses. When I had been to Ramanujam’s house (hereditary priest and owner of the temple) recently I found all the pillars in their house gaudily painted!!!.
Rangamma very much wanted to hold “ Dhatri Havana” a sort of taking food in the forest during certain day in the year. Some one objected stating that for Dhatri Havan at least one Mountain Amla tree should bethere. Immediately Rangamma got one plant of Mountain Amla(Bettada Nelli kai) and took care of it. With in one year the plant grew inot a sufficiently good tree and also yielded some amla also.This amla tree has grown into a big tree and is in the left front side sourt yard of pustakam temple on the college road of mysore. So the Dhatri Havana festival started. Even though Rangamma is not there this festival is conducted by Ramanjam even to this day.
Due to advent of old aage Rangamma fell ill and the owners of the temple took good care of her. When she passed away none of her relatives cared to visit. The owners of krishan temple conducted the last rites as per the orthodox custom of srivaishnavites. Even her nephew and so called niece did not attend. Her only possession was 3 white sarees one of which is known as Narumadi. She had two towels and two blankets.
I do not know as to how she used to sleep on the stone floor of the temple with one blanket spread.
THIS IS IN MEMOREY OF RANGAMMA. I AM SURE THAT SHE WOULD HAVE GONE TO VAIKUNTAM AND WILL BE DRAWING THE DESIGN WITH RANGOLI IN FRONT OF THE DOOR OF LORD NARAYAN’S RESIDENCE. .
Smt Rangamma was a very intelligent girl. I do not know much of her past except that she was distantly related to our father ..As per the custom during those days she was married when she was quite young. She passed the rs5/- examination (that is lower secondary examination) with distincton. Her parents refused to send her to the high school. She appeared privately and passed the re 12/- examination (secondary school leavin certificate) again with flying colours. Mean while the boy to whom she ws married died. As rangamma had not yet attained pubety her head was not shaved.
She was not sent outside the house. after she attained puberty her head was shaved and given white cloths to wear without any blouse or anything…I don’t know as to when she moved to “Pusthakam Krihnan temple situated on the college road. She spent her entire itme there. She used to get up early morning and sweep and wash the temple premises and decorate it white powder (rangoli). On special occasions she will draw designs using rice paste diluted and also red earth. What all the temple priest used to offer as neyvediam to the God ( the priest was not a paid servant but the hereditary owner of the temple belonging to the pushtakam family) he will give it to Rangamma. This was all Rangamma used to have. No snacks no tiffin no coffee . very rarely she usedto visit her relatives . her wold was the Temple.
Our father knew only kannada, tamil and a bit of Sanskrit. When ever he received the judgement copy of the documents from the court whether from Highcourt or local courts he used invite Rangamma to our house. she will come home after the pooja at the temple .. evesn though she was aged she never used glasses. Our mother usually used to offer milk to Rangamma in a silver tumbler. This is the only exception and Rangamma used to drink it. She will take the documents and she will read it as though it is in kannada.!!! Whenever our father wanted he used to ask her the mark the relevant portion/sentences in pencil and make a note of it in kannada on the margin. I was young and used to wonder as to how she can read the text that is English in kannada. She never ever used to take food in any house.. It appears that her husband” share of ancestral property was ususrped by her husbands relatives. She did not make any efforts to get back the property…she never asked any one for any help.
Once she told our father that on the south west of the present day palace outside the rampart wal and in a deep tunnell lots of jewellery ,gold and treasure such as precious stones are hidden. When our father asked as to how she knows about it she simply said that when the old palace was burnt all the trasure were traqnsported to this under ground tunnel. Nobody knows the exact location at that period there was a moat and one has to go under water and emerge in the tunnel which was dry. Al l the treasure were bundled in bees wax coated clothes. For traqnsporting this treasure all the palace premises were cleared of all men and only service of some tribals from Biligiri Rangan Hills and Brahmins were used. After wards the Brahmins were gifted with good amount and they were asked to hold the tail of cow and swear upon God that they will not reveal the secrets. It appears that the Grand father or great grand father of the present hereditary priest while in death bed blabbered this information when Rangamma had gone to visit him in his death bed. Also she told me that the Red sanders pillars of old palace were taken by some of the Brahmins and used for the construction of their houses. When I had been to Ramanujam’s house (hereditary priest and owner of the temple) recently I found all the pillars in their house gaudily painted!!!.
Rangamma very much wanted to hold “ Dhatri Havana” a sort of taking food in the forest during certain day in the year. Some one objected stating that for Dhatri Havan at least one Mountain Amla tree should bethere. Immediately Rangamma got one plant of Mountain Amla(Bettada Nelli kai) and took care of it. With in one year the plant grew inot a sufficiently good tree and also yielded some amla also.This amla tree has grown into a big tree and is in the left front side sourt yard of pustakam temple on the college road of mysore. So the Dhatri Havana festival started. Even though Rangamma is not there this festival is conducted by Ramanjam even to this day.
Due to advent of old aage Rangamma fell ill and the owners of the temple took good care of her. When she passed away none of her relatives cared to visit. The owners of krishan temple conducted the last rites as per the orthodox custom of srivaishnavites. Even her nephew and so called niece did not attend. Her only possession was 3 white sarees one of which is known as Narumadi. She had two towels and two blankets.
I do not know as to how she used to sleep on the stone floor of the temple with one blanket spread.
THIS IS IN MEMOREY OF RANGAMMA. I AM SURE THAT SHE WOULD HAVE GONE TO VAIKUNTAM AND WILL BE DRAWING THE DESIGN WITH RANGOLI IN FRONT OF THE DOOR OF LORD NARAYAN’S RESIDENCE. .
posted by N.S.Char at 5:48 AM
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