Life in an Indian Village: The Story of Kelambakam - Sandeep Balakrishna

Preface

Mohandas Gandhi’s oft-quoted remark that the real India lives in her villages has been quoted so often that it has become sick cliché: sick because our attitude towards our own villages swings between two extremes: our internalized colonial contempt for them or a dreamy romanticization of village life that has no basis in reality.

At the turn of the twentieth century, the Madras Presidency had a total population of 31 million, ninety percent of which lived in its 55,000 villages. Writing about this in 1891, a British joint collector Mr. B. Knight made this eminent observation:

"It is in the villages of southern India that we must go to see Hindu life at its best, unaffected as it is by Mahommedan conquest or by the influence of Western civilisation."

Located in the Chingleput (Chengalpattu) district between Kanchipuram and Mahabalipuram, Kelambakam was one such village. 

Fed up with the constant barrage of disparaging Western press coverage of India as a land of barbarians, a certain T. Ramakrishna decided to hit back. The result was a book innocuously titled Life in an Indian Village in which he gives a pen portrait of the selfsame Kelambakam village. As if to stamp his book with the finality of the British colonial authority, Ramakrishna got a forward written by Mountstuart Elphinstone Grant Duff, who was spending a cushy retired life in England.

Kelambakkam in 1891

The life in Kelambakam described in this book is both a reminder of the invaluable civilizational traits and cultural values that we have permanently lost, and an evocative kaleidoscope of what Hindu society really looks like when lived in this manner.

This is how Kelambakam looked like:

A cluster of trees, consisting of the tamarind, mango, cocoanut, plantain, and other useful Indian trees, a group of dwellings, some thatched and some tiled, a small temple in the centre. These were surrounded on all sides by about five hundred acres of green fields, and a large tank capable of watering those five hundred acres for six months. This is the village of Kelambakam. It comprises some fifty or sixty houses, and has a population of about 300. 

It is incredible when we note the fact that Kelambakam was sandwiched between two of the greatest spiritual and historical centres of Hindu civilisation: Kanchipuram and Mahabalipuram. It is said that Kelambakam came into existence in the 11th Century.

Social Organisation of Kelambakam

The village headman or Munsiff, is a man of respectable ancestry, in whom the whole management of the village is vested. He has the power of deciding petty cases, both civil and criminal, of collecting revenues from the farmers, and generally assists the authorities in their official duties.

The Karnam or village accountant, comes next. He knows by-heart, the extent, name, rent, etc., of every field in the village. He also settles monetary disputes among the villagers.

The Taliyari is the Policeman, who has to watch the village at night, patrol the fields when crops are ripe, and see that no thefts occur.

The Purohita (Brahmin) is the friend, guide, and philosopher of the village. He knows some Sanskrit, and has read many books on astrology. He can recite by heart all the four thousand stanzas of the Divya Prabhandham. He is "a person steeped in religion." No activity in the daily, family and social life of the village takes place without seeking his advice and following it. Two other Brahmins also perform the Puja of the temple by turns.

The Vadyar or schoolmaster is a very important element in the village. He is honoured and respected by the people. They regard him as friend and counsellor. His duties multifarious and quite incredible.

He is expected to look after the children of the villagers, and to take an interest in their welfare not only in the school but in their homes. If it is reported that a boy is ill, and that he refuses to take medicine, the master will go to his house and see that the medicine is administered. If a boy does not eat his meals properly, or if he becomes troublesome after school hours, his parents instantly invoke the assistance of the schoolmaster who goes to the house of the erring youth and see that such things do not repeat.

The Vadyar makes it a special part of his duty to give instruction in Dharma. The work of the school begins and closes every day with a prayer to Saraswati and Vighneswara.

The Vythian or physician is supremely important. His practice is founded on the Vagadam, a Tamil work on medicine written in verse. In describing a disease, in prescribing medicines, and even in the matter of diet, he always quotes- from Vagadam. However, he does not believe in the effectiveness of medicine alone. He always emphasises upon the family and relatives of his patients the necessity of performing some religious ceremony to appease the anger of the gods.

The work of the carpenter, the blacksmith, the shepherd, the washerman, the potter, the barber, and others all have their place of respect and honour in Kelambakam and are treated with fairness, courtesy, dignity and respect. Sometimes, the barber doubles up as a physician. He has his own unique set of potions and medicines.

Like every village in South India, Kelambakam too, has a Grama Devata or village Goddess. She guards it from diseases and pestilence. Her Puja is performed by a Pujari who is also the oracle or soothsayer of the village. In this capacity, he is empowered to levy all sorts of contributions on the simple villagers.

Some Anecdotes

From one perspective, Life in an Indian Village is nothing without its charming and sometimes, moving anecdotes. Here are some of them.

The Village School

Nalla Pillai is the schoolmaster of Kelambakam. He is supposed to be a great-grandson of the celebrated Nalla Pillai, author of the Tamil Mahabharata. His school is attended by twenty or thirty boys. Even boys from the neighbouring villages come here to be instructed. The boys are seated in two rows on a raised basement in the outer part of the house, and the master is seated at one end of the pial.

Three or four youngsters, between five and seven years of age, are seated in a row, learning the letters of the alphabet by uttering them aloud and writing them on sand strewn on the floor. One or two are writing the letters on cadjan leaves. One boy is reading in a loud voice words from a cadjan book, while another reads short sentences. A third is working sums in arithmetic. A fourth is reciting poetical stanzas in a drawling tone, and a fifth is reading verses from Nalia Pillai's Mahabharata.

A boy is said to have completed his education if he is able to read and write accurately anything on a cadjan leaf and know the simple and compound rules of arithmetic and simple interest. This proficiency may be attained after four or five years' study in the village school.

The boys go to school before six in the morning, return home for breakfast at nine, go back at ten, and remain there till two, when they are allowed to go for their midday meal. They then return to school at three, and remain there till it gets dark.

During holidays, the youths are also made to learn by-heart some poetical stanzas containing moral maxims on cadjan leaves, at the top of which there always appears some religious symbol or saying such as the following: Victory be to Rama! Siva is everywhere! The boys are always taught to fear God, to be honest and truthful, to venerate their parents and superiors.

The Ambattan or Barber

Kailasam is the Ambattan or village barber and the village hair-dresser. He is also the musician of his village. Without music, no festival can be celebrated in the temple, no marriage or any other ceremony can take place in an Indian household.

On those occasions, Kailasam and his people are required to play on the flute, beat drums, etc.

Kailasam is also the surgeon of the village. They are considered to be the fittest persons to treat surgical cases, probably because, as barbers, they handle the knife. Thoyamma, the wife of Kailasam, is the midwife of the village. Her attendance is also required every day, morning and evening, to look after newly-born infants, to bathe them, to administer to them proper medicines, etc.

Women in Kelambakam

In India, women are said to hold a subordinate position. It is said that they are simply child-bearing machines. Such views are thrust upon us by certain writers who pretend to intimately know the manners and customs of the Hindus. But they know next to nothing about the Hindu life.

But the keen observer of the inner life of Hindu society will have no difficulty in discovering that the poorest Indian villager loves his wife as tenderly and as affectionately as the most refined mortal on earth. In his obscure cottage,

Unseen by man’s disturbing eye, love shines
Curtained from the sight
Of the gross world, illumining
One only mansion with her light.

The women of Kelambakam freely enter into conversation, in which intelligence and wit are combined, which will convince even the most superficial observer that they are not so stupid as they are sometimes represented to be.

Overall Picture

Kelambakam is a little world in itself, having a government of its own and preserving intact the traditions of the past in spite of the influences of a foreign government and a foreign civilization.

Every member of the little state of Kelambakam regularly performs the duties allotted to him, and everything works like a machine. Those that render service for the upkeep of the village constitution are either paid in grain or have some lands allotted to them to be cultivated and enjoyed free of rent.

The doings of those who govern them and things political are nothing to them. It is enough for them if Providence blesses them with periodical rains, if their lands bring forth plenty to sustain them and their children and to preserve unruffled the quiet, even tenor of their lives.

This policy of non-interference and indifference to what passes outside his own sphere has been the main characteristic and, in fact, the guiding principle of the Indian villager from time immemorial.

Closing Notes

Life in an Indian Village is truly delightful book. But it is also a book of loss. An unfortunate attitude and approach that Hindus blindly copied from the colonial British was to theorise their own practical life. Over the last 150 years, the attitude has become an ingrained habit with Hindus. The amount and scale of damage that this has done is incalculable. The British had an imperial reason to do this: to study the Hindu society to the last atom in order to break it, in order to retain their hold on India. What excuse did Hindus have to continue the same vile habit even after “independence?”

Grant Duff makes an extremely pertinent observation in his foreword to the book:

The reader will see that no good can be effected for these people, but only much harm, by introducing European methods of Government, foreign to their characters and conditions. What we can do is to enable these myriad little worlds to live in peace, instead of being perpetually liable to be harried and destroyed by every robber or petty tyrant who could pay a handful of scoundrels to follow him.

To their credit, the British largely left our villages alone. The Nehruvian machinery with its handful of Congress and Communist scoundrels pulverised our villages by first corrupting the Sanatana value system that underscored the lifestyle sketched in this book.

If the mandarins manning our education policy perchance have some free time, they would do a great national service by scouring our vast and valuable archives for such books and prescribing excerpts and summaries as lessons for our schoolchildren.

Postscript

I searched the Internet for information on Kelambakam and found a Wikipedia entry on it. This is how it reads:

Kelambakkam is a suburban and residential neighbourhood of Chennai, India. It is located in the south-eastern portion of the city along the Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR), and is about 5 km from Siruseri IT park and 12 km from Sholinganallur junction… Kelambakkam is considered as the southern gateway to Chennai city on OMR Road. Kelambakkam comes under Thiruporur Taluk of Chengalpattu district.

In other words, Kelambakkam is today a completely unrecognisable, foreign land created in less than 130 years.

Courtesy: https://www.dharmadispatch.in/culture/life-in-an-indian-village-the-story-of-kelambakam

Indian Temples: Do they have any economic significance? - Pankaj Jagannath Jayswal

 An analysis of the role Hindu temples play in the Indian economy is presented in this article. Throughout India, temples have served as cultural centers, commerce hubs, art galleries, educational institutions, and social centers in addition to being places of worship. Across the country, there are over two million temples, which are crucial economic hubs, attracting devotees and tourists worldwide. The article cites statistics from the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) showing that religious travel alone brings in Rs 4.74 lakh crore annually. 

There are approximately 3.02 lakh crores in the temple economy, which contributes 2.32% to the GDP and supports millions of jobs. As part of the government’s plans to attract FDI worth more than $100 billion, the article highlights the prospect of creating 100 million jobs in the tourism industry. Moreover, the article highlights the vision for leveraging temples and Yatras (pilgrimage to holy places, sacred mountains, sacred rivers, or any sacred places ) to promote tourism and boost economic growth.

Masrur Temples in Himachal Pradesh is a complex of rock-cut Hindu temples in the Kangra Valley of Beas River beginning in the early 8th century. India has more than 1,500 rock-cut structures.
Some of these structures are adorned with stone carvings of exquisite quality and contain artwork of international significance. A significant achievement of structural engineering and craftsmanship can be found in these ancient and medieval structures.

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Why are Hindu temples important for the economy?

• Temples in Bharat reflect the country’s rich religious and spiritual heritage. Bharat is home to over 2 million temples, many of which are considered to be places of immense faith and miracle, attracting devotees from all over the world. Bhartiya knows how to preserve and embrace our culture, rituals, and Dharma in this age of modernism.

• In Bharat, temples have never been just that. They have been centers of commerce, art, culture, education, and social life since antiquity. The local temple was the center of the community. This is where people prayed to Gods and Goddesses for health, wealth, progeny, the removal of a specific obstacle, or even the acquisition of something valuable. 
• This is where people met, exchanged news and opinions, shared their stories, and their difficulties sought each other’s advice, and planned their daily lives.

• Each state in the country has its own distinct traditions, and each of these states has a rich history with numerous temples that serve as cultural centers. Dharma, rather than religion, has played an important role in the development of nations, shaping their worldviews, and allowing them to grow spiritually. Temples are more than just Dharmik places (Religious Places) in Bharat (India). There are also many richest temples in India, which attract millions of tourists from all over the world each year.

• Temples are places in Bharat where people pray for peace, prosperity, and happiness. Many of these temples are architectural masterpieces, and many of them were built during ancient times and have fascinating stories to tell. Some of these temples are so wealthy that they own vast tracts of land or gold. 
• Many temples have extensive collections of valuable items and antiques that have been passed down through generations.

In Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India, there are three Hindu temples dedicated to Vishnu known as Thanjai Mamani Koil. One of the 108 Divya Desams, revered by 12 poet saints known as the Alvars, it is one of Vishnu’s temples.

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How do temples contribute to a strong economy and job creation?

“In some ways, the development of tourism-rich economic zones along pilgrim trails stems from extensive research that has shown that shrines were important economic hubs throughout Indian history”. Burton Stein of the University of Minnesota wrote a seminal paper on this in 1960 called The Economic Function of a Medieval South Indian Temple, which was published in The Journal of Asian Studies.

According to NSSO data, 55 % of Hindus who go on religious pilgrimages stay in mid and small-sized hotels. Religious travel costs Rs 2,717 per day/person, social travel costs Rs 1,068 per day/person, and educational travel costs Rs 2,286 per day/person. This equates to a daily expenditure of Rs 1316 crore and an annual expenditure of Rs 4.74 lakh crore on religious travel.

According to the NSSO survey, the Hindu temple economy is worth Rs 3.02 lakh crore, or about $40 billion and 2.32 percent of GDP. 

In reality, it could be much larger. Sacred things, like flowers, oil, lamps, perfumes, bangles, sindur, images, and puja dresses are all included. It is propelled by most of the unprotected informal labor. 

It is estimated that the travel and tourism industry alone employs more than 80 million people in India, with a year-on-year growth rate of more than 19% and revenue of more than $234 billion in the last year alone. According to government estimates, approximately 87 percent of tourists in India are domestic, with the remaining 13 percent being foreign visitors. Varanasi’s importance in Hindu and Buddhist beliefs implies that this ancient city receives a sizable proportion of total domestic tourists and pilgrims. The Central government revenue for 2022-23 is Rs 19,34,706 crore, and only six temples collected Rs 24000 crore in cash. Domestic religious tourism is outnumbering foreign visitors. Over 100 crore domestic visits to new destinations indicate that there is churning beyond the golden triangle of Delhi-Agra-Jaipur. Even 20% of the nine crore foreign tourists visit Madurai and Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu and Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh.

Over the years, India’s rankings on major global indices such as the World Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report (WEF) and the UNWTO Tourism Barometer have steadily improved. The increase in tourist activities also helps to develop multi-use infrastructure such as hotels and resorts. As a result, the Indian government intends to attract FDI worth more than US$100 billion over the next few years, resulting in the creation of approximately 100 million jobs.

Architecture Temple 

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How does Indian Prime Minister see the Temple and the tourism industry?

Recently, the Prime Minister was speaking at a post-Budget webinar on tourism when he mentioned the Ramayana circuit, Buddha circuit, Krishna circuit, Northeast circuit, Gandhi circuit, and pilgrimages of all saints, emphasizing the importance of working together collectively on this. 

The Prime Minister noted, citing various yatras (sacred tour) undertaken by the masses over the centuries, that some people think tourism is a fancy word for high-income groups, but it has been a part of India’s cultural and social life for centuries, and people used to go on pilgrimages even when they had no resources. 

He cited the Char Dham yatra, the Dwadash Jyotirling yatra, and the 51 Shaktipeeth yatra as examples of how they are used to connect the places of our faith while also strengthening national unity. 

Observing that the entire economy of many of the country’s major cities was dependent on these sacred tour, the Prime Minister bemoaned the lack of development to upgrade facilities to modern standards, despite the age-old tradition of yatras.

He stated that the root cause of the country’s damage was hundreds of years of slavery and political neglect of these places in the decades following independence. 

“Today’s India is changing this situation,” Modi said, adding that an increase in facilities leads to an increase in a tourist attractions. He also told the audience that before the renovation, approximately 80 lakh people visited Kashi Vishwanath Dham in Varanasi in a year, but tourist footfall exceeded 7 crores last year.

“Only 4-5 lakh devotees had visited Baba Kedar prior to the completion of reconstruction work in Kedarghati. Similarly, 80,000 pilgrims visit Pavagadh in Gujarat to see Maa Kalika, up from 4,000 to 5,000 before the renovation. 

The expansion of facilities has a direct impact on the number of tourists, and more tourists mean more opportunities for employment and self-employment,” said the Prime Minister. 

Putting the spotlight on the growing number of foreign tourists in India, the Prime Minister stated that 8 lakh foreign tourists visited India in January this year, compared to only 2 lakhs in January last year.

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Hindu temples have a multifaceted significance that includes Buddha, Jain, and Sikh temples.

Sarnath , Varanasi, read the complete guide at https://www.tripsavvy.com/sarnath-the-complete-guide-4686998

Hindu temples and Dharmik practices are constantly persecuted by communists and conversion mafias. Temples have always brought people together when society and country needed it the most. 

The various social activities that take place on a regular basis and during emergencies are admirable. The recent big disaster in Corona and the assistance provided by temples provided a huge relief that saved many lives. Big temples’ support for schools, hospitals, and rural development activities is greatly appreciated.

The current government’s systematic planning and development of Temple sites, as well as the associated infrastructure, will shift the slave mindset to one that is culturally bonded, focused on socioeconomic and spiritual development, more social cohesion, celebrating life to gain peace, and fighting against all odds as a unit.

What is the Temples’ Scientific Importance?

The scientific importance of temples lies in the fact that the architects and engineers of these structures have taken into account the natural magnetic and electric waves that constantly circulate within the earth. Choosing a piece of land that has an abundance of these waves is an important consideration in temple design. The placement of the main idol at the temple’s center, or Garbhagriha, is also crucial, as it is an area where magnetic waves are extremely active.

A pooja known as Pran Pratistha is performed after the copper plates buried beneath the idol are enunciated. These copper plates are inscribed with Vedic scripts that absorb magnetic waves from the earth and radiate them to the surroundings. Visitors to the temple on a regular basis can absorb these magnetic waves by walking around the idol clockwise, which can boost positive energy and improve quality of life.

Temples are scientifically important because they are capable of harnessing the natural magnetic and electric forces of the earth and channeling them into a space where they can be absorbed and utilized. The copper plates beneath the idol act as conduits for these energies, which have beneficial effects on physical and mental well-being for those who visit the temple. In addition to promoting health and well-being, temples preserve and transmit cultural and spiritual values.

Temple Bell

Almost all Hindu temples have large bells that must be rung before entering. The science behind this is mind-boggling. Temple bells are made from a specific proportion of different metals. Cadmium, lead, copper, zinc, nickel, chromium, and manganese are among them. 

The real reason for science is the mixing and proportion of metals used in manufacturing. When the bells ring, they make a distinct sound. The sound and vibration are so distinct that it connects both sides of the brain (left and right); additionally, the sharp sound and vibration last for seven seconds in echo mode, which is enough to touch seven healing centers of the body. With the sound, the mind becomes empty of all thoughts and transforms into a regular visitor to temples. It becomes very receptive, ready to accept new ideas and free the mind from all the chaos that is going on. Many other advantages include the elimination of negative thoughts, improved concentration, mental balance, and aid in illness.

The study of the temple economy should be included in the curriculum.

The temple and its associated economy will play a significant role in the Indian economy, creating millions of jobs in a variety of sectors. A significant part of this must be strengthened through systematic management. 

It would be a wise approach to include Temple, its management, and its economy in higher education curricula. Youths can direct their efforts and resources toward expanding and developing the temple economy and related tourism sectors.

Another contentious issue is the removal of government control over all major Hindu temples. The government should pass a new law mandating that no political leaders serve on the new Temple management committee. Donations should be used for the welfare and social activities of that particular Dharma or religion. Let us look at Temple’s culture and activities from the right angle and work together to build Temple’s economy.

Article Link: https://journals-times.com/2023/03/28/indian-temple-do-they-have-any-economic-significance/