Was the first Town Kanakkupillai the founder of Madras?
Another Madras Day has come. Was it founded in 1639? Who was the supposed founder? Francis Day? His Dubash Beri Thimmappa? The Nayak of Poovirunthavalli or his brother at Vandavasi? Or their father Chennappa who supposedly gave his name to the Indian town? Well, a deeper reading seems to throw up another name — Ragava Battan and the story is interesting.
As always, it is H.D. Love’s Vestiges of Old Madras which throws up these probabilities. The story begins with Periya Aiyan, who in 1770 claiming descent from Ragava Battan, the first Town Conicopoly (Kanakkupillai), petitioned the Government for arrears in fees due to his family. The case was fought for long, and Periya Aiyan did not hesitate in spending a fortune making copies of documents in his possession, binding them into entire books and sending them to Governor after Governor.
Fourth in descent
In brief, Periya Aiyan, who was fourth in descent from Ragava Battan, claimed that it was this ancestor of his that had facilitated the British move to Madras. He was the ‘Grand Manager’ of the Portuguese at San Thome and on observing the English being very unsure of how to proceed, decided to intercede on their behalf. He then ‘went to the Northward of Madras with the Prince then in Power and under whose Dominion all the Sea Port parts were, and after a great deal of trouble,’ obtained for them the permission to build a fort here in 1640. The English were so grateful that they got him to lay the foundation for the first Factory here.
And what was more, they also settled on him a fee or tax of 10 cash to a pagoda and this was ratified by a document signed by Andrew Cogan and Francis Day and later by their successors Thomas Ivie and Henry Greenhill. More importantly, Periya Aiyan, who it seems had a talent for preserving archival material, also furnished the translation of a cowle dated November 3, 1638, from Damarla Aiyyappa Nayak asking Ragava Battan to proceed to Durgarayapatnam/Armagaon where the British then were, and “thereto discourse the Chief of the English Company, and to bring him to me that I may agree with him for the building a city’.
A hereditary post
Ragava Battan was made Town Kanakkupillai and the post became hereditary in the family. His son Ottai Lingam succeeded him and after him it was his son Thyagappa and finally Periya Aiyan was holding the post when he woke up to what he felt was owed him by the Company. Ragava Battan had been promised a small duty on imports and exports in the city and when Ottai Lingam became indebted, and probably insolvent, the duties were attached and diverted to the Corporation. His successors were thereafter to receive a fixed salary. This was not to the liking of Periya Aiyan who sued claiming 27,852 pagodas as arrears from 1695 to 1778.
The matter reached the Court of Directors in England, and it was finally decided that instead of raking up the past, it was best that his then allowance of ten pagodas a month be doubled, provided he dropped all his claims. This Periya Aiyan was most reluctant to do but finally, he agreed in 1790, and the doubling of allowance was honoured with retrospective effect from 1784 when it was first proposed.
And so was Ragava Battan the founder of Madras? And is the real Madras Day to be observed on November 3 and not August 22? The last chapter on the so-called founding of our city and its birthday has probably not yet been written.
(V. Sriram is a writer and historian.)
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