Mandadan

The Mandadan Chetty community also spelt Mountadan Chetty is an exquisite community of tribal origins who are indigenous to the East Wynad Vayanad or Nilagiri Vayanad in the Nilagiri area and the adjoining areas of the rest of Vayanad in the present day Kerala. The Nilagiri area has been historically an area of hoary cultural significance and the areas in the Nilagiri are mentioned and referred in the ancient Tamizh Sangam Literature including the Paditruppattu. The Nilagiri area was part of the ancient classical Tamizh Chera i.e. ancient Kerala Kingdom from time immemorial and was also a part of the Chera Kingdom of Cheran Senguttuvan. The community is not only indigenous but also historically endemic to the area . The community is a tribal community and has its own peculiar language culture and traditions which all revolve around the Nambalakod temple, a hoary shrine complex which is situate in the Gudalur Taluk in the Nilagiri District in north western Tamil Nadu, where the tribal deity is the Betarayasvami or ‘lord of the Hunt’ . The Nambalakotta Temple is thus of profound and great significance to the cultural ethos and religious life and rituals of the Mandadan Chettis and historically the said temple had been the property of principal indigenous community residing in the vicinity of the temple area, who are the Mandadan Chettys.

On 27 July 1936, the President of The NambalaKotta Kudiyan Samajam, Gudalur Wynad, a Mandadan Chetti Samajam had inter alia sent a communication to Commissioner Hindu Religious Endowment Board wherein the following details regarding the history of temple were narrated wherein they complained that the inspector of the Hindu Religious Endowment was not discharging his duty impartially and was being the guest of the Manager of the Nilamboor Raja and that they had no faith in him. Another communication was also sent wherein the history of the temple and the community was narrated. The said narration is similar and is a corroboration in most parts to the version recorded in the Nilgiris Gazetteer. The Namballakotta Pagoda is a public temple and that it had been managed by trustees selected by the Public, and that the lands attached to the temple are the property of the idol and not the Private property of the Nilambur Raja and that the repairs and the Utsavams had been conducted by themselves and not by the Raja. An Order was passed on 21.12.1936 by the Hindu Religions Endowments Board in Original Application 229 of 1932 that the Namballakotta pagoda and 8 other temples are public temples and not private temples. Subsequently, and given understand that some official of the Board visited place and made enquiries which were not informed to any of residents of the area. He stayed only with the Agent to the Raja of Nilambur at Gudalur and had been to Nilambur, and returned without enquiring with the residents. Enquiring only the authorities of the Rajah of Nilambur who were enjoying the properties illegally and without any authority and justification will turn only a false information in their own interests. A public enquiry only will turn a justified real fact. The visit of the official was not notified to anybody. The residents were the tenants interested in the temples and temple properties and were prepared to furnish necessary information regarding the illegal enjoyment of the Raja of Nilambur. Hence, two communications dated 24.05.1937 were sent to the Commissioner, Hindu Religion Endowment Board and The President, Hindu Religion Endowment Board pertaining to Original Application 229 of 1932 wherein an order had already been passed on 21.12.1936 that the Nambalakod Temple and 8 others Temples and their Properties were public ones, i.e. belonging to the principal indigenous people residing in the vicinity of the pagoda and copies of the said communications were submitted to the Collector of the Nilgiris and Dy Tahsildar Gudalur. An adjudicating authority has to be Neutral and cannot be the host of one side viz the Nilambur Kovilagam to the detriment of the other side. He has to have an open mind at time of the commencement of the enquiry. But it is obvious that he had already made up his mind for extraneous reasons best known to him. After the said to communication dated 24.05.1937, within a short period of 2 months it appears that an ex parte order allegedly was passed by the, Board of Commissioner for Hindu Religious Endowment, Madras on 12 July 1937 in M.P.No 24 of 1937 that the temple is a private Temple owned by the Nilambur Kovilagam. The said order dated 12, July 1937 is not a speaking order and does not assign any reason for the giving a finding that the Nambalakotta Temple is allegedly a private temple belonging to the Nilambur Kovilagam inter alia. It can be presumed that the Original order pertaining to Original Application 229 of 1932 wherein an order had been passed on 21.12.1936 that the Nambalakod Temple and 8 others Temples and their Properties were public ones, was a speaking order. Pertinently, the subsequent ex-parte order dated 12, July 1937 is per se unsustainable and is ab-initio null and void and illegal, is Arbitrary and has been passed mechanically absolutely with out application of mind, and the issue of the owner ship of the Nambolakotta temple has to be enquired once again.