PETER PANDIYAN
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VIDYALANKARA DR.S.JAYABARATHI

JAYBEE

The East India Company came into total control of Tamilnadu in 1801 A.D.,
when the last Poligar Rebellion collapsed with the defeat of the
valient Marudhu Brothers of Sivaganggai.

The district administration was totally under the District Collector who was
something like a king. He was directly under the Governor
who was in Madras.

Madurai had had many district collectors. Among them, one name stands out most prominantly.

He was Rous Peter.
He was so popular that he was called Peter Pandiyan.
The people had been suffereing for more than a century.
Rous Peter was an able administrator who mingled evenly with the people.
He brought about a lot of public works that directly benefited the people. He also brought the much needed peace, prosperity, and justice..
The people felt that Peter would bring about the greatness of the ancient times, as when Madurai was under the Great Pandiyan Kings.
So they named him 'Peter Pandiyan'.
He was in service from 1812 to 1828.

One day there was huge thunder storm. It was already night.
Suddenly a little girl entered the bungalow of Peter. Grabbing Peter by his hand,
she pulled him and brought him out of the house.
As soon as they were some distance away from the house, a lightening struck the bungalow  and the bungalow collapsed, bursting into flames.
Peter was flabbergasted and looked upon the scenario with awe.
After he came to himself, he found that the girl was walking away some place.
He followed her, but he could not keep up with her because the little girl always seemed to be the same distance away in front of Peter, however fast he walked.
She entered the Minakshi Temple.
She went straight to the Sanctum Sanctorum of Minakshi.
There she disappeared.

Peter was convinced that the mysterious girl was none other than the Goddes Minakshi
who came to save a good man from calamity.

The ever-grateful Peter donated many jewellery and other gifts to the MinakshiTemple and  Alzagar Koyil Temple.

Among the jewellery, is a gem-studded sirrup. Strrup is a foot-rest by means of which a
person climbs up a horse and rests his feet and legs. The stirrup is also used for
goading and controlling the horse.

Here, you see the pair of stirrups donated by Peter Pandiyan.
It adorns the Horse Vaahanam on the day that the Ula takes place on the Horse Vaahanam.

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