Sir Thomas Munro, Colonial Officer received ''Manthraksha'' ( blessing) From Sri Raghavendra Swamy Mantralayam, Mutt AP

Navrang India January 14, 2025

 

Gov.Thomas Monroe,Madras Presidency (1820-27),
                                                                          slideshare.com

Above image:  Munro, then District Collector of Bellary District (1800), visited Sri Raghavendra Mutt and restored the village and other lands to  the Mutt. He had a miraculous time in the Samadhi (tomb) of Sri Raghavendra...........

Mantralaya village in  the newly carved state of Telengana (formerly Andhra Pradesh) is a popular place of pilgrimage and tens of thousands of people from different parts of India visit this holy Mutt. It is here where the `Brindavan' of famous 'Dvaita' saint ' Sri. Raghavendra Swami' is located. The reason why this serene place on the banks of  the river Tungabhadra assumes religious significance is, here  saint Sri. Raghavendra Swami, who lived from 1595 to 1671, attained Jeeva samadhi (leaving the mortal body through constant meditation and fasting in a small enclosure with walls on sides simultaneously built and the roof closed finally). The strong belief has been that he continues to live there for 700 plus years and blesses the people who come to this Mutt  for peace of mind and respite from the humdrum of routine life.

Sri Ragavendra Swamiji.(1595–1671 CE).sriraghavendra.weebly.com

Above image:  Born in Tamil Nadu near Cuddalore, Venkata Natha was a well-known Madhwa saint with lots of mystic powers. He had Jeeva samadhi at Mantralaya, Telengana state............

Sir Thomas Munro, an enigmatic colonial administrator,  was the Governor of Madras Presidency from 1820 to 1827. He introduced many reforms for the benefit of Indian natives, one being  the Ryotwari system. The agricultural  taxes  were directly collected from the ryots (owners of individual plots of land) as against  the Zamindari system, prevalent in Bengal and other places, in which the Zamindars fleeced   the poor cultivators. Besides , Munro was instrumental in introducing District Administration empowered with revenue, police and administrative powers. This system is being followed across all Indian states; each state has several districts headed by a District Collector whose jurisdiction is that particular district only. It is an effective administrative system  first introduced by Munro.

Equestrian statue of Thomas Munro in The Island, Chennai 
en.wikipedia.org

When EIC annexed certain lands from Tipu Sultan of Mysore, Munro was ordered to take up the post of the Collector of Bellary District, A.P in 1800 and was advised by the company  to conduct detailed surveys, including the lands owned by the Sri Raghavendra Mutt in  Mantralaya and in the near-by places. The Madras Presidency wanted more revenue from lands and wanted to annex  those lands that did not have proper legal titles. 
2023.part of Sri Raghavendra Swamy Mantralayam Mutt, tripadvisor.com

Mantralayam mutt, AP.thehindu.com

Above image: Sri Raghavendra Swamy Mutt in Mantralayam, Andhra Pradesh, was  spruced up for the 346th Aradhana celebrations in the first week of 2017. The Hindu old image. 


mantralayam Mutt, Mantralayam, AP, i.ytimg.com

As for lands owned by the Mutt at Mantralaya, the people in the village told Monroe saint Raghavendra Swami alone could throw light on them as countless employees associated with the Mutt could not come up with the right answer. The revenue officials informed Munroe about their predicament with respect to mutt lands that had been under the mutt for more than 100 years.

At that point of time, Sri Raghavendra Swami had been in his Samadhi (tomb) for nearly 130 years. Officer Munro was in a  predicament as to how he could  close the file on mutt lands and get the information from the  mutt.   Knowing well hoe much  the Swamiji was revered by the people and the trust they had in him, he decided to visit the blessed Mutt to gather any information on the Mutt lands (the land was donated to the swamiji by the local Muslim ruler- Nabob).

Moola Vrindavan of Sri Raghavendra Teerthar. uwww.raghavendramutt org.

Being a perfect gentleman that he was, knowing he was entering a  place of veneration of one of the holiest Hindu saints of India, he removed his hat and shoes and entered the sanctified place with humility and  sat in front of the Samadhi and prayed. To his utter surprise and awe, he had a sort of apparition;  Sri Raghavendra Swami appeared gracefully before  Munro and patiently explained to him the extent of land that belonged to the Mutt and the village. Sir Munro took notes, thanked the Swami and returned to his office. The Saint was visible and his voice audible only to Munro who, it is believed, received Manthraksha (god's blessing) from the great saint, indeed a rare and deserving honor for an upright English Officer. He came out of the mutt with a saintly loo.  Munro went back and wrote an order in favor of the Mutt and the village. He waived all the taxes on the Mutt.

This notification with respect to the Raghavendra Mutt lands was published in the Madras Government Gazette in Chapter XI, page 213, with the caption "Manchali Adoni Taluka". This order is still preserved in Fort St. George in Chennai, Tamil Nadu  and Mantralayam.

Chennai to Mantralayam, Kurnool dist. google.com

Memorial Sir. Thomas Munro, St. Mary's Church, Madras. en.wikipedia.org
/
In the Rayalaseema area, where he worked for years as  the District Collector, his name is associated with a number of Hindu temples such as in Kadiri, Mantralayam, and Tirupati. Munro in the 1820s  during his official tours heard a lot about God Venkateswara in Tirumala. He instituted the offering of Pongal each day to the deity in a vessel known as the Munro Gangalam (a huge cauldron)  and endowed a village in Chitoor district to maintain and continue the tradition  at Thirumala. Still, the old tradition is being followed, using the revenue from the village.

A dynamic English administrator, who had neither aristocratic arrogance nor pretenses,  still lives in the hearts of millions of Indian farmers and people from the places where he worked relentlessly long ago like a Kara Yogi, without expecting anything in return for his inspiring  services.  He was an honest man to the core. His glory and fame will remain forever till the firmament lasts.   Several years ago his descendants from England visited the Mutt, wearing traditional dress and engaged in meditation there. Old article reposted: