Each time I write an article or produce a video on the history of Madras, now Chennai, I seem to get knocked on the head with some fresh information. Last week was no different. I remain grateful to those who so generously share their knowledge on Darkhast .
The Darkhast Church Mystery
YouTube episode that I did on the sights of Madras as seen in the 1977 film Adu Puli Attam. Much of it was straightforward bits of T. Nagar and Mount Road, along with a fine shot of Fort Station with a clean Cooum flowing by.
One rather dilapidated church, however, had me baffled. According to the film, it was somewhere in Kanchipuram. I left it as a question for viewers, and many responded. One viewer even used Google Lens to identify the location.
It turned out to be the Church of Our Lady of Assumption at Dharkast in Kanchipuram district. With Chennai expanding rapidly, the area now carries the Chennai PIN code 600045.
The History of the Darkhast Church
The church itself appears to have been built in 1894. Beyond that, I could find very little information. Fortunately, the structure has been well preserved. Unlike many churches that have fallen victim to indiscriminate modernisation, this one retains its historic character.
Compared with what appears in the film, it also seems to be maintained much better today. What intrigued me more, however, was the word Dharkast .
The Meaning of Darkhast Land
In Urdu, Darkhast and not Dharkast means a petition or request. During the East India Company period, particularly in the Madras Presidency, the term came to signify the Government’s grant of poromboke land to homeless or economically disadvantaged individuals.
Incidentally, poromboke has nothing whatsoever to do with Lord Pembroke, despite popular stories to the contrary. The word is of early Tamil origin, derived from Purampokku , meaning land lying outside the limits of a town or village and therefore treated as common land.
Darkhast Land Grants in the Madras Presidency
A study of court records reveals that Darkhast land grants always followed a formal request, or Darkhast , submitted by a needy individual or institution. The Government treated the grant as an outright sale to the recipient.
However, the grantee also had to comply with certain conditions. The purpose for which the land was granted was clearly specified. There was also a lock-in period during which the land could not be sold. Chengalpattu, being a district rich in water bodies and agricultural land, appears to have contained many Darkhast grants.
Interestingly, it also became the pioneering district for Panchami lands. This initiative resulted from the efforts of J. H. A. Tremenheere, Collector of Chengalpattu during the 1890s. Acting on his recommendations, the Government permanently granted land to Dalits. These became known as Panchami lands and could not legally be transferred outside the community.
The Darkhast Church and Modern Chennai
Darkhast lands, however, appear to have followed different rules. The Catholic Church was, according to available records, a major beneficiary of the scheme. The parcel on which the Church of Our Lady of Assumption stands was one such grant.
The church lies just off the Chennai Outer Ring Road, and Darkhast Road leads directly to it. An internet search now reveals the locality to be “an active real estate and rental market offering residential plots and rental properties.”
When Adu Puli Attam was filmed in 1977, the surroundings were little more than open countryside. The church stood almost in isolation. Welcome to Chennai, Our Lady of Assumption. You enjoyed pastoral surroundings for many years and will soon exchange them for housing colonies and multi-storeyed buildings.
The Many Spellings of Darkhast
On a lighter note, it was amusing to see signboards spelling the place as Darkash, Dargah, and Darkasthu . Even so, the grace-and-favour origins of the name remain the most interesting part of the story.
This article appeared in The Hindu–https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/darkhast-land-and-the-church-of-our-lady-of-assumption-in-chennai/article71169091.ece
My book, Chennai, A Biography can be ordered-http://-http://My book, Chennai, A Biography can be ordered-https://sriramv.com/2021/12/27/how-to-buy-autographed-copies-of-chennai-a-biography-from-outstation/20.ece
