12th October 2019.
It was a practice to erect a hero stone in memory of a Hero who was died in the process of Killing a Tiger in Kongu regions as Pulikuthikal. But whereas this Tomb is little different. Mr Poongundran, who was leading us in Kongu Heritage walk on 12th October 2019, showed us this memorial Tomb built for a Madras Railway engine driver by name John Wilson, of Madras Railway ( Which was formed in 1845AD at Royapuram, Madras. The link with the west coast was first established in 1862AD with a line to Beypore, near Kozhikode in Kerala ). He was killed by a Tiger at Walliar in Kerala on 10th April 1868AD. A Cross is embossed on the Tomb cover stone slab with inscription. This is a lone Tomb on the road side and not in a church or in a Cemetery. The Inscription is given below.
SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF
JOHN WILSON
ENGINE DRIVER MADRAS RAILWAY
WHO WAS KILLED AT WALLIAR BY A TIGER
ON THE 10th APRIL 1868
AGED 29 YEARS.
It was told that the local Christians used to clean the Tomb and do pray with lighting of candles on “All Soul’s day” (கல்லரைத் திருநாள் ) which falls on November 2nd.
A Church built with laterite stone
---OM SHIVAYA NAMA---
#Pothanur Was Old Railway Station, Originally Named #Cimbatore, Built on #18_07_1861CE Built 9 Months before the #1stTrainToMalabar from #Madras_Alias_Chennai, 01Mail was the first Train on #14_04_1862 on a Vishu and #ChitrakaniDay, Till Then & later the(Cimbatore) Pothanur was used as training yard for Engine Drivers, Brake, Signal, Station & Maintenance Staff Training Centre, british Cum anglo_Indian Base Camp Cum Railway Staff Colony. Reference 1) South Indian & Madras Railway History 2)Malabar Manual william Logan
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ReplyDelete#Pothanur Was Old Railway Station, Originally Named #Cimbatore, Built on #18_07_1861CE Built 9 Months before the #1stTrainToMalabar from #Madras_Alias_Chennai, 01Mail was the first Train on #14_04_1862 on a Vishu and #ChithrakaniDay, Till Then & later the(Cimbatore) Pothanur was used as training yard for Engine Drivers, Brake, Signal, Station & Maintenance Staff Training Centre, british Cum anglo_Indian Base Camp Cum Railway Staff Colony. Reference 1) South Indian & Madras Railway History 2)Malabar Manual william Logan,
ReplyDeleteDr RamaKrishnan Kalpathy Sundaram, Director, Kongu Railway Development Council, https://www.facebook.com/KRRailwayCouncil, kongurailwaydevelopmentcouncil@gmail.com, Twitter X=@KonguRail, Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/599399905262126