THE TAJMAHAL OF SEEMANDHRA

The name of the place, Machilipatnam, has always been a subject of curiosity for me because the word Machili, the fish, is pure Hindi word and even after spending around six years in Andhra Pradesh, I never heard anyone calling a fish Machili rather in Deccani speaking areas of Hyderabad they used to call it only Machchhi.  Similarly while reading William Dalrymple's book “White Mughals” I came across several references of the place Machilipatnam and it appeared that this place was not only a major port in the 16th to 19th century but also it was a place where all the major European powers established their business centres called factories.  Somehow it was intriguing for me to learn that there have been British, French, Dutch, Portuguese and Danish settlements here in the various periods of time.  In fact Dalrymple describes the route from Hyderabad to Machilipatnam in the great detail which used to be not only a major trade route but also this was the major port even during British period for the areas under control of Nizams of Hyderabad.  I was told about existence of an old fort of British period but I never knew about this British Love story through any source all along.

During the last bye-election I got an assignment in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh.  Vijaywada being the major city of the district and having connectivity by plane, I was advised by the district administration to stay at Vijaywada itself despite Machilipatnam being the district headquarters.  But somehow my mind was still there in Machilipatnam and I requested the District Collector to make arrangements for my stay in Machilipatnam itself.  The young district collector was kind enough to make a proper arrangement for my stay in Machilipatnam but to my surprise he also instructed a retired Deputy Collector, who knew about the city and its history very well, to be in touch with me and also to show the places in Machilipatnam in its historical perspective.

The retired Deputy Collector, Mr Mohammed Silar, turned out to be not only a very knowledgeable person about the place but also he was a part-time historian who had worked very hard to preserve the remaining legacy of the place.  He was not only aware of the history of the place but also he had been able to correlate the present of Machilipatnam with its glorious and prosperous past.  But that narration would be for some other time. During the city tour on 16th of August 2013, Mr. Silar first took me to the old fort situated on the seaside of the city which is still known as Bandar (Port) Fort and while coming back he showed me the road which used to be a bridge connecting the main city to the fort. After entering into the city he brought me to a non-descript church within the city limits. 

In first impression it looked to me a dilapidated church surrounded moss and tall grass and within its boundary it seemed as if being crowded by graves and tombstones of various sizes and colours which had virtually taken over the area around the church in the course of time.  My liaison officer, Mr. Paul, informed me that graves of both of his parents are here in the same premises. It never looked anyway unusual till he showed me Graves of Charles Noble, who founded the Noble High School for boys and also that of Sharkey who established first School of girls’ way back in 19th century and also that of the family who first converted to the Christianity, Yadamma and her family.  Certainly it appeared as if history is unfolding before my eyes as the tombs were telling the stories of the individuals who shaped the history of the place in the past centuries, but that too is not the story for today.

Author at the stairs of St. Mary’s Church with Mr. Silar and the Pastor

By that time Pastor came out of the church and invited us to see the church from inside.  It did not look any spectacular rather it looked much neglected as walls appeared to be moss eaten and damp, also the benches inside the church required repair and whole church was in dire need of fresh coat of painting.  It looked to me every inch of the place which has been deserted and forgotten by its patron years back. The pastor suddenly indicated towards a grave inside the church which was again not very surprising till he described that whose grave it was and how the church came into existence.

Then he started narrating this story of the two ill-fated lovers. Way back in early nineteenth century around 1790s and 1819 when a Major-General called John Pater commandeered the British forces at Bandar Fort in Machilipatnam on the eastern coast of Andhra Pradesh. Not much information is available about the officer, his age or antecedents but what is known that the officer happened to meet Arabella, daughter of his subordinate, Captain Robinson. Apparently it was love at first sight for both and both the General and Arabella longed to get married, but…

But Arabella’s father, a Catholic, would not agree to their marriage. Because they say that Pater was a Protestant; and secondly he was already married and had left a legally married wife behind him in England. Therefore, the intended marriage between the General and Arabella was an anathema in the sight of the Church as well as the law of the land. But that did not seem to have deterred the lovers for long and it turned out that Arabella defied her father and started living with Peters openly. This is indeed quite surprising because it was unthinkable in those times even for the English society. It was known as a big scandal in Machilipatnam since such events were never known or heard in the Indian cultural setting.

But it appears that tragedy struck immediately thereafter when on November 6, 1809, malaria claimed Arabella’s life. An inconsolable Pater sought to bury her in the traditional wedding gown at the St. John’s Church in the fort and for this the General  went to the Anglican priest of  the church of St. John’s, with a view to bury Arabella in the cemetery attached to the church. But the Anglican priest refused to give the burial space. Thereafter the General turned to the Goan priest, who was ministering to the little Roman community in the Fort, for her burial. The Roman priest also declined on the grounds that they were living in sin. As such the General was filled with great disappointment and had no other way except to bury her in a private ground in the outskirts of Machilipatnam with military honours, sans prayers and priest.

That was not the end of their love. Pater had the body of Arabella, embalmed in the bridal attire. Encased in a glass box, it was lowered into a grave. Every day, twice, Pater would have a look at his beloved. Pater then decided to build a church his own in the name of Arabella in defiance of the clergy. It was for that he bought 12.5 acres of land at Anandapuram and later, in 1815, the church in memory of Arabella came up after he raised the money by selling away his London property. He spent Rs 18,000 a fortune in those days a fortune and personally built a church over the mobile tomb in defiance of the clergy. He erected an engraved slab stone describing Arabella as a very dear friend as the marriage was never solemnised or recognised by the church nor the burial place was recognised as a sanctified place. Pater then got a transfer to Madras. He handed over the church to the East India Company, but visited it every month. But he himself did not survive for long and some say it could be because of the disappointment. He lost his life at Madras in 1819 and might be thereafter the church felt guilty and in the same year it agreed to sanctify the building as a proper church and started daily services in it. Peters was commemorated in Madras by naming a park and road after his name. In 1819, public worship was allowed at the church. Later, in 1842, Bishop of Madras, Rev George Trevor Spencer, dedicated it and named it St. Mary’s.

I was informed about another twist in the story about this church that once a mishap occurred when an old caretaker accidentally handled the wooden pigeon on the wall which used to be for pulling the glass case containing embalmed body of Arabella from the grave by Pater and Arabella’s glass case sprang up and the poor old fellow was said to have died instantly in fright...so, the collector ordered it to be closed permanently.

I stood simply mesmerised there while listening to this story but when I started reading the engravings on the tomb stone which appeared me to be ultimate reflection of undying love of Pater and Arabella transcending through centuries.

This Monument

Sacred to the Memory of

ARABELLA ROBINSON

Daughter of Captain William Robinson

Of the Honourable Companys Military Service

Who died on the 6^th November 1809

was erected by her Ever

grateful and Affectionate Friend

Major General John Pater 

Looking back in time it appears to be a love story directly from the Bollywood movies but intensity of true affection and attachment in real life might have never happened anywhere on this scale. Long live love story of Arabella and Pater and long live this real Tajmahal on the eastern Indian coast. At the end I would like to quote the pastor who gave me final piece of wisdom while I was leaving that if people can’t come to church then the church has to come to the people. Amen… 

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