Story Behind the Story
by Uma Srinivasan | 9 November 2023
Etched in Gold is a work of fiction conceived after a road trip around Tanjore, the land of my ancestors
Tanjore, also known as Thanjavur is home to a majestic Shiva Temple constructed around 1010 CE under the patronage of the Chola kings.
Fondly referred to as the Big Temple by the locals, the massive “gopuram” tower carved with intricate sculptures and frescoes pre-dates the Taj Mahal, but the UNESCO heritage temple has remained shielded from the prying eyes of casual tourists. The imposing Nandi sculpture, a subsequent addition introduced by the Nayaka dynasty (1530-1670) added further grandeur to the temple complex. The Nayakas’ reign breathed new life into the ancient city, elevating Tanjore as the cultural capital of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
Nestled within the Tanjore Palace complex lies the Saraswati Mahal Library along with a rare-books museum. A Sanskrit palm leaf manuscript dating back to 1630 lay hidden amidst Samuel Johnson’s Dictionary and Lavoisier’s Elements of Chemistry.
When I discovered the palm leaf manuscript presented a contemporary biography of a Nayaka king, meticulously chronicled by a woman residing in his court, I was captivated and wanted to trace her journey. My protagonist Amba was born.
Along the east coast of Tanjore lies a quaint little coastal town – Tranquebar –the European name for old Tarangambadi, the city of singing waves. I stayed in an old Bungalow on the beach offering breathtaking views of an ancient Fort, more European than Indian.
Standing tall and resilient, the old Danish Fort of Tranquebar, reminiscent of the famed Danish Kroensburg Fort, withstood the devastating forces of the 2004 tsunami. The catastrophic event prompted Danish historians and scholars to flock to the site, driven by a profound desire to reclaim and preserve their ancestral heritage.
In the fort museum, I was enchanted by the long narrow gold foil, etched with words that revealed a trade agreement from 1630 between King Raghu Nayaka of Tanjore and King Christian IV of Denmark. Denmark’s presence in India is a well-hidden secret rarely mentioned in history textbooks. It was a remarkable coincidence that this was the very king whose biography graced the palm leaves I had discovered earlier at the library museum. My characters Raghu Nayaka and Ove Anderson came to life with their intertwined stories.
These remarkable fragments of information gradually formed the scattered pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, unveiling Tanjore as a vibrant and dynamic region that nurtured scholars and musicians—many of whom were women. The region fostered significant trade connections with the Portuguese, and Dutch, and forged a historic trade agreement with the King of Denmark as early as 1630, long before the era of “British India.”
In the tapestry of my story, I introduced Maya, a character serving as the conduit to connect these fragmented pieces of the jigsaw puzzle, using music as the common motif that binds two Tanjore women across time and geography. Maya’s narrative unveils the remarkable story of Amba, a historical figure whose life and contributions have been validated by both Indian and Danish scholars and historians.
