In the late 1600s, when Madurai was under Nayak rule, one queen stood apart—not for conquest or palace intrigues, but for her vision of public welfare. Rani Mangammal, who served as regent for her grandson, believed that a ruler’s true legacy lay in service.
The maker of roads!
She became known as ‘The maker of roads and builder of tanks’. Across her kingdom, she constructed highways lined with shade-giving trees, ensuring that travellers and traders could journey in comfort. Her tanks and canals brought water to parched villages, transforming agriculture and strengthening local economies.
During Mangammal's regency, many irrigation channels were repaired, new roads were constructed, avenue trees were planted, and several municipal buildings were completed, including temples and her "Spring Palace" at TumKum, which now houses the Gandhi Memorial Museum in Madurai..
A sense of foresight
But her works were not just practical; they carried a sense of foresight. Roads connected towns and pilgrimage centres, weaving together culture and commerce. Tanks were more than reservoirs; they were lifelines for generations of farmers. Many of the tanks and roads are still in use, earning her a reputation as a visionary benefactor.
Unlike many rulers of her time, Mangammal’s memory lives less in battles and more in the infrastructure that endured. Folk songs and local traditions celebrate her as a just and capable queen, one who left behind not monuments of stone but systems of sustenance.
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