15th century sculptor’s scale found

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15th century sculptor’s scale found S. Ganesan

It has been carved on the lower part of the basement of the vimana of Kallazhagar temple

A TRIBUTE: A sculpture of Uranga Villi Dasan, who had renovated the main vimana of the Kallazhagar temple.

TIRUCHI: A 15th century sculptor’s scale has been found in the main vimana of the Kallazhagar temple at Azhagarkoil, near Madurai.

The scale was found by research scholars of the Dr. M. Rajamanikkanar Centre for Historical Research, Tiruchi, during an explorative study.

According to R. Kalaikkovan, director of the centre, a close study of the main vimana revealed the scale, carved on the lower part of the basement. Two plus marks, separated by 76 centimetres, are noted on the southern part of the ‘upana’ (base).

An inscription copied from the temple in 1930 says Thirumaliruncholai Ninran Mavali Vanadarayan Uranga Villi Dasan, a feudal lord who had ruled the region in 1469 AD, had renovated the main vimana from the ‘upana’ to the ‘stupi.’ Thiruvalan Somayaji, an official who had executed the work to the satisfaction of the king, was gifted with a village, Kulamangalam, as a tax-free property. Another inscription copied from the basement of the west wall of the ‘Thayar’ shrine mentions the name of a measure carved below as ‘Thirumalirucholai Ninran Mavali Vanadarayan Mathrankulam.’

Based on the two inscriptions, one may conclude that the sculptor’s scale discovered at the basement of the main vimana was used by sculptors of the 15th century to build the unique and ornamental vimana, says Dr. Kalaikkovan.

One of the embellished stone windows is depicted with a sculpture of an individual in a seated posture, with two attendants on either side. V. Vedachalam, an archaeologist of Madurai who accompanied the scholars, identified him as Uranga Villi Dasan, who renovated the vimana.

Lepakshi

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INSIDE STORY

Where tales resonate

Lepakshi has history written all over it — from the Ramayana to a merchant’s devotion to the lord

Photos: Lakshmi Sharath

Architectural wonder Lepakshi

“Le pakshi’, (get up ,bird ) said Lord Rama to the fallen Jatayu who lost its wing to Ravana’s sword,” says my guide , a bit dramatically “and that is why the village is called so. See this sculpture, there are more stories...” his voice trails off.

I am in this small village, Lepakshi, near Hindupur in Anantpur district, looking at some of the rare mural paintings from the Vijaynagar era that adorn this ancient Veerabhadra temple.

The largest monolith Nandi stands here as a testimony to the building skills of ancient artisans. The sun’s rays touch the large sculptures in the unfinished kalyanamantapam of the temple.

Gods as artistes

The Gods are depicted as artistes — Brahma is on the cymbal, Narada on the tampura, and Shiva in his Nataraja avatar amongst others.

Stories myths and local lore resonate from almost every wall here. For instance, the hill on which the temple is built is called Kurmasaila as it resembles a tortoise. The giant multi-hooded Nagalinga was said to have been constructed out of a single boulder really fast — even before the cook finished preparing food for the workers. But the praise of the sculptor’s mother caused an “evil eye” and a crack in the boulder — the sculpture looks like it is split in the middle. The unfinished kalayanamandapam was built where Shiva and Parvati were believed to have got married.

Or, look at the carved large feet on the ground perennially filled with water — they are believed to be Seetha’s feet. “They also say it is Goddess Durga’s feet,” says the guide and shrugs when I ask, “Who is they?” Instead, he shows me the carved thali-like plates on the ground. “The locals were fed here,” he says.

While the panels, the sculptures and the paintings narrate stories from the Puranas and the epics, the heart wrenching story of two red marks on the walls of the shrine tell a sad tale. Virupanna, a merchant and treasurer of the Vijaynagar emperor, Achutadevaraya, decided to build a temple here when he found a sculpture of Veerabhadra here. He used the money from the treasury for the same when the king was away. The temple was almost completed, except for the kalyanamandapam, when the king returned to find his treasury empty and the temple built without his permission.

He ordered that Virupanna be blinded, but the merchant decided to punish himself by banging against the wall near the Kalyanamandapa.

The two red marks are said to be the stains left behind when the merchant gouged out his eyes. The village is also said to be called Lepa-akshi, because of this — village of the blinded eye.

The melancholy is a bit addictive, but the beauty of the pillars takes you away from the tragedy. The silence is mesmerising and the solitude seductive.

Patnam Temples of Madras

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Temples for the Town

The origins of the name Chennai are shrouded in mystery. And yet, two of the oldest temples of the George Town area bear it as a prefix leading to one theory that these temples gave the city its name. They are referred to as ‘Patnam’ (Town) Temples by the locals thereby giving credence to the belief.

The Chenna Kesava and the Chenna Malleeswara Swami Temples of George Town originally stood where the High Court is today. Records speak of their existence even in the 1640s and associate two of the city’s founders Beri Thimmappa and Nagabathan with the construction. The old Black Town (native quarter as opposed to the White Town of Fort St George) being in that area, the complex was used for public meetings as well. However post the French occupation of and subsequent eviction from the city between 1746 and 49, the British felt that Black Town ought to be shifted inwards and it moved to the present location which later became George Town.

The Patnam Temple complex was therefore razed to the ground in 1757 and the debris was used to construct a protective wall for the city. Realising that religious sentiments were being ruffled, the British in 1762 allotted space of 25000 sq ft in the new Black Town, on Devaraja Mudali Street for the construction of the temples. Manali Muttukrishna Mudaliar, the Chief Merchant of the East India Company and dubash (agent) of Governor Pigot, opened a subscription list for the building of the temples and donated 5000 pagodas (the then currency). The East India Company gave 1173 pagodas. Donations amounted to 15000 pagodas and construction began in 1766 and continued till 1780. The temples have close connections with members of the Manali family, one of the oldest lineages of the city, even today. Till recently, until congestion prevented it, it was customary for Chenna Kesava Perumal to be taken in procession to Manali Hostel on Govindappa Naicken Street for the annual spring festival. Now this is celebrated within the temple precincts.

This twin complex is unique for it has the Vishnu and Siva temples together, sharing a common compound wall. The Chenna Malleeswara Swami temple had a number of Devadasis attached to it till the dancing girl tradition was abolished in 1947. The Chenna Kesava Perumal Temple was known for the patronage it gave nagaswaram artistes, a festival of music in the month of July, exclusively dedicated to nagaswaram performances continuing even now, a good 300 years after it was initiated.

Chidambaram Kovil

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By Anupama Bhattacharya
Photographs: Gireesh G.V.

I saw cascades of energy coming down from outer space, in which particles were destroyed and created in rhythmic pulses; I saw the atoms of the elements and those of my body participating in this cosmic dance of energy; I felt its rhythm and I heard its sound, and at that moment I knew that this was the Dance of Shiva, the Lord of Dancers.
—Fritjof Capra, Tao of Physics

Chidambaram, the heart of the universe (chit-heart, ambaram-universe), is where Shiva, manifesting as Nataraja, one of the trinity of Hindu deities, performs the cosmic dance. It is also the heart of a world that is a manifestation of purusha, the eternal, cosmic man.

As you approach the Nataraja temple in this quaint town of Tamil Nadu, 250 km south of Chennai in southern India, you are taken aback by four gigantic towers (135 ft) with seven storeys that guard it on four sides. The architecture inside is no less fascinating. Rows after rows of pillars with intricate carvings, surrounded by 10 sacred pools, seem to create an ambiance of space—vast, limitless. You are drawn in, deeper and deeper, until you stand at the center of the universe, facing Nataraja, the creator, the destroyer, the keeper.

The shrine is spread over an area of 51 acres and houses a rare crystal lingam. There is also a Ratnasabhapati Nataraja made of gems, rubies, emerald and stone. The main shrine or the Chitrambalam (also known as Chit Sabha) is the place where Nataraja dances the tandava of creation, destruction, grace, dissolution and blessing.

According to mythology, Shiva first performed Ananda Tandava (the dance of bliss), to enlighten some sages who had been so immersed in their scholasticism that they had forgotten the existence of God. This Ananda Tandava was later revealed at the Jnana Sabha, one of the shrines of Chidambaram. Myth has it that, at a particular time every year, Shiva still performs the dance here. At first glance, the statue of Nataraja is like any other classic piece of art—graceful and eye-catching. The beauty begins to unfold, layer by layer, as the magnificence of creation and the wonder of destruction are understood. Nataraja symbolizes the ultimate reality that is eternally molding this world of maya or illusion, creating myriad nebulae with the beat of a drum and destroying a mega-universe with a graceful turn of the finger. The dance of Shiva is the dancing universe, the ceaseless flow of energy that mingles and meanders into the infinite cosmic soul. It is the dance of sub-atomic particles—the building blocks of creation. Here, the Ardhanarishwar Shiva, symbolized by a male earring in the left and a female earring in the right ear, blends the yin and the yang and transcends them.

This transcendence is mirrored in the ultimate balance of Nataraja. As the upper right hand, holding a drum, strikes the primal sound, nebulae after nebulae shoot out from the dancing form, stars are born and shaped, and the first seeds of life germinate in the cosmic cradle, waiting to bloom. The right lower hand showers blessings on the blossoming creation, asking it to arise and understand its purpose. With knowledge comes truth and Nataraja crushes Mulayaka, ignorance manifest, with his right foot—his left lower hand pointing at his raised left foot, defying the law of gravity, symbolic of liberation, moksha. With life, death can't be far behind. The awakening is now symbolized by a deluge of fire leaping out from his left upper hand, devouring the trembling cosmos with licking tongues of flame. One by one stars die, burning suns extinguish their lights. In the eternal darkness, Shiva unties his matted hair and dances the tandava, trampling upon the entire universe—a raging, raving force demolishing existence. Destruction was never so beautiful.

In the final silence, when there is neither existence nor non-existence, enlightenment dawns. Free at last from the fetters of delusion, Nataraja dances the Ananda Tanndava, the ultimate dance of joy. The primal sound of the drum echoes again, a tiny spark bursts into a star. Another universe is born. The cycle repeats itself. And Nataraja, blissful in the ecstasy of existence, dances to eternity.

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Scene of mighty confluence

PILGRIMAGE The contrast in colours is striking — the green-blue Bhagirati mingling with the muddy brown Alakananda. RUPA GOPAL

Photos: Rupa Gopal

Mighty Himalayan Rivers: At Devprayag, (and below) the confluence of Bhagirati and Alakananda.

The Ganga flows down the Himalayas, forming five major confluences along the way —Vishnuprayag (Alakananda and Dhauli ganga), Nandaprayag, (Alakananda and Nandakini), Karnaprayag (Alakananda and Pindar), Rudraprayag (Alakananda and Mandakini), and lastly, Devprayag.

At about 2,550 ft. above mean sea level is located Devprayag, the holy confluence of the Bhagirati with Alakananda — mighty rivers journeying down the Himalayas, joining to become the Ganga. In keeping with the mystique of the Himalayas, the Bhagirati is a deep green blue, its waters rushing impatiently to join the serene, muddy brown Alakananda.

Contrast in colour

The contrast in colours is striking, with the hill of Devprayag rising above, dotted with small buildings. The temple of Raghunathji is high above, reached on foot by crossing the bridge over the river, from across the highway, and then climbing up narrow lanes.

Said to be over 10,000 years old, the temple overlooks the confluence, or Prayag, from high above, with steps leading down to Brahmakund, where religious austerities are performed in the swirling waters. Vasishtkund is located further away.

A black granite idol of Rama is housed in the main shrine, while Hanuman, Sankaracharya , Garuda and Annapurna have smaller shrines in the compound. Both Rama and Dasaratha had undertaken penance at Devprayag, Rama to atone for the killing of Ravana.

Temple to Bharata

Dasarathshila is located elsewhere in the village, near a tiny rivulet called Shanta, named after the foster daughter of the king. A small ancient temple to Bharata is also found nearby.

The Rama temple walls bear inscriptions not deciphered. A throne-like stone seat is where Rama sat, says temple lore. The original Lakshman jhoola, the bridge across the Ganga, is thought to be here at Devprayag, and not at Rishikesh. Located about 70 km from Rishikesh, Devprayag has beautiful scenery — vistas that have probably remained unchanged over time, a time when gods are said to have walked our blessed land.

Varahur

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Photos: M.Srinath

Much awaited: The uriyadi poles are getting ready at Sri Venkatesa Perumal temple, Varahur.

Come Krishna Jayanti, it is time for Uriyadi at Sri Venkatesa Perumal Temple at Varahur, 30 km from Thanjavur. This year the festival falls on August 23 and Uriyadi Thirunal is being held on the night of August 24 to continue till Monday morning. But the festival itself is already under way.

On Sunday, August 17, an Uriyadi pole — three long strong bamboo poles tied together —was fixed on the ground in front of the temple. Devotees throng to have darshan of the deity decorated in various forms such as Venugopala, Kalinganarthanar, Uriyadi Krishnar and so on.

Varahur is said to be the village where composer Narayana Theerthar arrived after being led by a wild boar. The deity of the temple cured the poet of an acute stomach ache and a grateful Tirtha with the Lord’s blessings composed Sri Krishna Leela Tharangini. Krishna actually danced to the tune, legend goes.

It was Tirtha who started the tradition of Uriyadi and it has continued. On Uriyadi Thirunal, a packet of prasadam is put in a mud pot and hoisted upon the pole. Another pole smeared with oil, called Vazhukkumaram, is fixed near the pole. Contestant should climb the slippery pole to snatch the packet. The event is based on the philosophy that man has to strive hard to attain the grace of God.

On the morning of Uriyadi thirunal, the Utsavar is decorated as Balakrishna holding a pot of butter — Vennaithazhi alankaram — and taken to Karungal mandapam. At midnight, the deity decorated as Yuva Krishna is taken towards the pole to the accompaniment of the nagaswaram and Tharangini bhajans. The idol is placed in a specially erected pandal. A person from Yadav clan of the village, dressed as cowherd strikes the Uri mathalam (package of eatables) to signal the commencement of Uriadithal.

Temples near Badrinath

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Forty-four kms and a travel time of 2 and a half hours before Badrinath, is Joshimutt (6,150 ft. above sea level). Protected by the majestic peaks of Trishul in the south, Kamat in the north, and the holy peaks of Badri in the north-west, Joshimutt thrills the pilgrim with its unique location, colours and antiquity. Reaching it energises one and heightens devotion for the road-weary pilgrim. The gate system along the highway necessitates a halt here, and ahead at Pandukeshwar, to regulate traffic.

Narasimha Badri is located here, the place perhaps originally referred to as Jyotirmutt, where Adi Sankara gained enlightenment. It is one of the four mutts established by him and Adi Sankara wrote his Sri Bhashyam here. A 2,400-year-old kalpavriksha associated with the great spiritual leader stands at Joshimutt.

The Narasimha temple has a saligrama idol installed by Adi Sankara, and a shrine to Vasudeva. Legend states that the left wrist of the idol is getting thinner by the day, and that at the end of Kaliyuga the hand will break off.

This will then trigger off the fall of the mountains, Jaya and Vijaya, near Vishnu Prayag, and block the way to the present Badrinath temple. So the lord will then be worshipped only at Bhavishya Badri, 23 kms from Joshimutt.

The ski resort of Auli, (16 kms away) makes Joshimutt a holiday spot as well, a ropeway and road connecting the scenic spot. Hemkund Sahib and the Valley of Flowers are also accessible from here.

Tiny village

The Kubera one at Panduskeshwar.

Pandukeshwar (6300 ft. above sea level) is 4 kms from Vishnu Prayag, on the road to Badri. It is a tiny little village clinging to the mighty Himalayas.

A steep path down from the road enters the hamlet and goes on and on, till finally one sees the small temple, built in local style. Two shrines house Vishnu in a meditative posture, and Vasudeva with a commanding presence. The temple and the idols are said to have been established by the Pandavas, in memory of their father Pandu, who spent his last years here at Pandukeshwar, worshipping Maha Vishnu. A lingam studded with the nine gems is buried under the idol of Narayana, says the priest.

The Pandavas renounced all worldly attachment here, and handed over Hastinapur to King Parikshit. From here they moved upwards towards Badri, Mana, Alakapuri (the birthplace of the Alakananda) and beyond, ascending a peak to the heavens, the eventful peak being Swargarohini. Ultimately, it was only Yudhishtir who ascended the heavens, in human form.

Hanuman Chatti lies nearby, in the Gandhamadana hills. Bhima and Hanuman had a contest of strength here, with a disguised Hanuman lying across the path of Bhima, challenging him to lift his tail. Bhima then realised it was Hanuman, his brother.

Redolent with legends, Pandukeshwar is further sanctified by being the winter abode of worship, when the Badri temple is closed for six months. The idol of Uddhava is brought down to Pandukeshwar, and worship continues till May, when the idol is ceremoniously carried back to Badri. The only temple to Kubera stands near the main temple, making Pandukeshwar even more unique.

The climb back to the road from the temple is very steep and has to be done rapidly, before the gate opens to allow the traffic. The effort is certainly memorable as visiting Badrinath would be incomplete without seeing these two holy shrines.