Keezhkadambur and Melkadambur- A mini Ponniyin Selvan Trail

 Keezh Kadambur

Keezh Kadambur is about 15 min drive from Kaatumannar koil. I was excited to see the Kadambur Maaligai of Ponniyin Selvam fame where so many incidents have happened. I was hopeful, of seeing the ruins at least if not for the palace. The locals had no clue about palace or ruins or Ponniyin Selvan! One man stopped his bicycle to reply to our query…"Temple..? Left side is keezhkadambur, ASI site and if you go further down is Mel Kadambur which is a bigger temple". Since he mentioned ASI, we decided to visit that temple first. It was on a deserted little road with a locked gate. Two ladies with 3 little girls were there in the vicinity. They gave us the number of the caretaker Rajendran but his number was not reachable. One local seeing our disappointed faces offered to go and bring the caretaker and within 5 minutes the caretaker Rajendran arrived on a two wheeler with the keys.

It was a Shiva temple, called Rudrapathy temple. Rajendran seemed like a seasoned tour guide. He said indeed this was the place where the Kadambur Maaligai stood, but sadly there is not even a brick to show its existence. I just stood there imagining Vandhiya Devan in the earlier part of  of PS entering the palace and his friend Kanda Maaran taking him to see his father Sambuvarayar.

I asked Rajendran about the secret passage which is there in the Garba Griham of the main deity, (I had read about it)  doubting whether he will show us…but I was surprised as he said come on in…we both stepped in, did a pradakshinam of the huge shiva lingam and on the other side was the passage which supposedly leads to Gangai Konda Cholapuram 15 kms away. 

 The Secret Passage

                  

                                                                 

                                                                 

The Rudrapathy temple is a Ilangkoil meaning temporary place of worship till the main temple gets renovated. This temple has many Nayanmars in sculpture form carved beautifully. There were lots of statues placed on the ground. Rajendran said they were stolen earlier but retrieved back but yet to be installed in their rightful place.  The sculptures were made of soft stone and when tapped on, emitted musical notes. Rajendran demonstrated this. Sounded amazing.

He also described how Director Mani Rathnam (who is in the process of taking Ponniyin Selvan, the movie) and his team came to this place asking for the Kadambur Maligai. I believe the team was crestfallen that nothing remained today. They videographed the place including the aerial view using a drone camera.

You can connect with Rajendran, Rudrapathy Temple, Keezhkadambur: 9943433058

Melkadambur:

We next drove 1.5 kms to the Amirtakadeswarar temple at Melkadambur. This seemed like a living temple with devotees and poojas happening. This temple shaped like a chariot (Kaarakoil) was built by Kulothunga Chola 1 in 1113 AD

Lots of legends surrounding this place. One such fascinating legend happened during the churning of the ocean. The nectar or the Amritam which came as a result of the churning was consumed by the devas without giving due respect to Lord Ganesha, the angered elephant headed God took the pot away from the devas. When he was passing by this place, a drop of Nectar fell here which became the Swayambu (came on its own) Lingam. The Devas headed by Indira followed Lord Ganesha asking for forgiveness. They were pardoned by him only after getting assurance to offer prayers to Amrithakadeswara the Shiv Lingam in this place. The pot of nectar was also duly returned to the devas. The Shiva Lingam is said to be made of Navabashana or nine herbs.

Lord Indira and Melkadambur

Lord Indira’s Mother Aditi used to come to this place to offer prayers everyday. Lord Indira did not want her to travel so he converted the temple into a chariot and tried pulling it to Devaloka. Lord Ganesha pressed the chariot with his leg and Indira was unable to move it. (Even today you can see one chariot wheel sunken to the ground) Ganesha instructed Indira to create one shivalingam in one naazhigai (24 min) Indira started creating but each and every lingam he created developed cracks. Finally, Indira realized that it was an impossible feat and begged forgiveness. Lord Ganesha instructed Indira to create one Shivalinga chanting the Lords name 1000 times and do pooja to this lingam everyday. It is believed that Lord Indira even today, visits this temple to perform the shiva lingam pooja

The Sunken Chariot Wheel 

                 

The sculptures were simply breathtaking and we did know where to look…wherever we turned there was something there for us to stop and stare.

The Aaravaraa Vinayagar has his trunk aloft and looks like he is trumpeting with his head leaning towards the left. This Ganesha idol has been brought from Vatapi, present day Badami in Karnataka, as spoils of war. There were several such Ganeshas brought from Vatapi although some historians refute this. (Readers might remember the famous Ganesha in Kalki’s novel Sivagamiyin Sabatham which Paranjothi brought and installed in his home town, Thiruchenkaatankudi)

Devendren

A Roman statue

Thavvai Devi or Jyeshta Devi : The Pallavas used to worship 

The  Goddess VidhyujothiNayagi /Jothi Minnamai gives darshan to the devotee as Saraswathi in the morning, Mahalakshmi during midday and Shakthi in the evening.

Mel Kadambur has a Dasa Buja Rishaba Thandavamurthy (Nataraja) statue a Pala Sculpture brought by Rajendra Chola after war. It’s a beautiful idol brought for darshan only during Pradoshams.

A very peaceful place with plenty of vibrations. Do request the head priest to narrate this temple’s specialties.

Veera Narayan Perumal at Kattumannarkoil- A mini Ponniyin Selvan trail

 

Having had a fulfilling darshan at the Polla Pillayar temple we headed further down the same road to reach Kattu Mannar Koil a little town but with great historical and spiritual importance. This is the town where sage Nadhamuni who compiled the 4000 Divya Prabandham was born. Also the birth place of Alavandar his grandson, another important acharya of the vaishnavite tradition known for his gift of reading once and remembering forever. (Eka Santha Grahi)

When was this temple built?

The brick structure of this temple was completed during the reign of Paranthaka Chozhan I in the early 10th century.  However, there is enough archaeological evidence to prove that it was in existence even earlier.  The present deity was installed by Sadaya Varman Sundara Pandian in the 13th century, after performing extensive renovations

A little lane led us to the Gopuram. As expected the temple was almost empty, barring a few priests and a Nadaswaram Thavil troupe who were assembled there and were discussing animatedly about some local incident.

The Ponniyin Selvan Connection:

Veera Narayana Perumal temple is an important part of the novel and introduced to the reader within a few pages of reading. The temple was referred to as Vinnagaram. Azhwar Kadiyaan and Vandhiya Devan go to this temple and Azwarkadiyaan sings Nammazhwar’s pasuram, so beautifully that people listening get teary eyed and emotional. Kalki goes on to describe a little boy who is standing there listening, and narrates that this boy will grow up to be Saint Nadhamuni in later years.

Nadhamuni and the 4000 Divya Prabandham:

Legend says that Nadhamuni actually listened to a song of Nammazhwar Aaravamudhe on the Lord of Kumbakonam, sung by devotees from Melkote presently in Karnataka.  The song ends with this line Ayirathil Idhu Pathu (10 out of 1000) Nadhamuni wanted to know the rest of the 990 but the devotees had no idea. This incident moved Nadhamuni and made him yearn to find out the rest of the verses of Nammazhwar. He travelled to Kumbakonam and through divine intervention he was directed to Thirukurugur, the birthplace of Nammazhwar. There he learnt Madhura Kavi azhwar’s 11 pasurams, “Kanninun Siruthambu” but none knew about the 1000 pasurams of Nammazhwar.

Nadhamuni sat under the tamarind tree (where Nammazhwar stayed speechless from birth till he was about 10) and sang the 11 pasurams 12,000 times as advised by Parankusa Dasa. Nammazhwar appeared before him and not only gave the 1000 pasurams which he created but the rest of the azhwars’ creations as well and that’s how the 4000 Divya Prabandham came into being. 

Naadhanukku naalayiram uraithan vaazhiyae.

The Moolavar Veera Narayan Murthy is in a standing posture with Utsavar of Rajagopala Swami with Rukmini and Sathyabhama. An absolute treat for the eyes. There are separate sannidhis for Nadhamuni as well as Alavandar saints. 

How Kaatu Mannar Koil got its name:

Goddess Mahalakshmi came to Earth to be born as the daughter of Jirumbana Raja Maharishi. A swayamvaram was organised to find a match for the Goddess and Lord Vishnu came to earth in his Garuda vahan disguised as a King or Mannan. The Goddess was captivated by Lord Vishnu but the other kings assembled were greatly angered and started a battle. It’s no surprise that Lord Vishnu gained victorious by a great display of his Valour or Veeram. Thus the Lord in this place was called Veera Narayan. And since the lord also guided Sage Nadhamuni to retrieve the 4000 pasurams (In tamil Kaatu means Show) the place was named as Kattu Mannar Aanaar. Which later turned into Kattumannar.

The Araiyar Sevai:

Sage Nadhamuni not only retrieved the 4000 pasurams but also composed musical tunes for the hymns along with dance steps so that devotees can understand their full meaning. The tradition of song and dance of the Divya Prabandham is called the Araiyar Sevai which is followed by many temples even today.

We sat in the deserted praharam taking in the divine ambience. How this temple would have been in 10^th century when devotees came in and sang Nammazhvar’s pasurams…probably Nadhamuni as a little boy must have listened to these devotional hymns and would have been deeply affected. Sudden strains of the Nadhaswaram and Thavil broke my reverie and I came back to the present day. The troupe had begun performing. The Keerthanai was Vatapi Ganapathim…stood there for a while and appreciated the music wondering whether their next performance would be a Tyagaraja keerthana on Lord Rama, but had to leave as the next stop was Kadambur. A good Samaritan in the temple directed us to Kadambur and our journey began to our next destination passing by little hamlets, green fields and village folk sitting under trees waiting for the next bus. Life seemed so un hurried and placid. A life where there were no deadlines to meet, no upcoming zoom meetings and no presentations to create and present…

Kaatumannar Koil is easy to find and the distance is about 25 kms from Chidambaram.

Contact: Annan Srinivasan Bhattar @ 99522 76110 /
Srinivasa Swami (Hereditary Theerthakar) @ 04144 262257 /96299 79779

Durga Temple Complex at Aihole

Ruins of Aihole, Karnataka.

Our trip to Hubli Dharwad area was planned two months ahead. We flew to Hubli and after attending a wedding reception drove to Badami by road the following day. We were advised to proceed further to Aihole first as Badami caves were very crowded that day. We reached Aihole by 10 30 am. We hired a guide Mr. Basvaraja who explained in great detail in English.
The tickets were just Rs 25 per person. The entire site is being preserved by the ASI. It was verdant and well kept.

Durga Temple, Aihole

We first entered the Durga temple complex. All temples in Aihole are built of Sandstone. Aihole was originally known as Aryapuram and was the capital of the Chalukyas for a while before it moved to Badami.
Aihole was a training centre for sculptors and they seemed to have practiced the art in this place. This line told by the guide impressed us. Aihole is Primary School, Badami is High School, Pattadakal is College while Hampi, Belur and Halebid are Universities.
The temple architecture as conceived had Ardha Mandapa, Mukka Mandapa, Sabha Mandapa, Garba Griha, Pradikshina Patha and Shikara (gopuram above the garbagriha)  Aihole itself has about 125 temples.

Mahishasuramardhini 

Ardhanareeswarar 

Beautiful Hariharan Statue 

Ramayan Panel

Social Life of the Chalukyan Period beautifully depicted

Pillars - Four stages of creation

First Stage

                       

 Second Stage

 Third Stage 

 Final Stage

 The Ceiling of Durga Temple. 

The entrance to the Durga temple had various sculptures and 4 pillars  depicting 4 stages of workmanship.
The doorway was ornate with dwarapalakas Jaya and Vijaya in the side with Garuda in the top centre with a huge serpent hanging on either side.
The main deity is missing. Probably never installed or stolen by invaders.
There was an excellent statue of a couple holding a baby. The side walls had statues of Lord Vishnu in Tribhanga pose.
Next to that statue is a statue of Vishnu seated on Garuda.
We took a pradakshina and noticed that the back of the garbagriha resembled the back of an elephant and also the shape of a horse shoe.
See pics and videos of other statues and descriptions.
Don't forget to see the ceiling panels. Vishnu encircled by Serpent draws special attention.

Vishnu and Garuda on outside Temple Wall: 

The Shiva lingam shaped pond in Aihole

Opposite the Durga temple complex the pond shaped like the Shiva lingam is present. It had greenish water and was huge.
The museum was closed as it was a Friday so we missed seeing the sculptures inside.

Mythological Animal: 

This is placed in front of the Museum. Artist's imagination going wild or did such animals existed in those days? It must be the former!

The Ladh Khan temple (Shiva Temple) 6th to 8th Century
When the guide mentioned about the name of this temple, I thought I misheard. What is the connection between Khan and Shiva! Looks like Ladh Khan made this temple as his residence and the guide believes (not sure) that he converted to Saivism. A broken Nandi is on the platform outside. The Shiva Lingam was housed in the Garba Griha and had a big Nandi which was in good condition facing the God. Interestingly this temple has a another level which houses Lord Vishnu. A steep, scary stone ladder takes you up to the next floor but it was closed and so we were unable to see it. This temple is next to the Durga Temple. Don't miss the log shaped stone carvings at the Garba Griha, the lattice carved windows which allows natural light in and the Chalukyan/Rashtrakuta trademark column pillars.
 One common feature of temples in Aihole and probably all temples in this region are the sculptures of Royalty as well as commoners and some erotic sculptures too (called Mithuna) decorates the walls. The guide quizzed us, "Now tell me is this sculpture a queen or a goddess or a commoner?" The striking distinguishing feature is the jewels, simpler for commoners.

The Before/After Marriage Sculpture: Not sure if this was the guide's own interpretation...Tongue in cheek Sculpture or Reality of those days. Men will say Visionary sculpture!

Before Marriage, the scene is filled with Love. After marriage the woman is seen kicking the man!

Step Well: After seeing one more temple in this complex we walked to a Step Well. It had carved walls and seemed to be the source of water in the ancient times. Not as ornate and breathtaking as the one in Ahmedabad but still impressive enough to stare for a while imagining the lives of bygone kings and queens.

By now the sun was high up in the sky but it wasn't so hot as there was a light breeze. After clicking lots of pictures against the backdrop of the ruins, we moved our way out to go to the next place, but not before having a little pot of delicious curd sold by a local outside for Rs 10 per piece.