chap18
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Art and Culture of Tamilnadu
R. Nagaswamy
18. GOLD IMAGES AND TEMPLE JEWELLERY FROM MADURAI
Images made of gold and exquisite ancient jewellery are priceless possessions of many temples in Tamil Nadu. The famous Mīṉākṣi temple at Madurai preserves two images of Goddess Parvati and Lord Sundareśvara made of solid gold. The images, about 45 cm and 35 cm in height, are pieces of classical workmanship. Particularly the figure of Parvati, true to its feminine beauty, is delightfully proportioned and delicately chiselled. The figures assignable to the sixteenth century were probably consecrated by Viśvanātha Nāyak, the founder of the Madurai Nāyak dynasty. He rebuilt the main vimāna of Lord Sundareśvara and did much to revive the ancient glory of the temple. These golden images are regularly placed in audience in the ūñjal maṇḍapa, on every Friday when special offerings and chanting of sacred hymns are performed.
Similar golden images svarṇavigrahas are still under worship in some of the temples of Tamil Nadu. Gold, the most precious metal known to the ancient world, was made use of for making images by emperor nobles. In the big temple at Tañjāvūr built by Rājarāja Cöḻa I, about one thousand years ago, gold images were under regular worship. A gold image of Kolkaideva? is mentiond in Rājarāja's inscriptions and is said to have been taken out daily in procession during Śrībali offerings. The celebraled Cöḻa queen, Cembiyan Mahādevi consecrated a golden image of Chandraśekhara in the temple of Tiruveṅkāṭu in Tañjāvūr District in about A.D. 990. References to golden images recorded in inscriptions are numerous. It Shows that apart from bronze idols, idols made of solid gold and silver were consecrated during the centuries and the present images in the Madurai temple are surviving pieces of ancient idols in gold.
The Madurai temple also preserves valuable ancient jewellery the most awe inspiring ones being the crowns, made of gold and set with precious gems, usually called the navaratna — the nine gems. Of the two crowns one is a golden turban set with gems and called ratnachummāḍu. This is used on one of the festivals when Lord Sundareśvara as a casual labourer is said to have carried earth on his head on behalf of an old lady. The legend, one among the sixtyfour sports of the Lord, is enacted annually when this special turban is used to decorate the deity. Along with it are used a basket and a spade, small but very impressive ones, made of solid gold. The other one is a golden crown set with parallel rows of pearls and rudrākṣa beads interspersed with gems. It is called muttu rudrākṣa kirīṭa.
There are many ancient crowns in the collections. Of particular interest are the pearl turban (muttu talaippākai) for the Lord, and a pearl crown of the goddess (ambāḷ tirumuṭiccāttu) made of gold and intricately worked with gems and pearls of impressive size and shape. They are undoubtedly ancient, in all probablity made and gifted by the great Tirumalai Nāyaka in the seventeenth century. This ruler was personally interested in the temple, reorganised the festivals, instituted many new ones, besides reforming the temple administration. He is responsible for organising on a very great scale the Citrai festival in the temples of both goddess Mīṉākṣi and Lord Aḻagar of Aḻagarköyil. He endowed rich presents, and valuable Jewels to adorn his favourite deties, and many of his presents and valuable jewels to adorn his favourite deities, and many of his presents are still in use at Madurai and Aḻagarköyil.
The gold sceptre, set with gems, still preserved in the Madurai temple received great worship in the time of Tirumalai Nāyak. On the eighth day of the Citra festival, the great Nāyak, used to receive this sceptre from Goddess Mīṉākṣi carry it to his palace in procession, and place it on the royal throne offering special worship. It marked the rule of the Goddess over the kingdom. That this festival contiuned in the regin of Queen Maṅgammāḷ is portrayed in a mural painting in the same temple. The Sceptre used in those royal festivals are still preserved in the temple. Most of the ancient jewellery preserved in this temple, go back to the time of Tirumalai Nāyak (17th century).
Almost to the same period are ascribed some of the fabulous jewellery in the Viṣṇu temple at Aḻagarköyil, the Subrahmaṇya temple at Tirupparamkuṉṟam and other temples like Śrīvilliputtūr, Āḻvārtirunagari and Tirucendūr. The sacred temples which were under Tirumalai Nāyaka, still preserve some of his pious dedications. The pearl crown called muttupakaikoṇḍai, in use in the Viṣṇu temple of Āḻvārtirunagari, is a fascinating crown, assignable to the 17th century. It is in the true Mughal tradition indicating cultural contacts. In the Madurai temple itself there are two lovely pearl crowns of considerable antiquity. The crowns, necklaces, pendants, bracelets and bangles and shields called aṅgis are the most fascinating pieces of temple jewellery not only for their variety but also for their beauty.
The jeweller's art of the Tañjāvūr Nāyak court can be seen in temples like Maṉṉārgudi, Nācciyārköil, etc., in Tañjāvūr district. The jewel-collection of the Śrīraṅgam temple is also legendary. Many golden vessels in this collection bear inscriptions recording their dedication by the last of the great Madurai Nāyakas, Vijaya Raṅga Chokkanātha Nāyaka and his queens Mīṉākṣi, and Kṛṣṇa amma. A gold palanquin, called töḷukku iṉiyān, gifted by that Nāyaka in 1735 was repaired by Francis Traverse, the then collector. Golden umbrella, vessels, staff, etc., gifted by him and bearing his name are still preserved in the temple. A stone pendant gifted by the Maharatta ruler Sarfoji of Tañjāvūr with his name inscribed, is also in Śrīraṅgam temple.
A recuring motif among the pendents is the double headed eagle, called Gandaberunda which was the royal crest of the Hoysalas. In the Nāyaka court, particularly in the southern region, this motif became the fashion. Pendant of this shape are found in many temples. A painting of the 17th century in Aḻagarköyil portrays the pendant adorning Lord Aḻagar. The Pāṇḍya country was famous from the beginning of the Christian era for its pearl and has made profuse of use of pearls in its jewellery.
Though the Nāyakas have contributed much to the jeweller's, art, it was in the reign of the Imperial Cöḻas (10th-13th Century A.D.) that the art of jewel-making was at its zenith. The inscriptions of the Cöḻas, give an astonishing account of jewels made and gifted to various temples. Rājarāja's inscriptions at Tañjāvūr give minute description of the shape, size and weight of each jewel besides the number of precious stones and pearls, etc. It is a staggering account of several thousand pearls and precious gems used in jewellery in about A.D. 1000. Vīrarājendra Cöḻa, in the 11th century A.D. gifted a fine ruby named Trailokyasara to Lord Nataraja of Chidambaram. But nothing of that glorious period has survived. Not a single piece of that age has been identified apart from what is figured in stone sculptures and bronze images. Towards the end of the magnificent rule, a devastating invasion by Malik Kafur removed many of these valuable jewels as booty to Delhi. Tamil Nadu has to recreate itself after this invasion, in this art as in other fields.
Temples in ancient times were aware of the immense value of these jewels and devised suitable safegauds, though loss of temple jewels was not unkown.
An ancient manuscript, Talapustaka refers to the method adopted in protecting temple jewels and the joint responsibility fixed on many temple servants. It is stipulated that two responsible officers named Kaivistari should receive jewels on festive days and arrange for their return immediately after use to the Kaiyatchri (the jewel treasurer). These should be checked and properly sealed by the Mudrādhikāri. Throughout the period, when the jewels were issued and taken out in procession adorning the deity, temple security called Meykkāval should accompany and keep watch over the jewel. says this ancient manuscript. This manuscript has preserved for us the day to day administrative history of the Mīṉākṣi temple of Madurai, as it existed in the 17th century A.D. in the reign of Tirumalai Nāyak, the great benefactor of the temple. This indicates the care and attention paid by the other rulers in preserving temple jewels.