chap3
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Art and Culture of Tamilnadu
R. Nagaswamy
3. THE FESTIVAL OF THE COSMIC DANCER
Festivals have always been a source of inspiration and joy and have stirred up the religious fervour of the people. From the beginning of the Christian era south India has a recorded history in its Saṅgam classics, wherein graphic descriptions are found of festivals and their role in the life of the people. Maduraikāñci one of the ten idylls of Pattupāṭṭu, gives a vivid description of evening festivals when deities were taken out in procession with Śiva heading it. Tiruvādirai (Arudra) festival has been assigned a prominent place in South India from very early times.
In Saṅgam literature references are to be found to the Mārgaḻi festival (Mārgaḻi Nöṉbu). Kāraikāl Ammaiyār, whose date is assigned to the fifth century A.D. is said to have witnessed the great dance of Śiva at Tiruvālaṅgāḍu. In her Iṟaṭṭaimaṇimālai she speaks of Śiva whose day is Tiruvādirai (Ādirai Nannāḷan). Tirunāvukkarasu, addressing the Lord of Tirukkūr tāṉtöṉṟimaṭam, speaks almost in identical terms as lord of Ādirai (Ādirai nāḷai amarntāṉ). Tirunavukkarasu was a contemporary of Mahendravarma, the great Pallava king (A.D. 600-630). Tirugñānasambandar was his younger contemporary. He was also a contemporary of Siruttoṇḍar, who took a leading part in the Vātapi expedition of Narasimhavarman I. Singing the praise of the Lord of Mylapore, Sambandar gives a list of festivals observed in the temple in which Tiruvādirai finds significant mention.
Māṇikkavācakar is said to have been the Minister of the Pāṇḍya King Varaguṇa and is ascribed to the beginning of the ninth century A.D. While at Tiruvaṇṇāmalai, worshipping the Lord he noticed young girls getting up early in the morning, collecting their friends and going to a lotus pond, singing the praise of Śiva. After taking bath they worshipped Gauri, whose figure they made in sand. This they performed for ten days prior to Tiruvādirai in order that the World may have wealth and prosperity and that they may b blessed with lovable husbands. This religious observance is called Pāvai nöṉbu. Tradition avers that Māṇikkavācakar sang the Tiruvembāvai hymns to these girls. These hymns have ever since been held sacred and are sung in the Śaivite temples, particularly during the month of Mārgaḻi. The Tiruvembāvai festival is obvserved ten days prior to Tiruvādirai. Thanks to the impetus given to the hymns of Tiruppāvai and Tiruvembāvai by His Holiness Śrī Śaṅkarācārya Svāmigaḷ of Kāñci Kāmakoṭi Pīṭha these hymns are being sung by the devotees, particularly during this season.
That the Tiruvādirai festival had a great significance could be gleaned from inscriptions as well. An inscription the third year of Nandipotaraiyar at Kunnandarkoil, Pudukkottai district refers to a gift of 200 nāḻi of rice for feeding a hundred persons on the day of Tirvādirai by Gañavatiman alias Pagaichanda Visayarasan of Vaḍuvūr. The Pallava king mentioned is Nandivarman III, the conqueror of Teḷḷaru battle. He reigned in the ninth century A.D. Another inscription of Kovijaya Nandivikramavarman at Māṅgāḍu, in Chingleput district, refers to provision for offerings, etc., on Tiruvādarai festival. There are many such inscriptions, referring to provisions, etc., for the Ādirai festival bearing testimony to its popularity. Tiruvādirai is more important than any other festival to the Tamils for its lord is Nataraja, a concept which is a unique contribution of the Tamils to world thought. Śiva is the master of dance and music and is referred to as such from very early times. He is said to have performed 108 forms of dance as enumerated in Bharata's Nāṭya Śāstra. Śivas various modes of dances are depicted in the Great temple of Tañjāvūr and at the entrance of the gopuras of Chidambaram. Of these dances, the talasasmophotita, catura, ūardhava tāṇḍava and ānada tāṇḍava are popular with the artistes of the Tamil Country. The talasamsphotita was a favourite theme of the Pallava king Rājasimha.
The evening dance, which Śiva is said to perform in the Himalayas, is usually identified with the catura tāṇḍava. This theme, though not very common, is still noticed in early sculptures and bronzes of south India. A beautiful copper image of Nataraja in catura tāṇḍava, without the apasmara under his feet, is now under worship at the Makuṭeśvara Temple of Kodumudi, in Coimbatore District. The ūrdhva tāṇḍava mode as represented in Tiruvālaṅgāḍu is well-known. But above all the ānanda tāṇḍava, as depicted at Chidambaram, is the most fascinating and has caught the imagination of all. It is this form which is represented in bronze in all the Śaivite temples of south India. This particular form is not specifically mentioned in the Bharata's Nātyaśāstra. A figure very nearly resembling this is noticed on the facade of the rock-cut cave at Sīyāmaṅgalam excavated by Mahendravarman I.
The credit for having invented this mode is usually ascribed to the Chöḻas. The earliest representation of ānanda tāṇḍava could be traced to the time of Parāntaka Chöḻa I. The devotion of Rājarāja, the Great to Lord Śiva and in particular to Natarāja is well-known. Rājarāja who was called Śivapādaśekhara by his people, delighted in calling Natarāja image Āṭavallān. He even named the principal weights and measures of his times āṭavallān. The Āṭavallān of Chidambaram was the family deity of the Imperial Chöḻas. Almost every king of this line contributed to the building of temple of Tillaināyakam. Vikrama Chöḻa and his General, Naralokavīra, made very significant contributions. Kulottuṅga II, erected the thousand pillared hall, where Sekkiḻār expounded his magnum opus, Periya Purāṇam the great Tamil work on the lives of sixty-three Śavite saints. It is in this thousand-pillared hall Lord Natarāja is given a great Abhiṣeka on Tiruvādirai day every year. Āgamas enjoin that the abhiṣeka for Natarāja during Tiruvādirai should be performed at night and that the deity should be taken out in procession before Sunrise.
The Tiruvādirai festival is observed in all the Śaivite temples. It is the most celebrated festival in Chidambarm, which is reverentially referred to as Koil by all Śaivites.
Śiva is the lord of the south (Teṉṉāṭuṭaiya Śivanë Poṟṟi). He is Natarāja, the cosmic dancer, who gave darsan to his devotees, Patañjali and Vyāghrapāda at Tillai. The Natarāja concept has received the admiration of the whole world — Tiruvadirai is the festival of Natarāja of the Tamils.