Tamil Nadu, The Land of the Vedas

chap19 chapter_18.html chapter_19.html chapter_20.html Tamil Nadu, The Land of the Vedas R. Nagaswamy 19. Śivakāmi From Kāraikkāl

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19.1. A Beautiful Metal Image with Inscription

A beautiful metal image of Śivakāmi, found in the Kāraikkāl region, is now in the Pondichery Museum. It was encrusted with sand when found and was cleaned by the National Museum laboratory. The image carries a lovely inscription in Tamiḻ characters and language on its pedestal. Before examining its importance, a translation and analysis of the inscription will be given.

19.1.1. Translation

“Svasti śri, in the 2nd year of Śrī Rājamahēndra dēva, Sempoṉ Māṇikkadeva, alias Parāntaka Māyilaṭṭi, consecrated the Goddess, consort of Ajapā-viṭaṅkadēva, the God dancing in the Mahādēvar temple of Pañcavaṉ-mahādevic-curam in Siddhapuram, alias Pukalōkam, in the territorial division Paṭṭiṇakkūṟṟam in Adhirājarāja vaḷanāḍu. We the members of the merchant guild of Siddhapuram of this village endowed in the hands of Māṇikka-mādevaṉ (the priest) belonging to Ātreya gotra, in charge of this temple and his sons and sons’ sons, ten vēlis of land, east of our land and the west of Aiyveli nilam, and with this ten vēlis of land he and his descendants should arrange to fulfill the endowment in perpetuity so long as the sun and moon last. The (proceeds from the) endowment of ten vēlis, four measures of rice for food offering should be measured at the rate of one nāḻi for the (mid-day) sandhi, one nāḻi for the night sandhi, and one nāḻi for cooked vegetables, one hundred betel during all sandhis, to the goddess, consort of this god (of dancing). The rice should be measured by the (standard) measure named after the God Mahā Viṣṇu (Aranagar) pleased to stand in the temple of Rājarāja-viṇṇagar of this village. I, Śaṅkaraṉ Tiruveṅkataṉ, the scribe of the commercial guild of this village wrote this deed as ordered.” Some parts of the record that is mainly in two parts are damaged, but the import of the record is clear enough. The first part of the record refers to the consecration of this metal image of Śivakāmi as the consort of Naṭarāja, named Ajapā-dēvar, in the Mahādeva temple of this village, Siddhapuram. The second part deals with the endowment of land by the commercial guild of this village for the worship of this goddess, providing daily food offerings during two services (sandhis). The endowment was entrusted to the temple priest and his family, with the stipulation that they should arrange for the worship daily. The person who drafted the deed was the scribe of the commercial guild of this village. The record may now be studied in detail.

19.1.2. The Village

The village Puloka (written as Pukaloka), also called Siddhapura, was situated in the territorial division Adhirājarāja-vaḷanāḍu near Kāraikkāl in the greater division Paṭṭiṇakkūṟṟam (Nāgappaṭṭinam division), a port town on the east coast. The name Paṭṭiṇakkūṟṟam is applied to Nāgappaṭṭinam. Another record in the place calls it Puloka-māṇikkam. The village included a commercial settlement of merchants called Siddhapuram. The term Puṟam indicates that it was essentially a merchants’ colony with members of other communities also living in it. It is not known after whom the name Siddhapuram is derived. There was a family of Siddhavatava under the Cōḻas. It is not known whether it had any connection with them. The usage “ivvūrnagarattōm” suggests that nagara was a part of the larger village. The usage of Puloka alias Siddhapuram indicates that the second name was a subsequent addition. The merchant colony had a merchant guild that looked after the common administration of the merchant community. It had common landholdings in the village besides individual holdings. The Śiva temple, to which the Naṭarāja image belonged, was called Pañcavaṉ-mādevīśvaram, after the name of the Queen of Rājarāja. In all probability, either Rājarāja or his queen built this temple. This is further confirmed by the presence of a Viṣṇu temple in the same village, named Rājarāja-viṇṇagar, clearly named after Rājarāja. The village seems to have been re-laid in the time of Rājarāja, and both the temples were built at the same time. Some of the bronzes found in the collection belonged to Rājarāja’s time. The devotee who had the metal image of Śivakāmi, the consort of Naṭarāja made, belonged to the merchant community as his name was Māyilaṭṭi. His first name, Māṇikka-dēvaṉ, is his personal name, while the second name, Parāntaka, suggests that it was a royal title. He seemed to have received royal recognition. The name Māṇikka-dēvaṉ was a popular name of a deity of this region, as seen from the name of the priest who was also Māṇikka-dēvaṉ. We have seen that the merchant who consecrated the Śivakāmi metal image belonged to the merchant guild of the village. The guild came forward to bestow a parcel of land common to the guild, for the purpose of worship and food offerings. The guild took the collective decision (ivvūrnagarattōm) and endowed the land from its common holding expressed as (nam nilam). The Naṭarāja image is called “Ajapā-viṭaṅkadēva”, meaning pleased to dance in the temple of Pañcavaṉ-mādevīśvaram at Siddhapuram. The main metal image of Tiruvārūr Tyagarāja temple, which is a Somaskanda image, is called Vīthi-viṭaṅka-dēvaṉ. The dance of the deity at Tiruvārūr is called “Ajapā-naṭaṉam”. The Tēvāram hymns of Appar mention the deity of Tiruvārūr as “Vīti-viṭaṅkar”. The name Ajapā-naṭaṉam represents a particular philosophy. In the procession of Thyagarāja, the carriers of the image exhibit violent swings and jumps simulating the Ajapā dance. Seven such Viṭaṅka-kṣetras are recognized in the region. The deities taken out in procession in these seven temples are said to perform seven different forms of dance. The inscribed image from the Kāraikkāl region connects both the names Ajapā and Viṭaṅkar and applies it to the image of Naṭarāja. It suggests that the name has been derived from Tiruvārūr, where the Somāskanda image is called Viṭaṅkar, and this name was well known in the Cōḻa times in the mid 11th century. Śiva appeared as a captivating youth Bhikṣāṭana, wandering naked in the Dārukāvana, singing and dancing, to entice the wives of the sages. This form is called Viṭaṅkar in common parlance. It is interesting to recall that the Ānanda-naṭaṉam of Chidambaram is closely associated with the Bhikṣātana episode of Dārukāvana in the sthalapurāṇa (local legend). It is portrayed in a painting prominently on the ceiling of the Śivakāmi-ammaṉ shrine at Chidambaram. Further, the festival of Bhikṣātaṇa is given a special position in Chidambaram. These facts establish a close connection between Bhikṣāṭaṇa philosophy and that of Naṭarāja. According to the Liṅgapurāna, Śiva enacted the Bhikṣāṭana episode in the Dārukavanam to teach the sages the path of the Pāśupata system. Śiva performed different dances at different times, like the Tripura-tāṇḍava, Ūrdhva-tāṇdava, etc. This Ānanda-tāṇḍava is associated with the Bhikṣāṭana episode. The inscription shows that the devotee consecrated the image of the Goddess when the Naṭarāja was already under worship in the temple. There is another instance of consecrating the Goddess subsequent to the making of Śiva. The famous Vṛṣavāhana was consecrated in 1011 CE in the temple of Tiruveṇkāḍu and its consort Goddess in the next year in 1012. In some instances, the tradition of making the bronze image of Śiva first and the Goddess later was prevalent probably due to economic reasons. This inscription also shows that the metal images consecrated in the temples received food offerings twice every day. This is the first time a dated bronze of the time of Rājamahēndra Cōḻa has come to light. It may also be noted that at Nāgapaṭṭinam situated near this temple, the tradition of inscribing on the metal image was very popular as we find a good number of Buddhist bronzes with inscribed pedestals.

19.2. Somanātha Temple of Kumbakōṇam

The Bāṇapurīśvara temple, in Kumbakōṇam town, is of historic interest to students of Cōḻa art. It points to not only the development of Kumbakōṇam township but also a perceptible change in the art of Kumbakōṇam. There are ten inscriptions on the walls of the temple, copied and published by the Tamiḻnaḍu State Department of Archaeology¹, in the volume on Kumbakōṇam inscriptions¹. Before the temple is studied it would be advantageous to study the inscriptions. The earliest inscription on the temple is dated in the 9th year of Kulōttuṅga Cōḻa III, 1187 CE². There are four inscriptions of this ruler including two of his own royal orders. The other six inscriptions are records of the reign of Kulōttuṅga’s son and successor Rājarāja Cōḻa III. The earliest inscription refers to the purchase of land with houses and house-sites in the town of Kumbakōṇam by one Rājarājas Vānakōvaraiyaṉ from the members of a family who also held some distinguished posts under the Cōḻās³. The family members who sold the land were called Aṇukkap-pallavarāyar, verily close officers of the king. About 5 vēlis of lands including some houses, house-sites, wells, canals, etc., were bought by the Vānakōvaraiyaṉ, for a sum of 8000 kācus. This land along with some more lands measuring 18 vēlis in all, was now bought by Vānakōvaraiyaṉ, and a sale deed was obtained. The inscription stops with the purchase and sale deed. The next record dated in the 11th year of the same ruler is the royal order⁴. It states that the purchaser Vānakōvaraiyaṉ informed the king that the land was separated from Kumbakōṇam and constituted a new colony under the name Somanātha-maṅgalam, and some more land in Āṟṟūr was gifted to the Somanātha temple in Somanātha-maṅgalam as the property of the God. The king approved the above and now ordered that the same should be inscribed on the walls of the temple². The Royal secretary of the king and other high officers signed the order. It is clear from these transactions that the Vānakōvaraiyar purchased the land for establishing the new colony Somanātha-maṅgalam and built the temple of Somanātha-deva and that the present Bāṇapurīśvara temple is the Somanātha-deva temple mentioned in the inscriptions. This is further confirmed by all the other records that refer to the transactions relating to the Somanātha temple³. The next inscription is dated in the 15th year of the King⁵. The same Vānakōvaraiyaṉ obtained a flower garden situated in Kumbakōṇam but belonging to the Rājarājīśvara temple (of Dārāsuram) and got it deleted from the registers of the Dārāsuram temple. He now constituted the new colony Somanātha-maṅgalam for the Somanātha-deva temple, its front yard, its sacred tank, and servants’ quarters around (maṭha-vilākam). This land was now exempted from paying tax and its old name was also changed into Somanātha-maṅgalam. Consequently, the revenue division was also changed. It was decided each vēli of land should pay 40 kalams of paddy. The record is damaged in places. However, it is clear that Vānakōvaraiyar obtained the necessary approval from the king and got the new colony completed by the 15th year (1193 CE) of the King. Five of the other records are dated in the reign of Rājarāja Cōḻa III in his 4th and 6th years⁶. All these record purchases of lands and endowments made to the temple of Somanātha. The last inscription is a fragment recording a poem to be engraved. It is thus clear there was originally a vast land in the town of Kumbakōṇam serving as a flower garden for the Dārāsuram temple. This part of Kumbakōṇam was bifurcated in the 10th year of Kulōttuṅga III (1188 CE) and a new village settlement was created with the Somanātha temple also built in that year. The village was called Somanātha-maṅgalam. It goes in modern times by the name Bāṇaturai and the temple Bāṇapurīśvara. As the new colony and the temple were brought into existence by Vānakovaraiyaṉ, it is possible that the settlement came to be called Vānapuri after this chief and the temple assumed the name Bāṇapurīśvara. The temple is a modest structure and has recently undergone renovation. It is a three-storied vimāna built of stone up to the ceilings of the first floor. It is not possible to determine whether the superstructure is made of brick or stone. However, the karṇa-kūṭah and mukha-badra are well articulated, projecting distinctly from the walls. While the ground floor is square in form, the griva and the śikhara are circular in shape and would thus fall into the category of Vesara vimāna. The garbhagraha is preceded by an agra-maṇḍapa which in turn has a preceding maṇḍapa now called Nṛtta-maṇḍapa. The vimāna rises on an upa-piṭha which now lies mostly buried. The surrounding ground level has risen. The adhiṣṭhāna is the kapota-bandha variety with padma-jagati and vṛtta-kumuda which has three different flutings - the horizontal and vertical fluting and plain kumuda form. The niches on the walls of the vimāna carry the following images: Gaṇeśa (original) in the south maṇḍapa niche, Dakṣiṇāmūrti in the south vimāna niche, Ardhanārīśvara at the back niche, while the northern vimāna niche that would carry Brahmā is now empty and finally Durgā in the northern niche of the maṇḍapa. The agra-maṇḍapa niches housing Gaṇeśa and Durgā are flanked by niches which are now empty. The Ardhanārīśvara image at the back niche doesn’t seem to be original as it is shorter compared to the niche. It is possibly brought from some other place and placed here. The Durgā sculpture is an exceptionally beautiful image and a classic example of Kulōttuṅga III’s time. Similarly, the image of Dakṣiṇāmūrti is another very fine sculpture of Kulōttuṅga III’s period. The Caṇḍikeśvara shrine is also original though its superstructure has changed. The front Nṛtta-maṇḍapa adorned with ornate pillars is original and as is the custom of the age, the entrance to the maṇḍapa is by lateral steps that have now been replaced by front steps. The enclosure and the entrance seem to have been rebuilt and probably the area has shrunk over the centuries. Interestingly, the Goddess is called Soma-kalāmbika. It may be said the Somanātha temple (the modern Bāṇapurīśvara temple) is the finest example of Kulōttuṅga III’s period in the town of Kumbakōṇam. The name Somanātha occurring for the colony and the temple in the reign of Kulōttuṅga III deserves special attention. A number of places and temples came to be called Somanātha-maṅgalam and Somanāthīśvara in and around Kumbakōṇam in the reign of Kulōttuṅga III⁷. There is a Somanāthiśvara temple at Palaiyārai⁸. The present Achyuta-maṅgalam near Naṉṉilam was called Somanātha-maṅgalam and the temple called Somanātha-deva temple⁹. It is known that Kulōttuṅga III’s Rājaguru was one Somanātha-deva. The great temple built by Kulōttuṅga III at Tribhuvanam near Kumbakōṇam was consecrated by this Somanātha who was also called Īśvara Śiva, the son of Śrīkaṇṭha Śiva¹⁰. This Somanātha was a great Scholar who interpreted the Upaniṣads in terms of Śaiva philosophy. He is also credited with a work called Siddhāna-ratnākara. The Tribhuvanam inscription giving this information also calls him Ārya Somanātha, the son of Śrīkaṇṭha Sambhu¹¹. It is now known that Śrīkaṇṭha Sambhu hailed from Rādha country (Bengal) and was the builder of the Achyuta-maṅgalam temple¹². The Great Temple of Tribhuvanam itself was under the guidance of Somanātha who was a Bengali guru. Evidently, the Somanātha-maṅgalam and Somanāthīśvara temple that came into existence in the time of Kulōttuṅga III were after this Rājaguru Somanātha. It is not unlikely he was responsible for its consecration. I have suggested earlier that the Somanātha temple at Palaiyārai came into existence in the time of Kulōttuṅga III¹³. I have also shown that Rājarāja II, the builder of the temple at Dārāsuram had a Bengali Rājaguru and that the Dārāsuram temple also was guided by a Bengali guru¹⁴. It would appear that the art of Bengal as patronized by the Pāla dynasty of Bengal left its impact on Cōḻa art. For example, the sculptures at Tañjāvūr built by Rājarāja, and the one at Gaṅgaikoṇḍa-chōḻa-puram built by Rājēndra would have had a rough finish, but from the time Bengali gurus are seen predominantly guiding the temple activities the sculptures are given a very high polish. It is well known that the Pāla sculptures have a high polish and the Cōḻa sculptures of the 12th and 13th centuries have the Pāla finish. It is in all likelihood due to Pāla influence. It is of interest to mention that there exists in Kumbakōṇam another temple called Somēśvara, adjacent to the famous Saraṅgapaṇi temple. This Somēśvara should not be confused with the Somanātha temple mentioned in the inscription. There are no inscriptions on the walls of this Someśvara temple. The temple itself carries some portrait-like sculptures on the walls flanking the main niches of the vimāna. The sculptures date back to the 10th century, but the temple seems to have been intelligently rebuilt, integrating the above-mentioned sculptures into the fabric of the temple. The adhiṣṭhāna has a well-pronounced padma-jagati topped by a vṛtta-kumuda with a well-formed taraṅga motif. This motif seems to be late, but the adhiṣṭhāna part gives a misleading picture of an early date. Above the adhiṣṭhāna, the wall is certainly a later addition. However, there is a feeling that the original height of the structure has been reduced in the rebuilding. Judging from the portrait-like sculpture, the wall should have been somewhat taller. The portrait-like sculptures, six of which are in position, seem to suggest that they are the Dikpālās and are certainly from the 10th century, closely following the Nagēśvara temple sculpture. Though these do not come anywhere near the Nagēśvara sculptures in aesthetics, they seem to be nearer in time. Why this temple came to be called Somēśvara is not known. The notice board placed at the entrance states that this temple was also known as Kārōṇam (Kāyārōhaṇam). The Tēvāram hymns do sing of a Kāroṇam temple of Kuḍantai (Kumbakōṇam). There is another temple in Kumbakōṇam called Kasi Viśvanātha temple which is also identified with Kāroṇam. This needs to be studied in detail. However, the Somēśvara temple is different from the Somanātha temple mentioned in the inscription, built in the reign of Kulōttuṅga III. It is possible that the present Somēśvara temple was rebuilt under the inspiration of the Guru Somanātha.

19.3. Endnotes and References

^1. Kumbakōṇam inscriptions-Vol I, Ed. Marxia Gandhi, Tamiḻnaḍu State Department of Archaeology, Chennai, 1980. ^2. No.1 of 1979, ibid. ^3. The sellers were the sons of one Gaṅgai-koṇḍa-Aṇukkap-pallavaraiyaṉ. The sellers inherited the land in Kumbakōṇam town from their father who died before that year. They had given earlier a part of the land their father’s younger brother who also sold that land to this buyer Vānakōvariayaṉ for the same purpose, namely constituting the Somanatha-maṅgalam. ^4. No 2 of 1979. Ibid. As will be seen in the sequence the new colony was laid, and the temple of Somanatha built in the name of the King’s guru. Hence the King Kulōttuṅga III himself issues the order. ^5. No 4 of 1979. Ibid. The full name of the buyer appears in this record as Vānakōvaraiyar, alias Araiyaṉ Rājarāja dēvaṉ, of Āṟṟūr village in milalai nadu in the territorial division Viruddharaja bhayankara valanadu. This inscription is also a Royal order, the portion recording (Kōnēriṉmai) konadan is damaged. the order was issued to the worshipping priests, the Superintendents of the temple servants, and the Administrative Officers of the Somanatha temple. There existed a flower garden in Kumbakōṇam belonging to the Rājarājeśvara temple of Dārāsuram which is now the subject matter of purchase in this record. It was bought and the temple of Somanātha-deva was built. In addition, the front yard, the streets around the temple for the temple servants, a sacred temple tank and a flower garden for the temple of Somanatha were now established. The region where the Somanatha temple now stands was originally a flower garden of Dārāsuram temple. The area included more wetlands besides the temple etc. Thus, the temple and its surrounding area were deleted from the revenue register of the Dārāsuram temple, a new register drawn up, the temple and surroundings were exempted from paying taxes and the taxes on the remaining lands were revised. The order was signed by the King’s royal secretary confirming that it is a royal order. ^6. No 5 refers to sale of land to the temple of Somanatha-deva by one Arundavaṉ Mūvēndavelaṉ in the 4th year of Rājarāja III. No 6 refers to a sale of land to the Somanatha-deva temple for 25,747 kācus by one Śaṅkara dēvaṉ in the 4th year of Rājarāja III. No 7 relates to sale of a number pf lands in the 6th year of the same king. The record is a long one and mentions a number of temples in the region like Subramaṇya temple. The Viṣṇu temple of Thirvaraṅga-viṇṇagar, and Kulōttuṅga-viṇṇagar temple. Similarly, a number of irrigation canals are also mentioned like Rājarājaṉ-vāykkāl, Cōḻa-kula-vaykkal, Śaṅkaraṉ-vāykkāl, and so on. The next record relates to the sale of a land to the Somanatha-deva temple. and mentions a maṭha named Rājarājaṉ maṭham and a pandal. The other record is a continuation of the sale deed mentioned in no 7. ^7. Nagaswamy.R., Bengal’s Contribution to Cōḻa Temples, Journal of Bengal Art. No 5, published by the ISBA, Dhaka, Bangladesh, under print. ^8. Nagaswamy.R., Palaiyāru and Kumbakōṇam, Proceedings of the International conference on Kumbakōṇam as a Sacred Centre, the British Museum, London, under print. ^9. Nagaswamy.R., Bengal’s Contribution to Cōḻa Temples, Journal of Bengal Art. No 5, published by the ICSBA, Dhaka, Bangladesh, under print. ^10. Sarkar.H., The Kampaharēśvara Temple at Tribhuvanam, Published by the Tamiḻnāḍu State Dept. of Archaeology, Chennai, 1974, Pp.49-52. ^11. Annual Report on Epigraphy, 1908, pp.79-80. ^12. ARE no 402 of 1925 Also No 274 0f 1978 Published by Tamiḻnaḍu State Dept. of Archaeology, Naṉṉilam Inscriptions Vol 2, Ed by Padmavathi, Chennai, 1980. ^13. Nagaswamy.R., Palaiyāru and Kumbakōṇam, Proceedings of the International Conference on Kumhakonam as a Sacred Centre, the British Museum, London. ^14. Nagaswamy.R., Bengal’s contribution to Cōḻa Temples, Journal of Bengal Art. No 5, published by the ISBA, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

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