Documentary on the Bṛhadīśvara Temple, Tāñjore

Here is an interesting documentary on the Bṛhadīśvara Temple, Tāñjore.

Tirugñānasambandar and Mylapore

The Tēvāram-s have always mesmerized me. Besides their fervent devotional appeal, there are several aspects to them that are fascinating. I found this particular pathikam by Tiruñānasambandar very interesting. This pathikam gives interesting details about Mylāpore, as it was during the time of Tiruñānasambandar. I am sure that for every Mylāporean the Kabālīśvarar Temple is a symbol of “Mylāporianism”. Being a Mylaporean myself, I found that Tiruñānasambandar has painted a picture of Mylapore and the Kabālīśvarar Temple, which is very different from what it is today. Images of sea-shore & coconut palms reinstate the fact that the original location of the temple was adjacent to the Bay of Bengal

This pathikam also has an interesting story behind it. Śivaneśa Cettiār was a merchant who was an ardent Śiva Bhakta. He was inspired by the hymns of Tiruñānasambandar and wished to give his daughter Pūm Pāvai in marriage to the Saint from Sīrgazhi. Unfortunately, this young maiden died of snake bite as she was gathering flowers in the garden. The disconsolate father cremated his daughter and preserved the ashes, which he presented to Tiruñānasambandar on his arrival to the Mylāpore Kabālīśvarar Temple. Tiruñānasambandar sang the hymn given below and brought the maiden back to life. But he refused her hand in marriage as he had given her life. Hence Mylāpore Kabālīśvarar Temple, is a Pāḍal Petra Sthalam & this is the Pathikam in its praise.

திருமயிலாப்பூர் பண் : சீகாமரம்

மட்டிட்ட புன்னையங் கானன் மடமயிலைக்

கட்டிட்டங் கொண்டான் கபாலீச் சரமமர்ந்தான்

ஒட்டிட்ட பண்பி னுருத்திர பல்கணத்தார்க்

கட்டிட்டல் காணாதே போதியோ பூம்பாவாய்.

மைப்பயந்த வொண்கண் மடநல்லார் மாமயிலைக்

கைப்பயந்த நீற்றான் கபாலீச் சரமமர்ந்தான்

ஐப்பசி யோண விழாவு மருந்தவர்கள்

துய்ப்பனவுங் காணாதே போதியோ பூம்பாவாய்.

வளைக்கை மடநல்லார் மாமயிலை வண்மறுகில்

துளக்கில் கபாலீச் சரத்தான்றொல் கார்த்திகைநாள்

தளத்தேந் திளமுலையார் தையலார் கொண்டாடும்

விளக்கீடு காணாதே போதியோ பூம்பாவாய்.

ஊர்திரை வேலை யுலாவு முயர்மயிலைக்

கூர்தரு வேல்வல்லார் கொற்றங்கொள் சேரிதனில்

கார்தரு சோலைக் கபாலீச் சரமமர்ந்தான்

ஆர்திரைநாள் காணாதே போதியோ பூம்பாவாய்.

மைப்பூசு மொண்கண் மடநல்லார் மாமயிலைக்

கைப்பூசு நீற்றான் கபாலீச் சரமமர்ந்தான்

நெய்ப்பூசு மொண்புழுக்க னேரிழையார் கொண்டாடும்

தைப்பூசங் காணாதே போதியோ பூம்பாவாய்.

மடலார்ந்த தெங்கின் மயிலையார் மாசிக்

கடலாட்டுக் கண்டான் கபாலீச் சரமமர்ந்தான்

அடலானே றூரு மடிக ளடிபரவி

நடமாடல் காணாதே போதியோ பூம்பாவாய்

மலிவிழா வீதி மடநல்லார் மாமயிலைக்

கலிவிழாக் கண்டான் கபாலீச் சரமமர்ந்தான்

பலிவிழாப் பாடல்செய் பங்குனி யுத்தரநாள்

ஒலிவிழாக் காணாதே போதியோ பூம்பாவாய்.

தண்ணா வரக்கன்றோள் சாய்த்துகந்த தாளினான்

கண்ணார் மயிலைக் கபாலீச் சரமமர்ந்தான்

பண்ணார் பதினெண் கணங்கடம் மட்டமிநாள்

கண்ணாரக் காணாதே போதியோ பூம்பாவாய்

நற்றா மரைமலர்மே னான்முகனு நாரணனும்

முற்றாங் குணர்கிலா மூர்த்தி திருவடியைக்

கற்றார்க ளேத்துங் கபாலீச் சரமமர்ந்தான்

பொற்றாப்புக் காணாதே போதியோ பூம்பாவாய்

உரிஞ்சாய வாழ்க்கை யமணுடையைப் போர்க்கும்

இருஞ்சாக் கியர்க ளெடுத்துரைப்ப நாட்டில்

கருஞ்சோலை சூழ்ந்த கபாலீச் சரத்தான்றன்

பெருஞ்சாந்தி காணாதே போதியோ பூம்பாவாய்

கானமர் சோலைக் கபாலீச் சரமமர்ந்தான்

தேனமர் பூம்பாவைப் பாட்டாகச் செந்தமிழான்

ஞானசம் பந்த னலம்புகழ்ந்த பத்தும்வல்லார்

வானசம் பந்தத் தவரோடும் வாழ்வாரே

(Tamizh Translation from “Poems to Śiva” : Indira Vishwanathan Peterson)

Pumpavai, O beautiful girl!

Would you go without having seen feasts

In which our Lord who loves the temple

In beautiful Mayilai,

Whose beach is lined with fragrant punnai trees,

The Lord who dwells in Kapaliccaram shrine,

Feeds his many devotees who love him ?

Pumpavai, o beautiful girl!

Would you go without having seen the feast

Enjoyed by holy men

At Aippaci’s Onam festival

Held at the Kapaliccaram shrine

Of our Lord whose sacred ash is our blessing,

In great Mayilai,

Town of beautiful young women

With sparkling, kohl-darkened eyes?

Pumpavai, O beautiful girl!

Would you go without having seen,

On the rich streets of great Mayilai,

Town of beautiful young women with bracelets,

And town of our Lord in Kapaliccaram temple,

The flawless celebration of the ancient Karttikai feast

At which young girls

With sandal paste on their breasts

Light many lamps?

Pumpavai, O beautiful girl!

Would you go without having seen,

The atirai festival day

In great Mayilai town with wave washed shores,

In whose settlements live strong heroes

Who win battles with their sharp spears,

Town of our Lord who dwells in Kapaliccaram shrine

Surrounded by dark woods?

Pumpavai, O beautiful girl!

Would you go without having seen,

The Taippucam festval

Celebrated by women who feed guests

With good boiled rice and ghee,

In the great town of Mayilai,

Home of many beautiful women

With sparkling kohl-darkened eyes,

Town of our Lord with the sacred ash,

Who dwells in the Kapaliccaram shrine?

Pumpavai, O beautiful girl!

Would you go without having seen,

In Mayilai,

Fringed with coconut palms with broad fronds,

And town of our Lord who dwells in Kapaliccaram shrine,

The festival of bathing in the sea

In the month of Maci,

At which women dance, singing the praise

Of the feet of the Lord

Who rides the mighty bull?

Pumpavai, O beautiful girl!

Would you go without having seen,

On the streets of great Mayilai,

Always busy with festive crowds,

The festival of Pankuni Uthiram

With its great sound of celebration,

At which beautiful women

Sing and distribute alms,

At the Lord’s Kapaliccaram shrine

Center of many festivals?

Pumpavai, O beautiful girl!

Would you go without having seen,

To your heart’s content

The festival of the eighth day,

In honor of Siva’s eighteen ganas,

Resounding with melodious hymns,

In glorious Mayilai, at the Kapaliccatram shrine

Of the Lordwho blessed the furious demon

By crushing his arms?

Pumpavai, O beautiful girl!

Would you go without having seen,

The ceremony of the golden swing.

Held for him who dwells in Kapaliccaram shrine,

Where devotees praise the feet of the Lord

Whom the four-headed god on the lotus seat

And Narayana himself

Could not fully comprehend?

Pumpavai, O beautiful girl!

Would you go without having seen,

At the Lord’d Kapaliccaram temple

Surrounded by green groves,

The festival of the great purification

Slandered by the naked Jains

And the base Buddhists in voluminous robes?

They will attain release,

Who know these ten fine verses of praise,

Composed by Nanacampantan in pure Tamil,

As a song for Pumpavai, the beautiful girl

With the sweet, flower-adorned hair,

In praise of the Lord who dwells

In Kapaliccaram shrine

Set among fragrant groves.

On a Temple Trail – Tiruvānaikā

On my recent visit to India, I was fortunate to visit some of the ancient temples in Tamil Nadu. Even before I started my travel, I was very excited at the prospect of visiting temple towns rich in cultural legacy. To me, it brought back childhood memories of visiting the Kabālīśvarar Temple in Mylapore along with my father, who would keep chanting “Nāgēndra Hārāya” as we went around the temple in the morning. As a performing musician I had plenty of opportunities to visit different cities in India. My sight seeing always consisted of a visit to the local temples. Whether it is Bangalore or Pune or Calcutta or you name the city, I always enjoy visiting temples.

Though my visit to Madras (ugh… Chennai) was quite short I still managed to visit some beautiful temples down south. It is also a beautiful experience since I always associate the temple with a Kriti composed by the great Vāggeyakkāra-s of Karnāṭaka Sangītam. As I was going round the Jambukēsvarar – Akilānḍēśvari Temple at Tiruvānaikāval, Trichy I was singing to myself Dikśitar’s Akilānḍēśvari in Jujāvanti. It is one of the masterpieces of Dikśitar and every time that I hear this kriti, I am transported to a different world ☺. Before I write about the composition, let me give a few details about this Kśētram.

Tiruvānaikkāval also known as Gajāraṇyam, Jambukēśvaram, Jñānēndram and Amudēśvaram, is one of the Panca Bhūta Sthalam-s and is referred to as Appusthalam since Lord Śiva as Jambukēśvara is regarded as an embodiment of the element water. In fact in the shrine of Jambukēśvarar, one can see that the liṅgam is perpetually surrounded by water known as the Srimath Tīrtham. The priest told me that when the river Kāveri is flooded, the entire prakāram would also be flooded.

The Lord in this Kśētram is known as Jambukēśvarar and Sambhunāyagar. The Goddess is known as Akilāṇḍēśvari and Akilāṇḍānāyagi. This is a Pāḍal Petra Sthalam and pathikam-s have been sung by Appar, Sundarar and Sambandar.

Legend – 1

There are many legends associated with this temple. According to one such legend, this Kśētra was once upon a time a forest of Jambu trees. Two devotees of Lord Śiva, were born as an elephant and spider on account of a curse. Everyday the elephant would worship Lord Śiva by bringing water, flowers and fruit in its trunk from the forest. In the nearby Nāval tree, there lived a spider, which served the Lord by spinning a web above the Liṅgam to shelter Him from dust and dry leaves. The elephant on seeing the web, would destroy it, since it considered the web to be impure. One day the elephant came to offer worship even as the spider was spinning its web. Enraged, the elephant destroyed the web. This angered the spider, which entered the trunk of the elephant and caused its death by injecting its venom. The spider also died, since it could not find its way out of the elephant’s trunk. But on account of the good merit that they had accrued by worshipping Lord Śiva, the elephant went to Śivalōka where it became the leader of the Gaṇā-s. Meanwhile the spider was born as Cōḷā King Ko Chenkōt Cōḷā. On account of this legend, this Kśētram came to be known as Nāvarkā Ānaikā, Gajāraṇyam in Sanskrit and Tiruvānaika in Tamizh.

Legend – 2

Once there lived a sage called Jambu Mādhavan, who did penance in a forest. One day a white Nāval fruit fell on his lap. He took this fruit to Mount Kailāśa and offered it to Lord Śiva. Moved by the affection of his devotee, the Lord ate the fruit and spit out the seed. The sage regarded the seed as the prasādam of the Lord and ate it. This took root in the stomach of the sage and grew as a huge Nāval Tree. The Lord blessed the sage and asked him to go to a Nāval forest near the river Ponni, where the Lord promised to manifest as a Liṅgam beneath this tree. As promised Lord Śiva appeared beneath this tree, which is the Sthala Vṛikśam in this temple. Hence this Kśētra came to be known as Jambukēśvaram.

Legend – 3

Initially Goddess Akilāṇḍēśvari was an ugra dēvata. The credit for transforming her into a Śanthasvarūpini goes to Ādi Śaṅkarā. He adorned her with ear – rings known as tāḍaṅgam bearing the symbol of the Śri Chakram. He transferred her fierce power into the tāḍaṅgam-s. He also installed Prasanna Vināyagar, facing Goddess Akilāṇḍēśvari, which is instrumental in transforming her into a benevolent deity. Maha Periva, Sri Chandrasēkara Sarasvati, the Pontiff of Kañci Kāmakōṭi Pīṭham, renewed that tāḍaṅgam-s in 1980s.

Legend – 4

Once Goddess Pārvati mocked at Lord Śiva’s penance for betterment of the world. Enraged by her act, Lord Śiva directed her to go to the earth and perform penance there. The Goddess found a ‘Jambu’ forest at Tiruvānaika or Tiruvānaikoil to commence her penance. She made a Liṅgam from the waters of the River Kāveri also known as Ponni. She performed her penance under the ‘Venn Nāval’ tree (the tree from the sage Jambu). So, the Liṅgam is known as ‘Appu Liṅgam’ (Appu-Water).

Lord Śiva appeared before Goddess Akilāṇḍēśvari and bestowed on her Śiva Gñanam. The Goddess took ‘Upadēśa’ (lessons) facing east while the Lord faced west. Hence the deities in the temple are also installed in the same direction. Such places are known as ‘Upadēśa Sthalam-s’. Since the Lord was the Guru and the Goddess was his Siśya, the ‘Tiru Kalyaṇam’ (marriage) is not conducted in this temple.

Since Goddess Akilāṇḍēśvari worshipped Lord Śiva in this temple, at noon the ‘Archakar’ (priest) dresses like a female and performs pūja to Lord Śiva and ‘Gō Mātha’ (Cow) every day.

Such a legendary Kśētram has been immortalized in the kṛiti-s of Śri Muthusvāmi Dīkśitar. Dīkśitar has sung Jambupatē in rāgā Yamunākalyāni – tiśra ēkam in praise of Lord Jambukēśvarar (it is one of the Pañca Bhūta Kśētra Kriti-s) and Akilāṇḍēśvari in rāga Jujāvanti – ādi tāḷam in praise of Goddess Akilānḍēśvari. It is notable that he has used hindustāni rāgā-s for both compositions.

Akhilānḍēśvari rakśa mām

Rāgam: Jujāvanti                                                                              

Tāḷam: Ādi


Vāgeyyakkāra: Śri Muttusvāmi Dikśitar

 

Pallavi

Akhilānḍēśvari rakśa mām
Āgama sampradāya nipuṇē śri

O Akhilānḍēśvari protect me!
One who is an expert in the tradition of the Āgamā-s.

Anupallavi

Nikila lōka nityātmikē vimalē
Nirmalē śyāmaḷē sakala kalē

The one who is the eternal life-force of the worlds. The one who is immaculate.
The one who is a dark. The one who encompasses all the arts.

Caraṇam

Lambōdara guru guha pūjitē
Lambālakōdbhāsitē hasitē
Vāgdēvatārāditē varadē
Vara śaila rāja nutē śāradē

Madhyamakāla Sāhityam

Jambhāri sambhāvitē janārdana nutē jujāvanti rāga nutē
Jhalli maddaḷa jarjhara vādya nāda muditē jñāna pradē

The one who is worshipped by Gaṇēśā and Śanmukhā.
The one who has long locks of hair on her forehead. The one with a smiling face.
The one who is worshipped by the Vākdēvatā-s and is a bestower of boons.
The one who is worshipped by the king of mountains, O Śāradā.
The one respected by Indrā, who is the enemy of the demon Jambhā. The one worshipped by Viṣṇu. The one praised by the Rāgā Jujāvanti.
The one who is pleased by the sound of the musical instruments such as Jalli, Maddaḷa and Jarjhara. The one who bestows Knowledge.

A soulful rendition of Akilāṇḍēśvari rakśa mām by MS Amma.

Jambu patē mām pāhi

 

Rāgam: Yamunākalyāni                                                                       

Tāḷam: TiśraĒkam


Vāgeyyakkāra: Śri Muttusvāmi Dikśitar

Pallavi

Jambu patē mām pāhi nijānandāmṛtabōdham dēhi

Oh Jambupati, protect me and bestow me with the nectar of the knowledge of true bliss.

Anupallavi

Ambujāsanādi sakala dēva namana tumburunuta hṛdaya tāpōpaśamana
Ambudi gaṅgā kāveri yamunā kambukaṇṭhyakilāṇḍēśvari ramaṇa

He is honored by Brahma and other celestial beings. He mitigates the affliction of the heart of Tumburu. He is the form of water and the great ocean and rivers such as Gaṅga, Kāveri, Yamunā. He is the beloved consort of Goddess Akilāṇḍēśvari, whose neck is as beautiful as a conch.

Caraṇam

Parvatajā prārtitabliṅga vibhō pañcabhūtamaya prapañcaprabhō
Sarvajīva dayākara śambhō sāmajāṭavīnilaya svayambhō
Sarva karuṇā sudha sindhō śaraṇāgata vatsalārta bandhō
Anirvacanīya nādabindō nityamauli vidhṛta gaṅgendo

Madhyamakāla Sāhityam

Nirvikalpaka samādhiniṣṭa śiva kalpakatarō
Nirvi śeśa chaitanya nirañjana guruguha gurō

In answer to the prayers of Goddess Pārvati, the Lord manifested as a Liṅga representing water. He is the Lord of the universe, which is composed of five elements. He is Śambhu, who is compassionate towards all living beings. He manifested on his own in a forest inhabited by elephants. He is the nectar-like ocean of mercy, and is the saviour to those who seek refuge in Him. He is the indescribable Nādabindu. He always wears the Gaṅga and the crescent moon on His head. He is the Kalpaka tree, and is engaged in the state of Samadhi or supreme consciousness. He is the father of the pure, faultless knowledge in the form of Guruguha.