Musafir

The Rangamantapa of the Varadaraja Perumal Temple is extremely beautiful and worth talking in detail and this post is almost entirely dedicated to it. This hall is currently being used for performing special rituals for the Lord. Each March, a great celebration of the Lord’s wedding is held in this hall. This Rangamantapa was commissioned by the great Vijayanagara ruler, Krishnadevaraya in whose time the Vijaya Vittala Temple of Hampi was also constructed. Both of them have their unique aspects and this mantapa is more detailed in its architecture.

The first look of this wedding hall from outside itself creates a lot of interest. We see amazingly carved pillars on the entire outer side. Each of the pillars are carved with either mythological figures or warriors on horses. For example, in the picture that you see here, the Gods of Love in Hindu Mythology Rathi Devi and Manmatha are carved on a parrot and a swan respectively. We see another long chain carved out of stone hanging here. You will find this chain at all the four corners of this mantapa. The most amazing part of this chain is that the rings can move freely within even though the entire chain is made of a single stone. The entrance of the mantapa is in typical Vijayanagara style with a crocodile head on both sides.

There are a hundred pillars in this wedding hall. Out of them 4 are made of wood and the remaining of stone. The four pillars are on the platform where the rituals are held. You will find nice creeper designs on the parapet which inspire the Kanchipuram Sarees. The architecture of the temple is a mixture of cultures. Where you find the stories of godly figures like Rama and Krishna, you will also find the concepts of Kamasutra at the same place. There are many sculptures with amorous couples in this hall. There are many amazing aspects of this mantapa and we shall talk about some of them.

There is this sculpture of a warrior on a horse carved on a pillar. He has two heads and a single body. He is depicted as a North Indian or a Mughal on one side in terms of the dressing. If you go to the other side of the horse, you will be amazed to see that the same person looks like a South Indian with his dressing and face.  In Hindu mythology, there is a story of a fight between Lord Krishna and the bear Jambavanta. This is so well depicted here and the bear is carved with the minute detail including its teeth which are sharp. And all this is entirely monolithic.

Many parts and stories of the Ramayana are carved on the pillars. Various dance forms in India like Kathakali and Bharatanatyam are depicted here. Not only gods and goddesses, the then sculptors used to carve common people who come across in our daily lives. You can see figured of clowns and businessmen in the pillars of the South Indian mantapas and temples. There are beautiful sculptures of the 10 forms of Lord Vishnu, the Dasavatara. This is a very common art. The one thing where this pillared hall stands apart is the level of detail with which each of the pillars are carved.  For example, in the picture that you see above, the way the saree is tied and the jewellery is also shown in detail.

The ten incarnations of Vishnu are also carved on one side of the platform, but in small size. If you see the corners of the platform, you will find beautiful flowers chiselled out of the stone and looks beautiful. It is a pity that this art does not exist today. But the time this temple was constructed, the Portuguese were already in India. We can see sculptures of Portuguese warriors and soldiers. You can see their guns and rifles carved too. The temple was originally built in the 10th century by the Cholas and this mantapa, a later addition by the Vijayanagara King Sri Krishnadevaraya.

There are four pillars in here which has three animals carved on them, a horse, a elephant and a Yali. A Yali as we know is a mystic animal with a lion body and with long teeth poking out of its mouth. There is one statue of Vishnu carrying a bow, conch, wheel and playing a flute. So this statue covers three aspects Vishnu, Rama and Krishna. One statue depicts the replica of the prime deity of the temple, Varadaraja Perumal. There is also a beautiful depictions of the Narasimha aspect of Vishnu coming out of a huge pillar and later killing the demon king, Hiranyakasipa. There are some interesting sculptures like three humans with six legs and six hands. The body in the middle is common to the other two on the left and right.

I met Mr. David from Australia in this mantapa and he enquired me about the temple history. I knew a surprising fact here. Foreigners are more interested and knowledgeable about our Gods and Goddesses than we Indians are. There was one priest in this mantapa who showed him figures of amorous couples and explained him about the various aspects of Kamasutra. It was real light moment when he asked the priest “You meant to be a holy man??”. We both laughed heartily at this question.

There is a pillar with an English soldier with a double barrel gun. I had to lean down and go near the temple tank to a have a view of it. There is one statue on which when you tap with a iron piece, produces three different sounds the same as when you tap a big Gold, Silver and Stone piece. And the view from the platform is too good. You will see the rows of warriors on horses on one side. The design on the platform is so intricate and delicate that we can actually pass a thin twig from within the holes. This art is extinct now. You can see big temples like the Birla Temple or the Swaminarayan temple which are costly and grand but they are nowhere comparable to these masterpieces. After spending almost an hour in this mantapa alone, i moved on to my further destinations.

In this blog, i discussed just the most important structures in Kanchipuram. Otherwise, there are numerous other old temples like the Sankupani Vinayakar, Yathoktakari Perumal, Deepaprakasa Perumal, Kachapeswarar. It is difficult to give an account of all these temples in detail. Each of them is as old as the temples i had written about and each are being maintained and the deities worshipped. Particularly, a lot of locals visit the Sankupani Vinayakar temple and a special ritual was being performed at the time i visited this temple.

Kanchipuram was in its glory during the Cholas, Pallavas and the Vijayanagara rule. Art and architecture were given a lot of importance by the people and rulers alike. Even the kings were lovers of art and artists themselves. We have a good example of Krishnadevaraya who was a writer and musician himself. The King was treated as a messenger of God and the people respected him. People were lot god fearing than they are today. That is the reason Kanchipuram once or even today is called as The Land of Thousand Temples.

As for the blog, watch out for my next series on Hassan District, Karnataka.

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It was Deepawali, the festival of lights in India. After a strenuous day in Mahabalipuram, i travelled over to a place where i underwent the most spiritual journey of mine ever. Kanchipuram was bustling with festive mood with kids lighting fireworks and men and women dressed in new attire. It was almost 9 AM by the time i reached the town. I immediately hired an auto rickshaw as i knew it would be painstaking to travel to all the planned places. I had a heavy breakfast and moved to my first destination the Kailasanathar Temple. It was quite hot that day i appreciated my decision of hiring a vehicle for travelling inside the town.

The Kailasanathar Temple is one of the oldest temples that we can see in this area, as we can see by the construction and the wear and tear that affected it. It reflects the freshness and simplicity of the early Dravidian style of temple architecture and was commissioned by the Pallava King Rajasimha and completed by his son Mahendra in the 8th century and is dedicated to Lord Siva. There are 58 small shrines situated round the main shrine. Fresco-style paintings adorn the inner walls  of the shrines. Sandstone was used in the construction of this temple.

This is the only temple at Kanchipuram which is not cluttered with the more recent additions of the Cholas and Vijayanagara rulers. Fragments of the eighth century murals which once graced the alcoves are a visible reminder of how magnificent the temple must have looked when it was first built. It can also be described as the worthy successor of the rock temples at Mahabalipuram, which were also built by the Pallava rulers. The bases of the pillars in the temples at Mahabalipuram have seated lions while at Kanchipuram the confident grimacing lions stand on their hind legs, as if ready to pounce on anyone trying to harm the temple. There are a number of small shrines within this temple  dedicated to Lord Shiva, Goddess Parvathi (Lord Shiva’s consort) and their sons Ganesh and Murugan.

The first view of the temple is a series of smaller shrines and lion headed Yalis guarding them. There is a wall that encloses all of the complex and you find pillars on the wall at regular intervals. I walk in through the gopura.  Inside you find eight shrines, two on the south side of the main gate and six on north side. All the shrines are complete temple in themselves, consisting of mukhamandapa, garbhgriha (sanctum sanctorum) & vimana. Each shrine has a shiva-linga inside. The mukha-mandapa is supported on the pillars, adorned with the sitting Yalis. There is a small shrine at the entrance gate. It is a later addition by Pallava king Mahendravarman, son of Rajasimha. As per an inscription on its stair, the name of the shrine is Mahendravarmeshvaragriham. This shrine has recently gone under renovation and repairs.

Let us talk about some of the most amazing sculptures inside.

There are many places where a warrior is shown on a lion which is on its hind legs ready to pounce. It is so remarkable that we can even see the smile of the warrior. Such a great art was prevalent that age that even facial expression was given more importance and each masterpiece is incomplete without them. Also, a statue of Lord Ganesha is found here which is said to be one of the oldest in South India. Even this has undergone much wear and tear and you can see the sandstone peeling off. The Archaeological Survey of India need to be commended for its excellent maintenance of the temple despite the age old sculptures. One of the most interesting and detailed panels is the Samudra Manthan in Cell 12. Vasuki, king of snakes, is coiled around Mandara mountain, which in turn is supported by Vishnu by his left hand. One thing of interest here is that Vishnu is shown in human form supporting mountain instead of his Kurma (tortoise) form. Devatas and Asuras are standing around. One horse is shown just sprung from the ocean, which may be Uchchaisrava Ashva, taken by Indra.

One more is the Narasimha in Cell 9. Narasimha shown here slaying demon Hiranyakshipu. There is a pillar in between the two figures, as according to a story, Narisimha came out of the pillar when Hiranyakashipu kicked the pillar and asked Prahlada that can his god come out of the pillar. Presence of this sculpture is rather interesting as Shiva is the main deity here. Another is Kiratarjuniya, where Arjuna is shown preparing to fight with Lord Shiva, in disguise of a hunter, over the killing of a boar. When Arjuna saw that none of his weapon were able to reach to the hunter then he realized that this is Lord Shiva himself in disguise of a hunter. This is so detailed that even the boar is depicted behind Arjuna.

I then go inside the main shrine. The sanctum is spacious and there is a big, black Linga inside. One interesting this is that the sanctum is surrounded by a small corridor and one can actually go around for a pradakshina. There is a catch. The starting point to the corridor is blocked and one need to kneel on all fours and enter it. It would the same when to come out of it. I thought i would try it but abstained as i am a little overweight and was afraid of getting stuck. There were not too many visitors then and i had a nice darshan of the lord.

There are hundreds of sculptures in this temple complex and one may take more than a day to see each of them. Each sculpture has a story to tell there are many blogs one can refer to know each of them. However, my intension is just to introduce these places to others and not to be an authority of it. So i will not describe all. I would seriously recommend 2 days for visiting this temple complex if you are on research. Otherwise half an hour would be enough.

After spending almost an hour here, i move towards one of the most beautiful temples in Kanchipuram, the Ekambareshwara Temple.

References:

1. http://picasaweb.google.com/Tamilnadu.Explored/KanchipuramPart1#

2. http://swamisblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/pallava-architecture-kailasanatha.html