Thread by @AdiShloka

Đ Öbserver Series :
Đ Resilience of Faith : Sanātana Dhārma - Part II

Ajñātavāsa - अज्ञातवास of Nataraja : Chidambaram Temple

Nataraja & Sivakamasundari were absent from Chidambaram Temple for 37 years, 10 months & 20 days
{From 24-12-1648 to 14-11-1686}.

#Thread

Circa 1296(Feb month), Alaudding Khalji was the first Muslim ruler to unleash the terror southward & it opened the floodgates of Untold Devastation, Destruction & Desecration of Sanatana Dharma in South India by the muslim invaders.
This went on for the next 500 Years !

There was some relief in between during the Vijayanagara dynasty & some other brave Hindu rulers but the shadow of threat always loomed.
The situation, however, deteriorated in the 17th-18th centuries, and the Dikshitars (temple priests),

fearful of the safety of the images of Nataraja & his Consort, twice took them out of the Temple.

The Ambulappuli Episode :

Following the Bijapur Sultan invasion, the Dikshitars moved the icons of Nataraja & Sivakamasundari from the Cit Sabha {of Chidambaram Temple} to an

“unknown destination”. After travelling southward for some time, the Dikshitars arrived at a dense tamarind forest { Puli - in Tamil }.
There they chanced upon an old tamarind tree, with an immense trunk that had a hole large enough to accommodate the ‘Two Murtis’.

After placing the images there, the Dikshitars closed the opening to avoid any suspicion, & returned to Chidambaram.
When political conditions improved, it was resolved to bring back the deities. But memory of the precise location of the tree had dimmed with years. The younger

generation of Dikshitars sent to retrieve the images were unable to identify the tree where the images had been placed in the darkness of a night.
They were in great anguish when they harden old farmer shout to a farm boy : “Take the bulls along the foot of Ambalapulli. I shall

join you very soon.”
The Dikshitars promptly followed the boy, who soon reached a large tamarind tree. The anxious Dikshitars questioned the boy why the trees was known as Ambalapulli. The boy replied the name had been given by his master.
Thereupon, the Dikshitars met the

Vellela chief, & informed him that they would like to inspect the Ambalapulli tree as it possibly ‘contains their property.’
The Vellala immediately grasped the import of the request, but wanted the Dikshitars recount their story. They appealed to him to end their agony,”…

You are a true devotee of Nataraja & have earned his bounteous grace by protecting Him all these years.”
The Vellala replied,
During the years of political turmoil, when once I chanced to look at this tamarind tree {which is located within the limits of my property}, I noticed

that a large hole had been closed. I realised that there should have been some reason for the closure.
I opened it up & was surprised and pleased to see Lord Nataraja’s icon in it. I did not want word to get round that the icon was concealed there. I closed the hole again, as I

could guess that the political disturbances were responsible for this concealment. I was, however, haunted by a feeling of guilt that Nataraja was lying in neglect here without the the prescribed worship. I gave people to understand that I had a dream in which it was revealed to

me that there was a godly element in this particular tree.
From then on, regular worship has been offered to this tree.
The overwhelmed Dikshitars said : “Even if you could not conduct the worship that we offer to him at the Cit Sabha, Nataraja will be conscious of your deep

devotion.”
They gathered the icons and readied for the return journey.
The Ambalapulli episode was almost an Ajñātavāsa for Nataraja & Sivakamasundari as the Dikshitars intended it to be.

There are many such stories of Pain & Anguish that our ancestors went through and display of Tenacity & Courage in order to save Sanātana Dhārma.

source :
book : Flight of Deities & Rebirth of Temples
author : Meenakshi Jain

@UshaNirmala @apparrnnaa @SavyySavi

This is Part I in this series 👇
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