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@tskrishnan

May 31

While many are speaking about the increase in the spiritual tourism at Kanyakumari after PMs visit, it must also be noted that the temple has some very important inscriptions which are critical from the TN history perspective.

Some of the pillars, six to be precise in the Mani Mandapa houses a very important inscription which helped researchers to deduce the Chola genealogy and some of the historical events in Chola dynasty.

The six pillars have 444 lines engraved in them of which 419 are in Sanskrit written in Grantha lipi, describing the Chola lineage right from Surya/Manu, Sangam period Cholas to later Cholas. The inscription belongs to Vira Rajendra Chola who ruled between 1063-70.

The lines are almost similar to what is mentioned in the Sarala copper plates grants of the same king. The inscription starts with two prayer slokas of Siva followed by a prayer sloka of Vishnu.

“Let Bhavanipati, who has crescent moon in his head, who playfully creates, protects and destroys the world, who is the leader of speech, bless you with abundance of wealth” says the first sloka.

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𑀓𑀺𑀭𑀼𑀱𑁆𑀡𑀷𑁆 🇮🇳

@tskrishnan

May 30

Our beloved PM Shri @narendramodi ji will be meditating for three days at the Vivekananda Rock Memorial, Kanyakumari. The memorial has lot of history behind it & faced many hurdles when it was built. Let us look at the background and the struggles it has to encounter.

During one of his countrywide yatras, Swami Vivekanada met Raja of Ramanathapuram, Shri Bhaskara Sethupathi at Madurai.

Bhaskara Sethupathi lost his parents at an early age and was brought up under the tutelage of British. Despite that he grew as a staunch Sanatani and did lot of work for the Hindu cause (which can be a separate thread). Due to this, he got an invite to participate in Parliment of World’s Religions at Chicago. He came to Madurai to meet the collector regarding that. Meanwhile, he got introduced to Vivekananda by his friend Justice Subramaniya Iyer.

After interacting with Vivekananda, Sethupathi felt Swami is the right person to attend the conference at Chicago and requested him to do so. Vivekananda informed him that he will decide about it at the end of his Yatra and left for Kanyakumari.

At Kanyakumari, there is a rock bit away from the mainland. It is said that Devi Bhagavathi (Kanyakumari Amman) did penance in this rock. Devi’s Sri Padams (footprints) are also there in the rock. Hence Hindus revered this rock.

On hearing this, Vivekananda swam across the rough sea, reached the rock and meditated for three days. After returning from Kanyakumari, he informed Sethupathi that he will attend the Parliament of World’s religions at Chicago. Sethupathi made the required arrangements. Swami’s speech at Chicago is history.

On returning from US, Swami Vivekananda went to Pamban. Bhaskara Sethupathi received him with full honours and installed a slab at that place. The golden words from Upanishads, ‘Satyameva Jayate’ was inscribed in the slab, which had later become the slogan of Indian Governament after it got the independence. Fast forward 1962….

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𑀓𑀺𑀭𑀼𑀱𑁆𑀡𑀷𑁆 🇮🇳

@tskrishnan

May 21

On the eve of Narasimha Jayanthi, here is some of the ancient Narasimhas from various parts of Bharath

Standing Narasimha from the Udayagiri caves, belonging to the Gupta period (4th century) and one of the oldest Narasimhas in the rock cut temple.

Narasimha from Gupta period (6th century). As if HE is waiting for Hiranya to break open the pillar

Narasimha from the later Gupta period (6th century) blessing Prahalada

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𑀓𑀺𑀭𑀼𑀱𑁆𑀡𑀷𑁆 🇮🇳

@tskrishnan

May 4

தமிழர்களின் திருமண முறை

தமிழர்களின் திருமண முறைகளைப் பற்றி வழக்கம்போல பல்வேறு விதமான திரிபுகள், அதிலும் தாலியைப் பற்றி ஏதோ வடக்கிலிருந்து வந்தது என்றெல்லாம் சொல்கிறார்கள். நம் நாட்டில் இது போன்ற சடங்குகளைப் பொருத்தவரை பல முறைகள் அவரவர் சம்பிரதாயப்படி இருந்தாலும், அவற்றின் அடிப்படை ஒன்றுதான் என்பதே உண்மை. சங்க இலக்கியங்கள் திருமணம் பற்றிச் சொல்வதென்ன?

திருமணத்திற்கு நாள் குறிப்பதற்கு முன் இப்போது போலவே ஜோதிடம் பார்த்து நாள் குறித்தனர்.

கோள் கால் நீங்கிய கொடு வெண் திங்கள்
கேடு இல் விழுப் புகழ் நாள் தலைவந்தென (அகம் 86)

நல்ல கோள்கள் சேர்ந்திருக்கவேண்டும், வளர்பிறையாக இருக்கவேண்டும், ரோகிணி நட்சத்திரம் மிகவும் நல்ல நாளாகக் கருதப்பட்டது

திங்கட் சகடம் மண்டிய துகள் தீர் கூட்டத்து
கடி நகர் புனைந்து, கடவுட் பேணி (அகம் 136)

அந்த நாளில் மணப்பந்தல் வைத்து கடவுளை வணங்கி திருமணம் நடத்தப்பட்டதாம்.

திருமணத்திற்கு முன்னால் பரிசம் கொடுப்பது மணமகனின் வழக்கம்.

நலம்சால் விழுப் பொருள் கலம் நிறை கொடுப்பினும்
பெறல் அருங் குரையள் ஆயின், அறம் தெரிந்து (அகம் 280)

எவ்வளவு பொருளைப் பரிசமாகக் கொடுத்தாலும் இவளை அடைய முடியுமா என்கிறானாம் ஒருவன். கன்யாசுல்கம் என்ற இந்த வழக்கம் அண்மைக்காலம் வரை நம் நாட்டின் எல்லாப் பகுதிகளிலிரும் இருந்தது என்பது குறிப்பிடத்தக்கது.

திருமணத்திற்கு முன் நிச்சயதார்த்தம் நடத்தி அதை முறைப்படி அறிவிக்கும் நிகழ்வும் பண்டைக்காலத்தில் இருந்தது.

நனை விளை நறவின் தேறல் மாந்தி,
புனை வினை நல் இல் தரு மணல் குவைஇ,
''பொம்மல் ஓதி எம் மகள் மணன்'' என,
வதுவை அயர்ந்தனர் நமரே (அகம் 221)

என்று மண அறிவுப்புச் செய்தமையை தோழி ஒருவள் கூறுகிறாள். வதுவை என்றால் திருமணம்.

திருமணம் இன்று போலவே அக்னி சாட்சியாக, ஹோமத்தீயின் முன்னால் செய்யப்பட்டது. இதை

தெறல் அருங் கடவுள் முன்னர்த் தேற்றி,
மெல் இறை முன்கை பற்றிய சொல் இறந்து,
ஆர்வ நெஞ்சம் தலைத்தலை சிறப்ப (அகம் 396)

தெறல் அருங் கடவுளான அக்கினியின் முன்னால் கையைப் பற்றி உன்னைப் பிரியமாட்டேன் என்று மணமகன் உறுதிமொழி கூறியதாக இந்தப் பாடல் சொல்கிறது. சிலப்பதிகாரமும்

மாமுது பார்ப்பான் மறை வழி காட்டிடத் தீவலம் வந்து

என்று வேதங்களை ஓதி நெருப்பை வலம் வந்து திருமணம் நடந்ததாகவே கூறுகிறது.

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𑀓𑀺𑀭𑀼𑀱𑁆𑀡𑀷𑁆 🇮🇳

@tskrishnan

Apr 27

Muthu Vijaya Raghunatha Sethupathi was a great devotee of Ramanatha swami like the other Sethupathi Kings. He had donated Rs.18680 worth silver Swing and a beautiful Chariot to Rameswaram temple. But the Dharmic nature of the King came out in a strange incident.

He had two daughters Sivakami Nachiyar & Rajalakshmi Nachiyar. Both of them were so close that they wanted to marry their ‘Murai Maman’, Dhantapani Thevar. Sethupathi agreed and both got married to Dhantapani. He also appointed his son-in-law as ‘in charge’ of Rameswaram.

Those days, boats used to ferry Yatris from Mandapam in the mainland to Rameswaram. This was done as free of service as Ramanathapuram samasthanam operated them. But someone gave a weird idea to Dhantapani Thevar. They asked him levying a small fee of 25 paise per person and it can be used for the temple expenses. Thevar agreed to this but he didn’t inform Sethupathi. So Boats have started charging a fee to ferry the Yatris

One day, a poor man came to Rameswaram all the way from north. He didn’t have money to pay for the boat. So he was refused the journey. Angered, he went to Sethupathi’s court and complained. Vijaya Raghunatha Sethupathi was completely taken aback. He immediately ordered his son in law to be brought to the court.

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𑀓𑀺𑀭𑀼𑀱𑁆𑀡𑀷𑁆 🇮🇳

@tskrishnan

Apr 6

The Sri Vimana of the Thanjavur temple is designed with some fundamental agamic principles and is unique in many aspects. Keeping aside the false ‘prides’ of one stone 80 tonne, shadow not falling on ground etc. let us look at some of the key aspects of the design of the Vimana.

The Vimana sits on 30 Sq.m Athishtana with the Sanctum at the bottom. The inside of Vimana is hollow. If somone draws a straight line from the centre of Shivalinga at the top, all the way up, it will end in the centre of the Kalasa atop the Shikara. That is the kind of engineering skill the Chola Shilpis had. The Vimana raises like a Pyramid from the square base but also ends in a square top. Then there is Kirivam, Shikara & Kalasa atop. The total height is 60 m from the ground. There are 13 Avaranas (stories) in the Vimana which has some beautiful scuptures.

At the bottom of the Vimana, there is another wall adjustant to main wall and there is a circumambulatory passage in between these two. This is called as Santharam, which is about six feet wide. At the first level, these two walls are joined by another passage. In this, the Vigrahas of Rudramurthy is seen on South, Nruthamurthy is seen on the West and Manonmani is seen on the North. Here is where one can see the Chola and Nayakar period Murals.

On the second leve, the Karana sculptures which depicts the 108 Karanas from the Bharathamuni’s Natya Sastra are sculpted. However, only 81 are in complete state and the rest has only the stones which are intended for the remaining.

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