Ganesh in Tamilnadu

[Guest guest]

South India includes the following States : Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra

Pradesh and Kerala. This chapter is dedicated to Tamil Nadu. Karnataka and, in

a short time, Andhra Pradesh can be found in separate parts. Maharashtra is

only a small one. Tamil Nadu looks to be another world. We feel very far from

the Rajasthani immeasurable arid steppes, scattered with dried acacias, among

spare grain fields... We feel far too, from the Ganges plains suffering a

torrid sun or shivering in the sly winter cold wind. Here, weather is hot all

along the year, with a typical tropical moistness. Tamil Nadu looks like a

giant paddy field studded with palm-tree and coconut-tree groves, a huge

coastal plain going up slowly to the west, to the Dekkan plateau where lived,

in ancient times, the famous dynasties of the Chalukya and the Vijayanagar .

There are other places where we can go later... Tamil Nadu includes a large

number of villages disseminated in a 130 000 square km territory, and a

population about the same number as the french one. So, people are very

numerous and, fortunately, nature permits it, thanks to good agricultural

resources. More than other regions, Tamil Nadu comprises a lot of temples,

bigger and bigger wherever you go. They bear witness to the gods' presence and

to the men devotion to them. They are also benchmarks of great dynasties

(Pallava , Chola , Vijayanagar, Pandya , Nayak ) who took place there. It's the

Dravidian world which, despite invadors coming from north throughout centuries,

was only transformed a few by indo-aryan inputs.

Kanchipuram

Pictures

 

The most famous and most visited building in Kanchipuram is the Kailashanath

Temple (Pallava period, 7th century). This small building was erected during

the reign of King Rajasimha Pallava. A big sitting Ganesh can be seen on the

right side when entering in the inner temple courtyard. Ganesh, Shiva

Dakshinamurti and the Saptamâtrikâ form a wonderful set which can be admired

in one of the peripherial sanctuaries of the southern gallery. Specialists tell

these Mâtrikâ are among the oldest and most beautiful ones in South India.

Amidst the other sculptures of these sanctuaries, one may recognize Shiva ,

some Vishnu avatars and some other deities, for instance Durgâ , Lakshmî ,

Saraswatî , Skanda , Kâlî , Brahmâ , Somaskanda (Shiva, Uma and baby Skanda

association). The temple stands erect in the center of the courtyard. The

vimâna is decorated with sculptures painted with a white stucco. One can see

Ganesh, Sarasvatî and many other gods. Entering inside the temple, we are in a

dark room overlooking a corridor. In the background is the inner sanctuary

(cella ) where the lingam stands. In the dark room, a sitting Ganesh statue

stands on the ground as well as a half smiling half threatening Shiva. On the

outer northern temple facade, on the lower basement (bada ), look at the frieze

displaying nine gana raising legs high, brandishing swords, striking sticks;

two of them are horned-animal faced and one displays an elephant trunk. We

cannot decide whether it is Ganesh or not. The Ekambareshvara temple : we

proceed to the temple through a huge gopuram , reaching a 59 m high, and dating

from 1509. Remark Ganesh under the porch of this gopuram. The temple first

mandapa is a large pillared-hall, opened to outside. Square pillars are

engraved with many deities representations, among which is Ganesh. Ganesh is

also located at the left side of second mandapa entrance. Again, we can see him

on one side of the djavasthamba near the Nandi facing the temple main gate. In

an inner courtyard, stands the sacred mango-tree; according to the local legend,

it is said to be 3,500 years old; his four main branches represent the four Veda

.. Unfortunately, only two are remaining. In front of the sacred tree, stands a

small sanctuary visited by many persons. It is dedicated to God Shiva; down the

flight of stairs climbing to it, are two statues : Ganesh on the left and

Murugan (=Kartikeya, Ganesh brother) on the right.

Mahabalipuram

Pictures

 

Ganesh is rarely seen in this famous touristic village. The most visited and

over-the-world known monument is an immense frescoe engraved in bas-relief on

the natural hill rock, called the "Ganges descent". It is called "Arjuna's

penance" too. This bas-relief illustrates an ancien legend. Another place which

is visited a lot is the Ratha set, which are monolithic rock temples, looking

like procession chariots. These temples are not built, but are natural huge

rocks sculpted in the form of buildings. Achieved in the 7th century, they show

harmonious proportions and advanced architectural concepts. They are called

Draupadi, Arjuna, Bhima, Yudhishthira and Sahadeva, the names of Pandava heroes

of whom story is narrated in the epic poem of the Mahâbhârata . On the hill top,

one can visit other monuments : The Mahîshâsuramardinî mandapa, one of the

best, displays bas-relief engraved in the rock, with famous mythological

actions : Recumbent Vishnu on Ananta , the Eternity Snake, the godess Durgâ,

under her form of Mahîshâsuramardinî, putting to death the awful buffalo-demon

Mahîshâsura. The Ganesh ratha (Ganesh mandapa), from the Pallava period

(7th-8th century), is the alone to live a daily religious activity; a statue of

the famous elephant-headed god, beloved of all Indians, receives offerings

there. In ancient times, this small temple was dedicated to Shiva. The Varaha

mandapa displays a nice exhibition of Gajalakshmî, the wealth goddess, with

elephants besides, pouring sacred water on her; another sculpture illustrates

the legend of Vamana, a Vishnu avatar, raising high his leg and pervading the

three worlds where the arrogant king Bali ruled. The Krishna mandapa

displays the god milking a cow who licks her calf. As for the Shore temple,

built on a beach, it is universally known. During more than twelve centuries,

it has braved the ocean waves and the effects of the marine erosion. A

preservation programme has permitted to efficiently protect this beautiful

building. One will not miss to wonder at the statuary developped by

handicraftmen working, sometimes on very big statues, granite as well as other

less hard materials. There are plenty of handicraft stone statues in all shops

: white marble, "black granite", nice mouse-grey stone, soapstone (the softest

and cheapest stone). Tirukalikundram, a few km from Mahabalipuram, is the place

where stands the "hill of the sacred eagles". At the foot of this rocky hillock,

in the small city, is a very interesting Shiva temple dating from the 16th

century. Only a few tourists come here. Several good Ganesh statues can be

seen. Outside the temple, one can wonder at a greenish vimâna ornamented with

a lot of Ganesh statues. Near to it, are standing, under a banyan tree, a

beautiful set of Nâggakal (Nâga ) stones), associated with Ganesh.

******Snipped******* Long page, plenty of information, read the rest at:

http://perso.club-internet.fr/ganapati/anglais/atn/atn.htmlDo You ?

Finance - Get real-time stock quotes