The attack on rAmeshvaraM

[Guest guest]

Here is some detail from an inscription regarding the attack on rAmeshvaraM and

how it was subsequently got back.

 

A naive question or response to this would be " if this is true why didnt we do

this for other shrines and protect them? " . The question actually stems due to

lack of practical thinking. There are many issues involved - like availablity of

the right people to perform rituals, availability of time, availablity of

appropriate materials etc etc and above all the inspiration from the devata.

 

Notice how they did not perform a ritual and sit there. The ritual was used to

aid the army which may due to the grace of that devata ward it against for

example against bad weather(which might hamper military action), or to ward off

similar obstructions.

-----

 

.....This successful adventure tempted parAkrama-bAhu to invade and conquer south

India. He found a great excuse for this program in the form of the internal

struggle between two pANDya contenders for the throne and the choLa allies of

one them (kulashekhara). He claimed to act in support of the other party

(vIrapANDya) against choLa-s and kulashekhara. parAkrama-bahu dispatched his

powerful admiral lankApura to deal with the Tamil kingdoms. lankApura conquered

Ramanathapuram near the setu and built a heavily fortified camp named

parAkramapura after his king. From here lankApura brought in a large lankan land

army and sent it towards Madhurai, where he besieged and defeated kulashekhara.

Then the Lankan army placed vIrapANDya as puppet in Madhurai and controlled it

from a fortified camp they built named paNDuvijaya. They used this fort in

tandem with parAkramapura and continued the war on the choLa-s, inflicted many

blows on them, and even sent Tamils captured in India to build monuments in

Lanka. Around 1171 CE parakarama-bAhu probably filled with bauddha zeal ordered

the conquest of rAmeshvaraM. The lankan navy blockaded the temple city and an

amphibious landing force with elephants launched a direct attack on the temple.

They first uprooted the huge temple doors and carried it away. Then finding

their way to the temple treasury they seized all its treasures and took control

of the shrine and prevented the worship of shiva.

 

The choLa king rAjadhirAja-II was shaken by the desecration of the temple and

called upon a learned tAntrIka of the Urdhva-srotras, j~nAnashiva to perform

abhichAra rites to destroy the lankans who had desecrated the jyotir-li~Nga.

j~nAnashiva began an elaborate abhichAra prayoga invoking the terrifying

5-headed, 18 handed form of shiva, who wears a garland of 108 skulls. An image

of shiva in this form is also found in the chandella fort near Kajuraho where

they routinely invoked him before doing battle with the turuShka-s. j~nAnashiva

performed the rite unfazed for 28 days. The choLa army had been hammered by the

lankans in multiple battles till that point, but is said that the fury of

mahAdeva entered them. rAjAdhirAja-II’s army fell upon the desecrating

bauddha-s in rAmeshvaraM and smashed them in a quick assault. The lankan admiral

lankApura himself was leading the desecration and was struck by an arrow. The

choLa-s beheaded him and nailed his severed head on the gates of the pANDuvijaya

camp as a befitting offering to mahAdeva.

 

The details of this event are recorded in the ArpAkkaM inscription 18 Km from

Kanchi.

 

----------------------------

 

A case of failure -Here the bauddha-s failed but it is possible tp extend this

scenario to some of our own - This time due to lack of sufficient time.

 

-----

-It was the early summer of the year 454 CE. In the city of kUbha in gandhara, a

band of bauddha bikShu-s noticed that their shaiva rivals were packing up and

getting ready to evacuate the pAShupata maTha. The head muNDaka who normally

avoided the jaTila-s asked why they were packing up. The jaTila replied that a

great storm was building on the horizon and the evils of kali yuga were to come

down upon the world. The muNDaka smiled and walked on continuing his japa of the

lokeshvara mantra. Later in the day he noticed that the patrons were not

arriving at his vihAra. He stirred out to a neighboring vihAra where other

bauddha-s were had stopped their study of the sad-dharma-puNDarIka sUtra because

of some news that the king, the kedAra shAhIya had been defeated midway to

bAhlika and an army of mlechCha-s was advancing towards the city. Sensing

danger, the head muNDaka started organizing his flock to flee south towards

suvastu. But even before he could do so, he heard an enormous clattering of

hoofs and saw a great swirl of dust darkening the horizon. With in minutes the

students in the court yard and the door keepers were rolling in the dust shot by

arrows. The muNDaka ran inside to invoke a protective mantra from

subAhu-paripR^ichCha, but even as he was entering into his ritual enclave a

hideous warrior with a deformed head struck off the muNDaka’s head with his

scimitar. It rolled down and fell near his altar. Another muNDaka was being

threatened and asked to reveal where the wealth given by the vaishya patrons was

hidden....

------

[Guest guest]

I fully agree with satish, Time, place, material and performer are important. Do

not expect results in a day or two. it kanes a long time even for a siddha

sadhaka.

 

--- On Thu, 6/4/09, Satish <satisharigela wrote:

 

 

Satish <satisharigela

The attack on rAmeshvaraM

 

Thursday, June 4, 2009, 12:42 PM

 

 

Here is some detail from an inscription regarding the attack on rAmeshvaraM and

how it was subsequently got back.

 

A naive question or response to this would be " if this is true why didnt we do

this for other shrines and protect them? " . The question actually stems due to

lack of practical thinking. There are many issues involved - like availablity of

the right people to perform rituals, availability of time, availablity of

appropriate materials etc etc and above all the inspiration from the devata.

 

Notice how they did not perform a ritual and sit there. The ritual was used to

aid the army which may due to the grace of that devata ward it against for

example against bad weather(which might hamper military action), or to ward off

similar obstructions.

-----

 

.....This successful adventure tempted parAkrama-bAhu to invade and conquer south

India. He found a great excuse for this program in the form of the internal

struggle between two pANDya contenders for the throne and the choLa allies of

one them (kulashekhara) . He claimed