Panchalankurichi and the Legend of Kattabomman

Templed out? Let's take a break from temples and explore some history. I will try my best to be brief.

After the great Vijayanagar Empire based in the Deccan, with Hampi as its capital, took control of the Tamil speaking lands in the 15th century, they appointed Telugu speaking governors called the Nayakkar in the Tamil lands. The administration of the Nayakkar was formalized during the rule of the powerful Vijayanagar Emperor Krishna Deva Raya in the early 1500s. A large part of the Tamil country including the most southern region was controlled by the Madurai Nayakkar. After the Vijayanagar Empire came to an end after its defeat at the hands of the Deccan Sultanates at the battle of Talikota in 1565, the Nayakkar became independent kings. In the late 1500s, the Madurai Nayakkar organized their territory into 70 Paalayams and appointed minor rulers called Paalayakaarar to rule them. Most were from the Deccan and spoke Telugu or Kannada. Few were Tamil. It was a feudal system where the Paalayakaarar or Polygars as the British called them, paid tribute to the king and were expected to provide men and material in times of war. One such Paalayam was located here at Panchalankurichi. After the Madurai Naykkar were defeated by the Nawab of Arcot, Madurai came under the Nawab's rule and the controversial hero Muhammad Yusuf Khan or Maruthanayagam Pillai controlled the Madurai territories. Subsequently all of the lands came under the rule of the British East India Company. During this transition the Palayakaarar revolted against the British. What ensued were the Polygar Wars from 1799 to 1805 when the Paalayakaarar and the British fought a number of battles before the British eventually prevailed.

At the time of the Polygar Wars, Panchalankurichchi was ruled by a Telugu speaking chieftain called Veerapandia Kattabomman or Gettibommu in Telugu. He was the last of a long line of Kattabommans and was one the most stubborn of the resistors of British takeover of the Tamil country and was eventually captured and hanged. He became a folk legend among the common people and his story has lived on. Some historians believe that the story is bigger than the actual man and has grown with time. Some even claim that he was a bandit. In current political times, the fact that he was a Telugu ruler in a Tamil land has led some narrow-minded Tamil nationalists to try and diminish his legacy. 

Sorry - I am a history buff and get carried away.

The pretty building that you see as you enter is a memorial built by the Tamil Nadu government in the 1970s. To the right lie the ruins of Kattabomman's fort and palace.

Visited Aug 2019. Base Thoothukudi

Thiruchendur - Murugan Temple

One of the Aru Padai Veedu (6 abodes) of Lord Murugan, this is certainly not a lesser known temple to many and a popular pilgrimage site. We have included it here as it is not as well known to others.One of the largest temple complexes and one of the richest in Tamil Nadu, it is an ancient site. It is located on a seashore. It is the second most important Aru Padai Veedu. Although there is plenty of inscriptional evidence of Pandian benevolence towards this temple, much of the architecture that you see today is relatively recent and was built by private donors over the centuries rather than by royal grant or decree. The Rajagopuram is on the west, away from the seashore and is only about 300 years old. In most temples the main gopuram is on the east.

In the mid 1600s the Dutch occupied this area. The story goes that one day the Dutch soldiers raided this temple and took the idol out to sea thinking that it contained gold or precious stones. When they did not find any, they threw into the sea. A few years later one of the ardent devotees of Lord Murugan had a dream about its location and divers dove to the sea bed and found the idol and reinstalled it.

Thiru means holy and Chendur means red land. The legend is that Lord Murugan slew the evil demon Surapadman here in a classic battle between good and evil. The land became blood soaked and red by the epic fight. Today the land around here does not look red. But we will explore a few kilometres west of here for an explanation in a subsequent post.

Visited Aug 2019 Base Thoothukudi

The South Indian Temple - Architecture

Before we go on to the next temple, we will familiarize ourselves with the basic plan and architectural elements of a South Indian temple. This is a simple approach for the benefit of those who have rarely or never visited one of these temples. To others this will be of little value or a refresher.

The architecture of South Indian temples belongs to the Dravidian style and is distinctly different from those found in other parts of India, although they follow the same principles. The Dravidian style is the predominant style of temples in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra, Telangana, Kerala and Sri Lanka. 

Those who have followed these posts may feel that most of these temples look very similar and they are. That is why I have tried to show photos of different angles of these temples to keep it interesting. Of course there are important differences and every temple is unique. They look similar because they were built according to a certain set of principles that were codified in the 8th century. There are several texts called the Shilpa Sastras and the Agamas that clearly lay out how a temple should be built. These temples are built according to the coordinates of Yantras, ancient and mystical diagrams that represent the universe. 

The most important part of a temple is the moolasthaanam or sanctum sanctorum. It is the womb of the temple or the Garbagraham. The primary deity resides here. It is usually a fixed, stone idol. This space is quite small in older temples. In Sivan temples it is usually but not always a lingam. In other temples it is a stone idol. This small space can be square, rectangular, circular or apsidal and is capped by the Vimanam which also comes in many shapes. Just in front of this is an ante-chamber that is called the Arthamandapam. Surrounding these two structures is the great hall or Mahamandapam that has several subsidiary shrines. This complex has one or 3 entrances and is enclosed. Surrounding these are a series of often rectangular walled enclosures that are the circumbulatory pathways or Prakarams. The inner ones are enclosed while the outer ones are exposed to the sky. They are in a sequence of odd numbers and are up to 7 in larger temples. The outermost is usually not surrounded by a wall. The enclosures house several subsidiary shrines and the Uthsavamoorthy the processional idol which is usually a movable metal idol. The walls have alcoves or recesses that house a wide variety of deities.

As you enter the temple the first structure is the gopuram or temple tower. It is usually built over the entrance of a walled enclosure. These were mostly later additions in time and in a lot of temples dwarf the height of the Vimanam. You then encounter the Kodimaram (the flagstaff), the Balipeedam (the sacrificial altar) and the Vaahanam ( Vehicle - Nanthi in Sivan temples and Garuda in Vishnu temples). The entrance to the Arthamandapam is flanked by two large guardian statues usually called the Dwarapaalakar.

Hope this gives people the context to appreciate these temples. Below are some examples. Of course there are many variations.

Kailasanathar Koil - Srivaikuntham

Very close to the Kallapiran temple in Srivaikuntham that we just saw in the previous post, is this ancient Sivan temple. It is again one of nine Sivan temples along the Thamirabarani river called the Nava Kailasam temples. The Sivan in all these temples carries the name Kailasanathar and each one is dedicated to a Navagraha. This one is the Saneeswaran temple dedicated to Saturn.

It is a beautiful old temple originally built by the Pandian kings and added on to by Vijayanagar and Nayakkan kings. The sculptures here although less in number than at the Perumal temple, are equally awe inspiring. Note the intricate work done in granite on the warrior sculpture in the Muhamandapam. To the right is the shrine for a beautiful Nataraja idol that is called the Santhana Sabapathy covered in sandalwood paste. Also note that this temple has a large flat topped granite entrance way without the customary gopuram on top. Perhaps the builders never got around to building one or they never meant to build one. 

You may have noticed most temples that we went to were rather empty and devoid of people, which was nice for us to experience these places in peace. These are small towns and villages after all. But the people do flock to these temples on special days and times. We visited this particular temple during the Pradosham, which is the 13th day of every fortnight and occurs twice a month. The 3 hours that span the sundown are auspicious to worship Sivan.

Srivaikuntham - Kallapiran Thirukoil

This is an ancient Divya Desam Vishnu temple on the Thamirabarani River. There are nine important Vishnu temples along the Thamirabarani which are called the Nava Thirupathi Temples, each associated with a Navagraham. Some of the best granite sculptures of the 16th century Nayakkan era are found here at Srivaikuntham. The life size sculptures are exquisitely carved in granite which is a difficult medium to carve as it fragments easily.

The Lord here is known as Kallapiran because he once aided a bunch of robbers who stole from the rich and aided the poor. A Robin Hood kind of story. 

Solidly built granite temple, it is indeed worth visiting both for the blessings and to admire the art. 

The Thiruvengadamudayan hall to the right as you enter through the main entrance way is very beautiful.

Look for the simple elegant columns or pillars of the Pandian era and the more elaborately carved ones from the Nayakkan era. 

AlwarThirunagari is another one of the beautiful Nava Thirupathi temples very close to here which unfortunately we could not visit due to the lack of time.

Srivaikuntam