Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu, India
May 25th, 2009
We reached the millenia old temple of Shankari Amman, Shri Kanda Natha Swamy and Shri Ayyanar at around ten. The rituals and prayers lasted for about a couple of hours. The base of all the temples was made in solid granite with ancient inscriptions doting all the walls. The shikaras however have been repaired and replaced over the years and the latest one boasts multi coloured deities sitting at various levels on an ever rising spire... The temple is the most inconspicuous small temple complex one might be able to find in the area but it is in the truest sense a scale of the grand temples of Tanjore.
After the visit to our ancestral temple we followed standard protocol and headed for Swami Malai, One of the six abodes of Lord Muruga or Lord Karthik. According to an ancient lore, Swami Malai is the location where Lord Muruga, the son imparts knowledege and teaching to Lord Shiva, his father. The young are never to naive it seems. This large complex is literally built on a massive mutistorey plinth and sixty stairs take the devotee to the shrine of the deity. A large terrace serves as the ambulatory for the temple and this large complex is surrounded by many great hypostyle halls and gateways.
On the way back from Swami Malai to Kumbakonam, we stopped to watch the Bronze art studios of the Local Sthapatis (Artisans). We saw the museum of bronze works and learnt about the Lost Wax Process for moulding sculptures. It was a treat to see the arts being passed down the ages. Only a few privileged families hold the skills and the technology to build such sculptures. It was wonderful...
Once back in Kumbakonam, we passed the familiar sights of the Yanai Adi & the Kudarai Adi, the Mariamman temple, the River Kaveri and the Agraharams. The Agraharam is the place where the Brahmin community lived in the old days. Beautiful long houses built in stone and timber, each with its own courtyard and garden and well... Some of the most down to Earth and comfortable living spaces I have ever seen.
We reached the Sarangapani Temple at about half past half. On the way we passed the great Charriot of the Lord. A large temple whose very shrine was a massive stone charriot. Complete with life size horses and wheels with axles and the carvings were of the most intricate nature. One could almost feel the life ooze out of this megalith!
The Lord nestled in the chambers of this large charriot was gently resting on his bed of the five headed serpent, Aadiseshan. The entire conceptualization and visualization of this mega structure would have been a magnanimous task! Kudos to the Chola Artisans, Artists and Architects...
May 25th, 2009
It was a journey back to my roots. I return to Kumbakonam once a year to visit the Temple of my ancestors at Eraharam. Though Kumbakonam, The City of Temples is a large one in itself, it is a part of the Tanjore District.
The City of Kumbakonam was one of the strongholds of the Chola Empire. Dharasuram, Swami Malai, Sarangapani, Someshwar, Kumbheshwar, Gangaikondacholapuram are just a few of the many many temples within and around the city.
I left for Kumbakonam with my grandparents by Rockfort Express on an overnight journey. We arrived at the station by seven in the morning. Our first stop was the Maha Maha Lake in the midst of the city. The venue for the annual mela and the twelve yearly Kumbh Mela. After our ceremonial ablutions, we left for the ancestral temple at Eraharam by a private taxi.
On the way we did manage to grab a bite of the most exquisite Pongal- Vada and then finest brew of Degree Filter Coffee at Seetharaman's, an age old tiffin center in Kumbaonam. It was refreshing. The journey through the large sea of lush green paddy fields always manages to capture my deepest sentiments. A feeling I hold dear to my heart and a feeling of being in my birthland.
The City of Kumbakonam was one of the strongholds of the Chola Empire. Dharasuram, Swami Malai, Sarangapani, Someshwar, Kumbheshwar, Gangaikondacholapuram are just a few of the many many temples within and around the city.
I left for Kumbakonam with my grandparents by Rockfort Express on an overnight journey. We arrived at the station by seven in the morning. Our first stop was the Maha Maha Lake in the midst of the city. The venue for the annual mela and the twelve yearly Kumbh Mela. After our ceremonial ablutions, we left for the ancestral temple at Eraharam by a private taxi.
On the way we did manage to grab a bite of the most exquisite Pongal- Vada and then finest brew of Degree Filter Coffee at Seetharaman's, an age old tiffin center in Kumbaonam. It was refreshing. The journey through the large sea of lush green paddy fields always manages to capture my deepest sentiments. A feeling I hold dear to my heart and a feeling of being in my birthland.
We reached the millenia old temple of Shankari Amman, Shri Kanda Natha Swamy and Shri Ayyanar at around ten. The rituals and prayers lasted for about a couple of hours. The base of all the temples was made in solid granite with ancient inscriptions doting all the walls. The shikaras however have been repaired and replaced over the years and the latest one boasts multi coloured deities sitting at various levels on an ever rising spire... The temple is the most inconspicuous small temple complex one might be able to find in the area but it is in the truest sense a scale of the grand temples of Tanjore.
After the visit to our ancestral temple we followed standard protocol and headed for Swami Malai, One of the six abodes of Lord Muruga or Lord Karthik. According to an ancient lore, Swami Malai is the location where Lord Muruga, the son imparts knowledege and teaching to Lord Shiva, his father. The young are never to naive it seems. This large complex is literally built on a massive mutistorey plinth and sixty stairs take the devotee to the shrine of the deity. A large terrace serves as the ambulatory for the temple and this large complex is surrounded by many great hypostyle halls and gateways.
On the way back from Swami Malai to Kumbakonam, we stopped to watch the Bronze art studios of the Local Sthapatis (Artisans). We saw the museum of bronze works and learnt about the Lost Wax Process for moulding sculptures. It was a treat to see the arts being passed down the ages. Only a few privileged families hold the skills and the technology to build such sculptures. It was wonderful...
Once back in Kumbakonam, we passed the familiar sights of the Yanai Adi & the Kudarai Adi, the Mariamman temple, the River Kaveri and the Agraharams. The Agraharam is the place where the Brahmin community lived in the old days. Beautiful long houses built in stone and timber, each with its own courtyard and garden and well... Some of the most down to Earth and comfortable living spaces I have ever seen.
We reached the Sarangapani Temple at about half past half. On the way we passed the great Charriot of the Lord. A large temple whose very shrine was a massive stone charriot. Complete with life size horses and wheels with axles and the carvings were of the most intricate nature. One could almost feel the life ooze out of this megalith!
The Lord nestled in the chambers of this large charriot was gently resting on his bed of the five headed serpent, Aadiseshan. The entire conceptualization and visualization of this mega structure would have been a magnanimous task! Kudos to the Chola Artisans, Artists and Architects...
We left for Chennai at around seven the same evening. These one day visits to the land of my ancestors is always filled with new experiences. There is just so much to see... A month long sightseeing trip may not be enough!!!
