Tenkasi, Benaras inspired

 

Preserving 700 years of history, exhibiting the talents of thousands of craftsmen, ranked highly in Dravidian architecture, hosting thumbnails of Indian sculptures, the Tenkasi Viswanathar temple stands elegantly on the banks of the Chittaru river. Surrounded by the Podhigai hills, this place seems to satisfy almost all of its audience. The Bakthas enjoy the Swayambhu, the artists enjoy the sculpture, the architects enjoy the structure, the historians enjoy its story and the photographers enjoy the scene. Here, I aim to tempt you to either visit or revisit this place. 

 

 

 Tenkasi, Benaras inspired

 

 

The Rajagopuram of the Tenkasi Vishwanathar temple

 

We begin by sailing 700 years backwards in the Tamizh timeline. We go to the Pandiyan capital, Madurai. It is the early 14th century, a period when spotting a new invader was a routine here. Within that span of eighty years, the Pandiyan territory was ruled by more than 10 kings. It was a period when ideas, cultures, practices, art forms and religions fused. The Muhamed rulers under the guidance  of the Delhi Sultanates ruled over the Tamizh land for more than 3/4th of a century. This uncertainty in the kingdom was an advantage for many.  The Cheras invaded the territory and conquered portions of the kingdom. The Mohammeds  first took away the wealth, then later started ruling.

 

Mohammed's period was history repeating itself after a millennium. A thousand years before this, the Tamizhs faced the Kalabhras, another alien rule, whose practices, culture, religion, art forms and ideas were completely different from the Tamizh’s. Temples were shut during their period and practicing other religions was considered a crime. The case was similar during the Mohammed rule.

My comical imagination of a Mohammed ruler

 

Even though the Mohammeds were a strong empire, their rule over the Tamizh land was very uncertain. Their tie with the Delhi Sultanate was weak. This connection was sometimes disbanded wantedly by some Mohammeds and some faced connectivity issues. Secondly, the connection between the emperor and the citizens was almost absent. Last but not the least, the Mohammeds were new to the land, its practices and people. These were a few weaknesses the Mohammeds had. All their neighbouring kingdoms were aware of this. The Vijaynagar king Kumara Kambannan used this to his advantage. He gathered a large army  and invaded the Mohammed territory. This shattered the Mohammeds and their control over the Tamizh land.

 

The Tamizhs consider this a much needed invasion as it revived their religion and practices. After this invasion, the Vijanagar’s territory grew drastically as they established themselves in Madurai. 

The Vijaynagar territory after the invasion

 

Meanwhile, the Pandiya’s side of this story was bitter. After the Vijaynagars, they were no longer able to sustain themselves in Madurai. They had to abandon the land that served as their capital for more than a millennium. They moved South in search of a new capital. They settled in Tenkasi and started ruling from there.

 

The whole Pandiyan side of the story is an assumption made by historians. Before these series of invasions, the last known Pandiyas were Maravarman Sundara Pandiyan (மாறவர்மன் சுந்தர பாண்டியன்) and Maravarman Veera Pandiyan (மாறவர்மன் வீர பாண்டியன்). They belonged to the late 13th and early 14th century. They were siblings and fought against each other for the throne. Historians believe this to be the trigger for the series of invasions. Since there was no proper emperor to defend the territory, the task became easy for the invaders. After this, Madurai underwent a series of invasions for more than eighty years. During this time, we have no clue of what happened to the Pandiyas. Then, we find Pandiyan inscriptions, copper plates and other works from areas in and around Tenkasi, dating back to the early 15th century.  These were a  few factors which let historians predict that they would have moved their capital from Madurai to Tenkasi.

 

This order of Pandiyas who started ruling from Tenkasi are addressed as the Tenkasi Pandyas. The earliest known ruler in this order is Sadayavarman Parakrama Pandiyan (சடையவர்மன் பராக்ரம பாண்டியன்). He was one of the last few powerful Pandyan kings. He holds credit for the accomplishment of various tasks. Winning over the Cheras, beginning a new order in the Pandiyan lineage, regulating the worship cycle in the Tirunelveli temple  can be counted as a few examples. But he accomplished two other missions which tempt us to think of the rest as nothing compared to them. They were:

 

1. Setting up the new Pandiyan capital in Tenkasi
2. Building the Tenkasi Viswanathar temple

 

Given the situation in the kingdom at that time, both these tasks were really massive and it is hard to imagine the effort gone into  them.

 

Now we come to the Vishwanathar temple. We get to know the Sthala Puranam or the story of the temple from the inscriptions it holds. 

 

Once, Lord Shiva appeared in the dreams of the King Prakarama Pandiyan and told him about the bad state of the  Viswanathar temple in Kasi. A school of historians associate this story with the event where Aurangazeeb demolished the Kasi Viswanathar temple. They believe the dates coincide.  After this, Prakrama Pandiyan went to Kasi to bring a Siva linga from there to recreate the Kasi Vishwanathar temple in his kingdom. On the way back to Tenkasi, he placed  the Linga down to take some rest. When he lifted the Linga  to resume his journey, it refused to budge. The place where the Linga is addressed as Sivakasi, a town located about a hundred kilometres from Tenkasi. The King grew disappointed and asked the Lord for the solution. Later, the Lord appeared in his dream and instructed him to follow a queue of ants and build a temple where they stopped. The next day he did as instructed and found a Shiva Linga where the queue of ants ended. It was on the banks of the Chitarru river and deep inside the Pothigai hills. The King followed the instructions and built the Tenkasi Viswanathar temple there.

 

The temple follows the Dravidian style of architecture. The plan of the temple is simple and does not have anything unique but it is executed  brilliantly. The artistic beauty of this temple beats the architectural idea of it.  No pillar is left plain. Each pillar not only shares the duty of holding the structures up but also the pride of hosting masterpieces of South Indian sculptures. The hallways, corridors and Mandapas are all filled with beautiful sculptures and structures from various styles and times. The backdrop of this temple is adorned by the mighty western ghats. The temple has ample open space to enjoy these mighty mountains, locally addressed as the  Pothigai hills.  The outermost prakara is the best route to have a glance of the whole temple. It takes us through the various small shrines, the ghoshala and is set in such a way to give its users a fine impression of the place.

 

We now step on to the East Mada street, where the RajaGopuram of the Tenkasi Viswanathar temple stands majestically. This Rajagopuram was that one structure king Prakrama Pandiyan could not finish. Just after the construction of the base of this Gopuram, the king died and the Gopuram was completed by his brother, Sadayavarman Kulasekhara Pandiyan (சடையவர்மன் குலசேகர பாண்டியன்). After this the Gopuram was not maintained properly and its condition became worse. In the mid 19th century it caught fire and the top portion was fully destroyed.It became a major threat to people living near that area. Then the restoration  work began in 1967 and was completed in the year 1990. The top portion was fully reconstructed. The 180ft, 13 story Gopuram we see today is not an ancient marvel but a modern marvel instead. This is Tamil Nadu’s second tallest Gopuram following Srivilliputhur.

The Rajagopuram before (left) and after (right) the reconstruction

   

A few snips of the Rajagopuram from my cam

 

Next, we move to the arthamandapa and the maha mandapa leading to the Vishwanathar shrine. Both these Mandapas are known worldwide for their artistic beauty and aesthetically pleasing monolithic sculptures. The sculptures of Rathi and Manmatha, Kali and Nataraja, the pair of Veerabhadra sculptures and the sculpture of Venugopala are not to be missed. The liveliness, elaborateness, facial expressions,the  body language and their beauty make us stand astonished in front of them. These are life size figures and are monolithic i.e are made of a single piece of rock.The beauty of these sculptures can't be witnessed by the mere words I use to describe. One has to witness it. The change in the facial expression of each sculpture based on the body language and iconography can't be experienced even when you have HD images of these sculptures. I feel it is a lively phenomenon. The sculptures converse with you, when you stand in front of it and admire it. More than reflecting their own beauty, the sculptures reflect the hard work gone into their making. How many skilled craftsmen and sculptures would it have taken Prakrama Pandiyan to produce such masterpieces?      

 

( Since photography is prohibited inside the temple, I am unable to source any pictures for these sculptures. )

 

Next we move to the Vishwanathar shrine. Personally, the path from the Ardha Mandapa to the garbhagriha is my favorite part of the temple. Small Verandas, musical pillars, series of elevated Mandapas and pillars with intricate designs are a visual treat.

 

The next part of the temple we are about to talk about seems to be  powerful because it sets thousands of people traveling many miles to get a glimpse of it: the Vishwanathar shrine. The Lingam here is a Swayambhu. We already talked about the story of this Lingam.

 

The two other major shrines in this temple are that of Ulagammal and Bala Muruga. They follow the same design of the Vishwanathar shrine. An elaborately done Ardha Mandapa and then the shrine. The sculptures of the Dhvarapalagas, the Thandavamoorthy, the dancing ladies and the Yalis give the mandapas a complex look.

 

The Arratu Mandapam, the Mani Mandapam, the Thirumalaipathi Mandapam and the Thiruvullaka Mandapam are the other Mandapams inside the temple complex. The hall filled with Musical pillars requires a special mention. We hear the Saptaswaras when we tap the pillars in that hall. The process of its making seems to be a mystery. These kinds of Pillars are present in temples around this region. The Nellaiappar temple and the Suchindram temple are a few examples.

 

 There are many small deities and shrines which adorn the outermost Prakara of this temple. The one shrine that remains vividly in my memory is that of Bhairava. The whole structure had only two visible pillars. Not an inch of those pillars were plain. Each and every inch of it carried some pattern/design. From a distance the pillars had many such intricate designs that together gave it a superior look.

 

All these aspects we discussed till now, shows the temple's pride in excellence in Art and Architecture. The temple does not stop with this. It also exhibits the lingual skill it’s makers possessed.

A few famous inscriptions from the Tenkasi temple

These are a few inscriptions carrying the words of the King Prakrama Pandiayan. This lets us assume that they were also made during the late 14th and the early 15th century, the same time of the construction of the  temple.  The usage of words and the commanding language shows mastery over Tamizh. Briefly, they talk about the process of the temple construction and crediting the Lord himself for accomplishment. It also carries instructions to the future generations to take care of this temple, details about the Pandiyan lineage and the routine the temple should follow. 

 

Next is about the landscape that surrounds this temple and the environment it stands in. As mentioned before, it is surrounded by the Podhigai hills. The temple provides ample open space to enjoy the beauty of those hills. Tenkasi is also known for the Tenkasi Saral. Briefly, it is a breeze that originates from deep in the Pothigai hills and travels down to Tenkasi and the rest of the valley. Because of the geography of the place, the breeze carries a lot of water. This gives the air a cool, wet and a pleasant feel. It is believed that this breeze acts mysteriously inside the temple. There are many such mysteries associated with the temple. Since I haven't experienced those mysteries, I don’t want to add more detail.

The mighty Western Ghats

 

The Tenkasi Viswanathar temple has been used for various purposes over the years. The Tenkasi Pandyas used this place to crown themselves. The town and the temple remained as an empire headquarters till the final decline of the Pandiyas.  Today it stands as a satisfaction to its audience, a major pillar in Pandiyan history and I hope in the bucket list of the readers. 

 

 

Thank you!

Sources:

பாண்டியர் வரலாறு by சதாசிவப் பண்டாரத்தார்

https://www.rjisacjournal.com/glimpses-of-sri-kasi-viswanatha-swamy-temple-tenkasi/

https://www.worldwidejournals.com/paripex/recent_issues_pdf/2018/April/April_2018_1522931083__79.pdf

https://www.thehindu.com/society/history-and-culture/shrines-along-tamiraparanis-banks/article25191431.ece

http://www.zenithresearch.org.in/images/stories/pdf/2021/MARCH/ZIJMR/zijmr2march21.pdf

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1u1LJ9bktRA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISvGBcUhyUk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMXsjfiCQqU

Picture credits:-  https://d.facebook.com/tenkasisaaral/photos/a.384450008281516.89342.362259947167189/443473205712529/?type=3&__tn__=EH-R

Proof read by:- Manya Sekar