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The Mysteries of Asia three-part video series was originally produced for the Learning Channel. During this segment, historians and others examine temples built in India more than 1,000 years ago. They remain quite intriguing, though today’s tourists rarely visit them. Records reveal that trained elephants had to drag millions of stone blocks to help erect these structures. The program notes that due to the temples’ size, the U.S.
Best Tamil Historical Fictions. The Harrowing True Story of a Daughter Haunted by Memories Too Terrible to Forget. (tamil books) reply.
Senate, Versailles, the Houses of Parliament, and St. Paul’s Basilica in Rome could all fit within a single one of them. Michael Bell narrates as footage and animated maps are used to help viewers learn more about what these ancient structures look like and why they were built. Asia is a continent steeped in ancient cultures, religions, and buildings. In this intriguing program, we are transported to this exotic land and examine the mysteries behind some of the most fascinating structures found there. Southern India has the largest temple complexes ever built. In “Lost Temples of India”, we examine these 1,000-year-old temples adorned with intricate and beautiful sculptures.
We learn how the kings used large herds of trained elephants to drag the millions of stone blocks into place and how these temples are virtually unknown and unvisited by Western tourists. Truth or fiction, the stories of Mysteries of Asia will amaze and delight. The Lost temple of INDIA – part 1/6 The Lost temple of INDIA – part 2/6 The Lost temple of INDIA – part 3/6 The Lost temple of INDIA – part 4/6 The Lost temple of INDIA – part 5/6 The Lost temple of INDIA – part 6/6 The fact that I can plant a seed and it becomes a flower, share a bit of knowledge and it becomes another’s, smile at someone and receive a smile in return, are to me continual spiritual exercises Leo.F. Buscaglia Please Hit Share Button Below. The Mysteries of Asia three-part video series was originally produced for the Learning Channel.
During this segment, historians and others examine temples built in India more than 1,000 years ago. They remain quite intriguing, though today’s tourists rarely visit them. Records reveal that trained elephants had to drag millions of stone blocks to help erect these structures. The program notes that due to the temples’ size, the U.S. Senate, Versailles, the Houses of Parliament, and St. Paul’s Basilica in Rome could all fit within a single one of them.
Michael Bell narrates as footage and animated maps are used to help viewers learn more about what these ancient structures look like and why they were built. Asia is a continent steeped in ancient cultures, religions, and buildings. In this intriguing program, we are transported to this exotic land and examine the mysteries behind some of the most fascinating structures found there.
Southern India has the largest temple complexes ever built. In “Lost Temples of India”, we examine these 1,000-year-old temples adorned with intricate and beautiful sculptures. We learn how the kings used large herds of trained elephants to drag the millions of stone blocks into place and how these temples are virtually unknown and unvisited by Western tourists.
Truth or fiction, the stories of Mysteries of Asia will amaze and delight. When people think of India, they think of the Taj Mahal, Shāh Jahān’s eternal memorial dedicated to his wife Mumtāz Mahal.
But there is a more ancient and secret India hidden deep in its tropical jungles, with one of the greatest building efforts in the human record. History has produced thousands of strange and mysterious temples that are today lost and forgotten. This is India’s Deep South, a land of emerald green rice fields and immense palm forests, where every few miles temples soar toward the heavens in the countryside. Here, over a thousand year ago, 985 AD to be exact, Rajaraja Cholan became King of the Chola Dynasty. His original name was Arunmozhivarman, and his title was Rajakesari Varman or Mummudi-Sola-Deva. He was the second son of the Parantaka Cholan II. His capital was the city of Thanjavur.
Thanjavur was the royal city of the Cholas, Nayaks, and the Mahrattas. Thanjavur derives its name from Tanjan-an asura (giant), who according to local legend devastated the neighbourhood and was killed by Sri Anandavalli Amman and the God Vishnu. Rajaraja Cholan was one of the greatest kings of India, and in the south he embarked on one of the largest building plans in the history of mankind that still continues till this day. He and his successors moved more stone then the great pyramid of Giza. The extent of the Temple Grounds is so large that over 200 Taj Mahal’s can fit into it.
You might ask why Rajaraja Cholan built all these temples. Well, it was the same motive that built Europe’s cathedrals and Egypt’s pyramids. He was moved by the power of faith.
You have to understand one thing about India: this is a land with almost as many gods as people, and it believes all life to be sacred; even a humble ant has its place. Gods are worshiped differently here than in Europe. During festivals, for example, the gods are taken from their shrines and paraded around in the temple grounds, their costumes are changed at the end of the day, and they are put to bed for a few hours rest at night.
Generally, it’s believed that if these and other rituals are performed perfectly, then it’s going to be more beneficial for you, so that’s why rituals are taken very seriously and they are memorized rigorously by priests. These rituals hardly if ever change with the passage of time. For any religion, anywhere in the world, including Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and so on – to flourish it helps to have friends in high places, like kings or very wealthy benefactors. For Hinduism, with its vast temples and thousands of priests, friends in high places are absolutely essential. Rajaraja was one of the greatest patrons of arts and religion in India’s long history. And this was his start, the great temple of Bragatheeswarar.
It’s one of the most amazing buildings in India. It’s 10 times taller than anything built before it, and not only is it huge, but it’s made of granite, one of the hardest stones in the world. The inner shrine under the large tower contains a large phallus-shaped stone, called a ‘Ling’, which represents the god Shiva, one of the most powerful and popular gods, and also one of the three gods of the Holy Trinity that began, runs, and ultimately ends this universe, only to start all over again. The phallus-shaped ‘Ling’ which is Shiva is 12 feet in height and 5 feet in diameter.
Every day the priests dress Shiva, and wash him with milk. This has been going on since the creation of the temple and it still goes on today in an unbroken chain for the past thousand years. To build temples like these required huge amounts of money, and the easiest way to get it was by attacking your weaker neighbors. Rajaraja began his career with the conquest of the Chera country. He defeated Chera King Bhaskara Ravivarman, whose fleet he destroyed in the port of Kandalur. He also seized Pandya Amara Bhujanga, and captured the port of Vilinam.
By his campaign against the Singhalees, he annexed northern Ceylon (modern day Sri Lanka), and built a number of stone temples in the Ceylonese capital Polonnaruva. Most of his triumphs were achieved by the fourteenth year of his reign (AD 998-999). Rajaraja assumed the title “Mummudi Cholan” and moved his capital from Anuradhapura to Polonnaruva. The Chola culture and Shiva religion permeated the whole of Ceylon. Having thus realized his cherished military glories, in or about 1003 AD Rajarajan sheathed his sword and turned his thoughts toward a life of peace. It was about this time, that the Chidambaram temple authorities bestowed on him the title of “Sri Rajarajan”.
India is a huge country and it has a very diverse climate. Eastern India is a desert, while the western part receives the highest rainfall in the world. Central India is a huge plateau covering four modern states.
Warfare in India was a very different affair in each climatic region, with one common element throughout: the war elephants. In the jungles of South India, Rajaraja had an ample supply of elephants for his war effort.
Now, wild elephants might seem the right candidates to become war elephants, but they are actually very docile, only attacking when provoked. Only the biggest, fiercest, and fittest tusked males could be used as war elephants. Ancient elephant trainers, or “mahouts” (still called by this name today), made a stockade and drove elephant herds into a funnel that led them inside. As recently as the 1960s, the same method was used to capture elephants as in Rajaraja’s day, except they were used then for labor instead of war. The ancient mahouts picked the strongest bulls among the herds to be trained for the battlefields.
The rest became working elephants, used for heavy lifting and transporting heavy objects for construction projects. The mahouts controlled the war elephants by getting them drunk on fermented rice liquor, called “makar”, before every battle. The elephants could literally slice their way through a battlefield with razor-sharp blades attached to their trunks. From the top of the elephants, spear throwers, generals, or archers could rain down death on the people below. Despite these advantages, elephants are very hard to control.
Instinctively, they don’t favor killing people en masse. Only the legendary skill of the mahouts could make them do so. It is interesting to note, just like the Roman legions we know, the names of over 70 regiments in the ancient Indian army that distinguished themselves in battle are known because the names are inscribed in the temples – like the Ilaiya-Rajaraja-terinda-Valangai-Velaikkarar, Parivarameykappargal (a regiment of Personal Bodyguards), Mummadi- Chola-terinda-Anaippagar (a regiment of the Elephant Corps).
The surnames or titles of the king or of his son are usually prefixed before the regiment’s name, possibly as a sign of attachment after a regiment distinguished itself in a battle or other engagement. It would be considerably honorable and prestigious to be in the king’s own regiment. After Rajaraja secured a good supply of money, he started construction on his Temple of Bragatheeswarar. The quarry that supplied the granite was over 50 miles away from the temple site. Most of the stones were moved with boats, but some much heavier stones, like the 81.3-ton capstone at the summit of the tower, were moved with a combination of ramps and elephants. The remains of the original ramps still exist today after a thousand years, indicating a gentle 6-degree slope pointing toward the top of the temple.
The ramp began 1 mile from the temple, and gradually intersected with the top of the tower 216 feet in the air. Stones were moved from the quarry to the ramp, and up the ramp, with elephants pulling the stones over wooden rollers, much the same as the way ancient Egyptians built the pyramids. You’d think Rajaraja was crazy going to so much trouble to make just a temple, but let me explain. Rajaraja was a very religious man, and he was caught between a rock and a hard place.
On the one hand, his religion forbade him to kill, and on the other hand, to be a successful king he had to make war on his neighbors for his people’s sake – otherwise his kingdom would be weak and easily overrun. So he was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of his enemies.
He firmly believed as do all Hindu’s today in rebirth and reincarnation, and that your actions in this life will determine your lot in the next one. Given the blood on Rajaraja’s hands, he might come back as a worm or something even worse.
So he spent fabulous amounts of money on his temples. As one example, it’s written in an inscription that it took 4,000 cows, 7,000 goats, and 30 buffalos just to supply the butter required for the lamps that were lit in the temple and temple grounds. And this was just one temple. Rajaraja provided for hundreds of temples that he created just to insure that he kept his karma in good standing.
By his generosity, he hoped the gods would overlook his transgressions and be persuaded to reincarnate him as something better than a worm. Indian religion during Rajaraja’s time also spread across other lands. That’s why in the steaming jungles of Cambodia, the temples of Angkor Wat don’t depict Cambodian gods, but the gods of India. Not only did religion spread, but also art. When Europe was languishing in the Dark Ages, the artists in the Chola Empire were making bronze statues like the famous Nathraja shown below. This is Shiva, who appears as Nathraja, the Lord of the Dance, simultaneously crushing the dwarf of ignorance under his foot, beating the drum of creation, unleashing the fires of destruction and finally raising one hand in assurance, telling us to fear not. Near Thanjavur, artists still create bronzes as they did in Rajaraja’s time, placing mud from the Kavari River on a hand carved wax statue to create a mold.
After that, they pour molten bronze or gold into the mold and let it cool to take the shape of the statue. Some Examples of Indian Art When Rajaraja died in 1014, he left behind him a shining legacy that made him one of the greatest patrons of art and religion in India.
The Chola Dynasty ended with King Rajendra Chola III, the last Chola king. The last recorded date of Rajendra III is 1279 AD. There is no evidence that Rajendra was followed immediately by another Chola prince.
The Chola empire was completely overshadowed by the Pandyan empire, though many small chieftains continued to claim the title “Chola” well into 15th century. This is a mural showing Rajaraja, drawn during his reign, showing him in red standing behind his guru.
If you have seen a picture of the god Shiva, you might find similarities with the hair style of Rajaraja. It must be noted that some archeologists dispute whether this is actually Rajaraja or not. Source: Watch this Video total 6 videos “”The fact that I can plant a seed and it becomes a flower, share a bit of knowledge and it becomes another’s, smile at someone and receive a smile in return, are to me continual spiritual exercises”” Leo.F.
Buscaglia Please Hit Share Button Below. Kumari Kandam or Lemuria (Tamil:குமரிக்கண்டம்) is the name of a supposed sunken landmass referred to in existing ancient Tamil literature. It is said to have been located in the Indian Ocean, to the south of present-day Kanyakumari district at the southern tip of India.
Professor Karsten M. Storetvedt, the chair in geomagnetism at the University of Bergen, Norway, and an author of the Global Wrench Theory (GWT), says that the equator regions have always been most prone to natural catastrophes like earthquakes and volcano eruptions.
A part of explanation is that planet rotation and especially the difference in rotation speed between poles and equator force earth mantel to strain and to break more easily where the strain is strongest, that is at the equator regions. These tectonic processes played important role in the disappearance of the ancient continent known as Lemuria to western scholars.
Sri Lanka together with India, Indonesia and Malaysia were a part of this continent. Many islands in the Pacific and Indian oceans are remnants of this continent that in ancient time covered the whole area of today’s ocean.
Storetvedt, who seems to reject the theory of continental drift and plate tectonics, says that descriptions of cataclysms in early literature when land suddenly went underwater are logical. But they should be proven to be scientific facts. This can be done with the help of sea-floor analysis that is possible to carry out. Modern theories find supportive evidences both in ancient literature and language history.
A typical Dravidian gate pyramid called Gopuram-Thiruvannamalai temple-Tamil Nadu Dravidian architecture was a style of architecture that emerged thousands of years ago in the Indian subcontinent. They consist primarily of pyramid shaped temples called Koils which are dependent on intricate carved stone in order to create a step design consisting of many statues of deities, warriors, kings, and dancers. The majority of the existing buildings are located in theSouthern Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh,Kerala, and Karnataka. Various kingdoms and empires such as the Pallavas, Cholas, Pandyan, Chera,Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas, Hoysalas, Vijayanagara Empire amongst the many others have made a substantial contribution to the evolution of Dravidian architecture through the ages. Dravidian styled architecture can also be found in parts of NortheasternSri Lanka, Maldives, and various parts of Southeast Asia.
The Annamalaiyar Temple in Thiruvannaamalai, India Dravidian style temples consist almost invariably of the four following parts, arranged in various manners, as afterwards to be explained, but differing in themselves only according to the age in which they were executed: 1. The principal part, the actual temple itself, is called the Vimanam. It is always square in plan, and surmounted by a pyramidal roof of one or more stories; and it contains the cell in which the image of the god or his emblem is placed. The porches or Mantapams, which always cover and precede the door leading to the cell. Gate-pyramids, Gopurams, which are the principal features in the quadrangular enclosures that surround the more notable temples. Pillard halls or Chaultris—properly Chawadis — used for various purposes, and which are the invariable accompaniments of these temples. Besides these, a temple always contains tanks or wells for water—to be used either for sacred purposes or the convenience of the priests—dwellings for all the various grades of the priest-hood are attached to it, and numerous other buildings for state or convenience.
Influence from different periods In Southern India seven kingdoms and empires stamped their influence on architecture during different times.: Sangam period. The Subrahmanya Murugan temple of Saluvankuppam, in Saluvankuppam nearMahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu.
The brick shrine dates to the Sangam period and is one of the oldest Hindu temples to be unearthed From 1000BCE-300CE, the greatest accomplishments of the kingdoms of the early Chola, Chera and the Pandyan kingdomsincluded brick shrines to deities Murugan, Shiva, Amman andThirumal (Vishnu) of the Tamil pantheon. Some were built Several of these have been unearthed near Adichanallur,Kaveripoompuharpattinam and Mahabalipuram, and the construction plans of these sites of worship were shared to some detail in various poems of Sangam literature. One such temple, the Saluvannkuppan Murukan temple, unearthed in 2005, consists of three layers.
The lowest layer, consisting of a brick shrine, is one of the oldest of its kind in South India, and is the oldest shrine found dedicated to Murukan. It is one of only two brick shrine pre Pallava Hindu temples to be found in the state, the other being the Veetrirundha Perumal Temple at Veppathurdedicated to Vishnu. The dynasties of early medieval Tamilakkam expanded and erected structural additions to many of these brick shrines.
Sculptures of erotic art, nature and deities from the MaduraiMeenakshi Amman Temple, Chidambaram Thillai Nataraja Temple and the SrirangamRanganathaswamy Temple date from the Sangam period. The Rathas in Mahabalipuram-Tamilnadu The Pallavas ruled from AD (600-900) and their greatest constructed accomplishments are the single rock temples in Mahabalipuram and their capitalKanchipuram, now located in Tamilnadu. Pallavas were pioneers of south Indian architecture. The earliest examples of temples in the Dravidian style belong to the Pallava period. The earliest examples of Pallava constructions are rock-cut temples dating from 610 – 690 CE and structural temples between 690 – 900 CE.
The greatest accomplishments of the Pallava architecture are the rock-cut temples at Mahabalipuram. There are excavated pillared halls and monolithic shrines known as rathas in Mahabalipuram. Early temples were mostly dedicated to Shiva. The Kailasanatha temple also called Rajasimha Pallaveswaram in Kanchipuram built by Narasimhavarman II also known as Rajasimha is a fine example of the Pallava style temple. Mention must be made here of the Shore Temple constructed by Narasimhavarman II near Mahabalipuram which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Contrary to popular impression about the succeeding empire of the Cholas pioneering in building large temple complexes, it was the Pallavas who actually pioneered not only in making large temples after starting construction of rock cut temples without using mortar, bricks etc.(.) The shining examples of such temples are the Thiruppadagam and Thiruooragam temples that have 28 and 35 feet (11 m) high images of Lord Vishnu in his manifestation as Pandavadhoothar and Trivikraman forms of himself.
In comparison the Siva Lingams in the Royal Temples of the Cholas at Thanjavur and Gangaikonda Cholapurams are 17 and 18 feet (5.5 m) high. Considering that the Kanchi Kailasanatha Temple built by Rajasimha Pallava was the inspiration for Raja Raja Chola’s Brihadeeswara at Thanjavur, it can be safely concluded that the Pallavas were among the first emperors in India to build both large temple complexes and very large deities and idols(.) Many Siva and Vishnu temples at Kanchi built by the great Pallava emperors and indeed their incomparable Rathas and the Arjuna’s penance Bas Relief (also called descent of the Ganga) are proposed UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The continuous Chola, Pallava and Pandiyan belt temples (along with those of the Adigaimans near Karur and Namakkal), as well as the Sethupathy temple group between Pudukottai and Rameswaram uniformly represent the pinnacle of the South Indian Style of Architecture that surpasses any other form of architecture prevalent between the Deccan Plateau and Kanniyakumari(.). Needless to add that in the Telugu country the style was more or less uniformly conforming to the South Indian or Dravidian idiom of architecture.(.) Pandya. Srivilliputtur Andal Temple is the official symbol of the Government of Tamilnadu.
It is said to have been built by Periyaazhvar, the father-in-law of the Lord, with a purse of gold that he won in debates held in the palace of PandyaKing Vallabhadeva. The primary landmark of Srivilliputtur is 12-tiered tower structure dedicated to the Lord of Srivilliputtur, known as Vatapatrasayee. The tower of this temple rises 192 feet (59 m) high and is the official symbol of the Government of Tamil Nadu. It is said to have been built by Periyaazhvar, the father-in-law of the Lord, with a purse of gold that he won in debates held in the palace ofPandya King Vallabhadeva. The Government of Tamil Nadu uses this temple tower as part of its symbol. Detail of the main vimanam (tower) of the Thanjavur Temple-Tamilnadu The Chola kings ruled from AD (848-1280) and included Rajaraja Chola I and his sonRajendra Chola who built temples such as the Brihadeshvara Temple of Thanjavur and Brihadeshvara Temple of Gangaikonda Cholapuram, the Airavatesvara Temple of Darasuram and theSarabeswara (Shiva )Temple, also called the Kampahareswarar Temple at Thirubhuvanam, the last two temples being located near Kumbakonam.
The first three among the above four temples are titled Great Living Chola Temples among the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The Cholas were prolific temple builders right from the times of the first king Vijayalaya Chola after whom the eclectic chain of Vijayalaya Chozhisvaram temple near Narttamalai exists. These are the earliest specimen of Dravidian temples under the Cholas. His son Aditya I built several temples around the Kanchi and Kumbakonam regions.
Temple building received great impetus from the conquests and the genius of Aditya I Parantaka I,Sundara Chola, Rajaraja Chola and his son Rajendra Chola I. The maturity and grandeur to which the Chola architecture had evolved found expression in the two temples of Tanjavur and Gangaikondacholapuram. In a small portion of the Kaveri belt between Tiruchy-Tanjore-Kumbakonam, at the height of their power, the Cholas have left over 2300 temples, with the Tiruchy-Thanjavur belt itself boasting of more than 1500 temples.
The magnificent Siva temple of Thanjavur built by Raja Raja I in1009 as well as the Brihadisvara Temple of Gangaikonda Cholapuram, completed around 1030, are both fitting memorials to the material and military achievements of the time of the two Chola emperors. The largest and tallest of all Indian temples of its time, the Tanjore Brihadisvara is at the apex of South Indian architecture. In fact, two succeeding Chola kings Raja Raja II and Kulothunga III built the Airavatesvara Temple at Darasuram and the Kampahareswarar Siva Temple at Tribhuvanam respectively, both temples being on the outskirts of Kumbakonam around AD 1160 and AD 1200. All the four temples were built over a period of nearly 200 years reflecting the glory, prosperity and stability under the Chola emperors. Contrary to popular impression, the Chola emperors patronized and promoted construction of a large number of temples that were spread over most parts of the Chola empire. These include 40 of the 108 Vaishnava Divya Desams out of which 77 are found spread most of South India and others in Andhra and North India(.).
In fact, the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in Srirangam, which is the biggest temple in India (.) and the Chidambaram Natarajar Temple (though originally built by the Pallavas but possibly seized from the Cholas of the pre-Christian era when they ruled from Kanchi) (.) were two of the most important temples patronized and expanded by the Cholas and from the times of the second Chola King Aditya I, these two temples have been hailed in inscriptions as the tutelary deities of the Chola Kings (.). Of course, the two Brihadisvara Temples at Thanjavur and Gangaikonda Cholapuram as well as the other two Siva temples, namely the Airavatesvara Temple of Darasuram and the Sarabeswara (Shiva )Temple which is also popular as the Kampahareswarar Temple at Thirubhuvanam, both on the outskirts of Kumbakonam were the royal temples of the Cholas to commemorate their innumerable conquests and subjugation of their rivals from other parts of South India, Deccan Ilangai or Sri Lanka and the Narmada-Mahanadi-Gangetic belts(.). But the Chola emperors underlined their non-partisan approach to religious iconography and faith by treating the presiding deities of their other two peerless creations, namely theRanganathaswamy Temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu at Srirangam and the Nataraja Temple atChidambaram which actually is home to the twin deities of Siva and Vishnu (as the reclining Govindarajar) to be their ‘Kuladheivams’ or tutelary (or family) deities(.). The Cholas also preferred to call only these two temples which home their tutelary or family deities as Koil or the ‘Temple’, which denotes the most important places of worship for them, underlining their eq. The above-named temples are being proposed to be included among the UNESCO World Heritage Sites, which will elevate them to the exacting and exalting standards of the Great Living Chola Temples(.). The temple of Gangaikondacholapuram, the creation of Rajendra Chola I, was intended to exceed its predecessor in every way.
Completed around 1030, only two decades after the temple at Thanjavur and in much the same style, the greater elaboration in its appearance attests the more affluent state of the Chola Empire under Rajendra. This temple has a larger Siva linga than the one at Thanjavur but the Vimana of this temple is smaller in height than the Thanjavur vimana. The Chola period is also remarkable for its sculptures and bronzes all over the world. Among the existing specimens in museums around the world and in the temples of South India may be seen many fine figures of Siva in various forms, such as Vishnu and his consort Lakshmi, and the Siva saints.
Though conforming generally to the iconographic conventions established by long tradition, the sculptors worked with great freedom in the 11 th and the 12 th centuries to achieve a classic grace and grandeur. The best example of this can be seen in the form of Nataraja the Divine Dancer.
Badami Chalukyas. Virupaksha temple, Pattadakal, Karnataka built in 740 The Badami Chalukyas also called the Early Chalukyas, ruled from Badami, Karnataka in the period AD 543 -753 and spawned the Vesara style called Badami Chalukya Architecture. The finest examples of their art are seen in Pattadakal, Aihole and Badami in northern Karnataka. Over 150 temples remain in the Malaprabhabasin. The most enduring legacy of the Chalukya dynasty is the architecture and art that they left behind. More than one hundred and fifty monuments attributed to the Badami Chalukya, and built between 450 and 700, remain in the Malaprabha basin in Karnataka. The rock-cut temples of Pattadakal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Badami and Aihole are their most celebrated monuments.
Two of the famous paintings atAjanta cave no. 1, “The Temptation of the Buddha” and “The Persian Embassy” are attributed to them. This is the beginning of Chalukya style of architecture and a consolidation of South Indian style. The view of the Kailash Temple from the top.
The photo is taken at the cave temples clusters of Ellora, Maharastra, India. The Rashtrakutas who ruled the deccan fromManyakheta, Gulbarga district, Karnataka in the periodAD 753 – 973 built some of the finest Dravidian monuments at Ellora (the Kailasanatha temple), in the rock cut architecture idiom. Some other fine monuments are the Jaina Narayana temple at Pattadakal and the Navalinga temples at Kuknur in Karnataka. The Rashtrakutas contributed much to the culture of theDeccan.
The Rashtrakuta contributions to art and architecture are reflected in the splendid rock-cut shrines at Ellora and Elephanta, situated in present dayMaharashtra. It is said that they altogether constructed 34 rock-cut shrines, but most extensive and sumptuous of them all is the Kailasanatha temple at Ellora. The temple is a splendid achievement of Dravidian art. The walls of the temple have marvellous sculptures from Hindy mythology including Ravana, Shiva andParvathi while the ceilings have paintings. The project was commissioned by King Krishna I after the Rashtrakuta rule had spread into South India from the Deccan. The architectural style used was dravidian. It does not contain any of the Shikharascommon to the Nagara style and was built on the same lines as the Virupaksha temple at Pattadakal inKarnataka.
Western Chalukyas. Dodda Basappa temple, Dambal, Gadag district,Karnataka The Western Chalukyas also called the Kalyani Chalukyas or Later Chalukyas ruled the deccan from AD973 – 1180 from their capital Kalyani in modern Karnataka and further refined the Chalukyan style, called the Western Chalukya architecture. Over 50 temples exist in the Krishna River-Tungabhadra doab in central Karnataka. The Kasi Vishveshvara at Lakkundi, Mallikarjuna at Kuruvatii, Kalleshwara temple at Bagali and Mahadeva at Itagi are the finest examples produced by the Later Chalukya architects.
The reign of Western Chalukya dynasty was an important period in the development of architecture in the deccan. Their architectural developments acted as a conceptual link between the Badami Chalukya Architecture of the 8th century and the Hoysala architecture popularised in the 13th century. The art of Western Chalukyas is sometimes called the “Gadag style” after the number of ornate temples they built in the Tungabhadra – Krishna River doab region of present day Gadag district in Karnataka.
Their temple building reached its maturity and culmination in the 12th century, with over a hundred temples built across the deccan, more than half of them in present day Karnataka. Apart from temples they are also well known for ornate stepped wells ( Pushkarni) which served as ritual bathing places, many of which are well preserved in Lakkundi. Their stepped well designs were later incorporated by the Hoysalas and the Vijayanagara empire in the coming centuries. Main article: Hoysala architecture The Hoysala kings ruled southern India during the period AD (1100-1343) from their capital Belur and laterHalebidu in Karnataka and developed a unique idiom of architecture called the Hoysala architecture inKarnataka state. The finest examples of their architecture are the Chennakesava Temple in Belur,Hoysaleswara temple in Halebidu, and the Kesava Temple in Somanathapura. The modern interest in the Hoysalas is due to their patronage of art and architecture rather than their military conquests. The brisk temple building throughout the kingdom was accomplished despite constant threats from the Pandyas to the south and the Seunas Yadavas to the north.
Their architectural style, an offshoot of the Western Chalukya style, shows distinct Dravidian influences. The Hoysala architecture style is described as Karnata Dravida as distinguished from the traditional Dravida, and is considered an independent architectural tradition with many unique features. Main article: Vijayanagar Architecture The whole of South India was ruled by Vijayanagar Empire from AD(1343-1565), who built a number of temples and monuments in their hybrid style in their capital Vijayanagar in Karnataka. Their style was a combination of the styles developed in South India in the previous centuries. In addition, the Yali columns (pillar with charging horse), balustrades (parapets) and ornate pillared manatapa are their unique contribution.
King Krishna Deva Raya and others built many famous temples all over South India in Vijayanagar Architecture style. Vijayanagara architecture is a vibrant combination of the Chalukya,Hoysala, Pandya and Chola styles, idioms that prospered in previous centuries. Its legacy of sculpture, architecture and painting influenced the development of the arts long after the empire came to an end. Its stylistic hallmark is the ornate pillared Kalyanamantapa (marriage hall), Vasanthamantapa (open pillared halls) and the Rayagopura (tower).
Artisans used the locally available hard granite because of its durability since the kingdom was under constant threat of invasion. While the empire’s monuments are spread over the whole of Southern India, nothing surpasses the vast open air theatre of monuments at its capital at Vijayanagara, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In the 14th century the kings continued to build Vesara or Deccan style monuments but later incorporated dravida-style gopurams to meet their ritualistic needs.
The Prasanna Virupaksha temple (underground temple) of Bukka Raya I and the Hazare Rama temple of Deva Raya I are examples of Deccan architecture. The varied and intricate ornamentation of the pillars is a mark of their work. At Hampi, though the Vitthala temple is the best example of their pillared Kalyanamantapa style, the Hazara Ramaswamy temple is a modest but perfectly finished example.
A visible aspect of their style is their return to the simplistic and serene art developed by the Chalukya dynasty. A grand specimen of Vijayanagara art, the Vitthala temple, took several decades to complete during the reign of the Tuluva kings. By T Muruganandham Published: 20th May 2015 06:00 AM Last Updated: 20th May 2015 11:23 AM Source: A visitor checking out the exhibits displayed at the Korean Exhibition at Fort St George D Sampath Kumar CHENNAI:Just as Prime Minister Narendra Modi was recalling the age-old cultural and business relations between South Korea and India in Seoul on Monday, Kyungsoo Kim, Consul General of South Korea in Chennai, revealed that his country indeed had a link with Tamil Nadu from the first Century AD., at a function held at Fort St George. Speaking at the inauguration of exhibition titled Museums of India and Korea, Kim said strong evidence to this connection lay in the common words used in Korean and Tamil languages even today. He narrated an interesting incident that took place just a day before, on Sunday, when he was visiting Mahabalipuram. As he was walking along the sea-shore, Kim heard his son calling him. When he turned back, he realised that it was not his son, but another child who was calling him Appaa. He learned, to his surprise, that the two languages shared some common words.
In all, he claimed, there were around 4,000 words in Korean and Tamil that had similar meaning, indicating the age-old connection between the two countries. It was the French missionaries in Korea who first noted the similarities between the two languages. Many of the names of ancient colonies of Southern Korea were the exact counterparts of Tamil words. Exhaustive as it is, linguistic similarities were not all. The Consul General pointed out that the way both people built their hutments were the same, so were some of the household utensils like ural (a heavy stone or wooden mortar) and ulakkai (long heavy wooden pestle). Experts say that agriculture, pottery, beads, textile, turtle boats, and many ancient industries and cultures in the two countries have stunning similarities.These similarities, they add, are not coincidences.
Early Tamil people migrated to the Korean peninsula around the first century AD, noted N Kannan, Orissa Balu and Dr Nagarajan, all experts on the topic. The connect between the two cultures is believed to have started way back in CE 45, from the period of King Suro and Hok and Ayi of Pandian Kingdom. Incidentally, King Suro’s kingdom was named Karak, which has a Tamil (proto-Dravidian) meaning fish.
“This view was confirmed by the Centre for Korean Studies at the University of Hawaii. Both languages are agglutinative, follow the subject-object-verb order, nominal and adjectives follow the same syntax, particles are post positional, modifiers always precede modified words are some of the common features,” they say. Inaugurating the photo exhibition, R Kannan, secretary, Culture, Museums, Tourism and Religious Endowments Departments, recalled the strong cultural connection between the two countries. Earlier, Consul General Kim released a CD on the museums in Tamil Nadu for the student community. K Moortheeswari, Deputy Superintending Archaeologist, Archaeological Survey of India, said the CD would be distributed to all schools in Tamil Nadu free of cost if they approached the Fort St George museum. The theme of this year’s International Museum Day is ‘Museums for a sustainable society’. It highlights the role of museums in raising public awareness about the need for a society that is less wasteful, more cooperative and that uses resources in a way that respects living systems, she added.
The exhibition will be on till the end of May. Source for English: கோயில் திருப்பணிக்காகவும் சேவைக்காகவும் தங்களை முழுமையாக அர்ப்பணித்துக் கொண்டவர்கள்தான் தேவதாசிகள் என்றழைக்கப்படும் தேவடிகளார்கள்.
பக்தி இலக்கியம் கோலோச்சிய ஆறாம் நூற்றாண்டு வாக்கில் இவர்கள் சமூகத்தினரால் மரியாதையாகப் பார்க்கப்பட்டனர். காலப்போக்கில் அந்த மரபின் வழி வந்தவர்களுக்குப் போதிய அங்கீகாரமும் கவனிப்பும் இல்லாமல், தேவதாசிகள் என்பவர்கள் மிகக்கீழ்த்தரமாகச் சித்தரிக்கப்பட்டனர். தமிழ்க் கலாச்சாரத்துக்குச் செழுமை சேர்த்த ஒரு சமூக மரபு தன் சொந்த மண்ணில் இருந்து முற்றிலுமாக அழிந்து போனதன் பின்னணி தமிழர் இசைகள், நடனங்கள் எல்லாம் கற்று தேர்ந்து அதை வாழையடி வாழையாக அழியாமல் பின்பற்றி வந்தவர்கள் தேவடிகளார். ஆனால், எந்த ஒரு உன்னதமான நிறுவனமும் கூட, சமூக விரோதிகள் அதனுள் சுதந்திரமாக ஊடாட அனுமதிக்கப்படும் பட்சத்தில் உருச்சிதைந்து, மிக மோசமான ஒரு நிறுவனமாகச் சீரழிந்து போய்விடும் என்ற உண்மையை தேவதாசி முறையின் அழிவு உணர்த்துகிறது. தேவடிகளாரின் கடமை என்ன?
பாடல்கள் இசைப்பதும், நடனமாடுவதும்தான் கோயில்களில் அவர்களின் பொதுவான கடமைகளாக இருந்தன. செல்வத்தை கொள்ளையடித்தல், கிறித்துவத்தைப் பரப்புதல், மக்களைக் கூலியாளிகளாக்குதல் போன்ற கொள்கைகளோடு பிரிட்டிஷ்காரர்கள் தமிழ்நாட்டிற்குள் நுழைந்தனர். அதனால், தமிழர் மரபுகள் எல்லாம் தவறான முறையில் சித்தரிக்கப்பட்டது.
அதில் ஒன்றுதான் தேவடிகளார் முறை. தேவடிகளாரை காசுக்காக தெருவில் ஆடும் கீழ்த்தரமான பெண்கள் என கருதினர். சோழர் காலத்தில் தேவடிகளார்? தேவடிகளார் என்பவர் ஆண்களும் பெண்களும், இறை தொண்டுக்காகவும் கலை தொண்டுக்காகவும் சமூக சேவைக்காகவும் தங்களை அர்ப்பணித்துக் கொண்டவர்கள் ஆவர்.
தஞ்சாவூர் பெரிய கோவிலில், 400 தேவடிகளார் (ஆண்கள் பெண்கள், இசையாளர், நடனக் கலைஞர்கள் போன்றோர்) சோழர் காலத்தில் இருந்ததாக கல்வெட்டுகள் கூறுகின்றன. நட்டுவானர்கள் எனப்படுபவர்கள் தேவடிகளார்க ஆடுவதற்கு இசையமைப்பவர்கள் ஆவர். ஆகம முறைப்படி கோவில்களில் பாட்டும் நடனமும் தேவையான ஒன்று.
ஆட்டமும் பாட்டமும் உள்ளக் களிப்பை ஏற்படுத்தும். மேலும், அவை தான் ஒரு இனத்தின் அடையாளம். அந்த அடையாளத்தைப் பேணி காத்து வந்தவர்கள் தான் தேவடிகளர்.
பிரிட்டிஷ்காரர்களின் சதி 1882-ஆம் ஆண்டு கிறித்துவ சமயத்தைப் பரப்புபவர்கள் தேவடிகளார் மரபை விபச்சாரிகள் என்றும், சமூகத்தின் பேய்கள் என்றும் முத்திரை குத்தினர். கோயில்களில் நடக்கும் பாட்டுக் கச்சேரிகள் எல்லாம் தடை செய்யபட்டன. உண்மையில், இந்தியாவில் பிரிட்டிஷ்காரர்களால் நிறைய விபச்சார விடுதிகள் நடத்தப்பட்டதன் ஆதரங்கள் வெளிப்படையாக உள்ளன. இதனால், நிறைய பிரிட்டிஷ் அதிகாரிகள் கடுமையான நோய்களுக்கு உள்ளாகினர். இதற்கு காரணம் தேவடிகளார் என்றே குற்றம்சாட்டினர். இதனால், பிரிட்டிஷ்காரர்கள் தேவடிகளார்களை பல கொடுமைகள் செய்து துன்புறுத்தி விபச்சாரிகள் என்று பதிவு செய்ய வைத்தனர். தேவடிகளார்களுக்கு நோய் இருப்பதாகக் கூறி, அவர்களைக் கைது செய்து மருத்துவமனைக்கு அழைத்து செல்வதாகக் கூறி இழுத்து சென்றனர்.
அதோடு, அந்த தேவடிகளார்கள் காணாமல் போனார்கள். அவர்களின் குடும்பத்தார் கண்ணில் படவே இல்லை. தேவடிகளார் சமூக சேவகம் செய்தார்கள்?
தேவதாசிகள், பொதுமக்களுக்கான சமூக சேவைகளை மேற்கொண்டனர் என்று சாசனங்கள் பதிவு செய்துள்ளன. விண்ணமங்கலம் என்ற கிராமத்தின் நீர்த்தேக்கம் ஆண்டுதோறும் ஆழப்படுத்தப்பட்டு மராமத்துப் பணிகளும் செய்து வரப்பட்டன. இரண்டு தேவதாசிகளான நாற்பத்தி எண்ணாயிரம் பிள்ளை மற்றும் அவருடைய சகோதரி மங்கையர்க்கரசி ஆகியோர் ஏரி நீரில் மூழ்கியிருந்த நிலங்களைத் தங்களின் செலவில் மறுபயன்பாட்டிற்குக் கொணர்ந்துள்ளனர். அன்னநாடு என்ற இடத்தில் அவர்கள் திருந்திகை நதியை மூடச்செய்து, நீர்த்தேக்கத்தைத் தோண்டி ஆழப்படுத்தி, கால்வாய் அமைத்து பின் நிலத்தை மீட்டெடுத்தனர்.
திருவிழாக்களிலும், இறை காரியங்களிலும் தேவடிகளாரின் வருகை மிகவும் உன்னதமாகக் கருதபட்டது. அவர்களின் பிள்ளைகள் சமூகத்தில் உயர்வாகப் போற்றப்பட்டனர். ஆனால், இப்பொழுது அவர்களின் நிலை முற்றிலும் தப்பான ஒன்றாகி விட்டது. விபச்சாரம் செய்பவர்கள் தேவடிகளார் என்று மாறிவிட்டது. இன்றைய நிலையில் தேவடிகளார் மரபு அழிந்து விட்டது என்றாலும், அவர்களின் புகழ் மறைந்து அவர்கள் கீழ்த்தரமானவர்கள் என்றே அறியப்படுகின்றனர். விபச்சாரிகளை தேவடியாள் (தேவடிகளார் என்ற சொல்லின் திரிபு) என்று அழைக்கின்றனர்.
தமிழர் கலையைக் கட்டி காத்த இந்த பெண்கள் பிரிட்டிஷ் காரர்களின் கொடுமையால் அழிந்தனர். அவர்கள் புகழும் அழிந்து விட்டது.
(இந்த கட்டுரை பல ஆங்கில ஆய்வு கட்டுரைகளில் இருந்து மொழிப்பெயர்க்கப்பட்டது). Non-Bangaloreans perhaps conjure up images of silk when they hear these words. Almost certainly, an 800-year-old temple is not what you would associate with that bustling junction which makes the Someshwara temple one of IT city’s best kept secrets. The temple is in old Madivala, a place where shops and houses open out onto narrow lanes that twist this way and that, and where children still play cricket in the bylanes. And while traffic-induced chaos reigns supreme at the Silk Board junction, peace and quiet hold sway at the Someswhara temple a mere kilometre away. The stone temple is said to be a Chola period temple, making it one among Bangalore’s oldest. And there is ample proof of its antiquity.
Large portions of its outer walls are covered with inscriptions in Tamil and Grantha (an old script used to write Sanskrit) characters, attesting to the temple’s age. The earliest record dates to 1247 AD and refers to lands donated “below the big tank of Vengalur” by a resident of ‘Veppur’ (modern-day Begur). Other inscriptions seem to have followed in quick succession, recording grants made during the reigns of Hoysala king Ballala III and Chola king Rajendra.
One record, from 1365, mentions a land grant at Tamaraikkirai (meaning ‘the banks of the lotus pond’ in Tamil). Epigraphy expert H S Gopala Rao, Secretary of the Karnataka Itihasa Academy, points out that this is the old name for what we today know as Tavarekere. Apart from its obvious age, the Madivala area may have much else to boast about. Gopala Rao mentions how inscriptions have been found elsewhere in Bangalore which suggest that the illustrious Krishnadevaraya, the most famous king of the Vijayanagar empire, himself spent some time in Madivala. Today, though, there are no trappings of royalty, either in Madivala or in the Someshwara temple. The temple underwent extensive renovations five years ago, but as Gopala Rao says, fortunately, the inscriptions were largely unharmed.
The temple’s outer walls that carry the inscriptions and also idols of various gods including Ganesha, Durga and Vishnu, remain unaltered. Inside, apart from shiny new flooring, the garba griha and artha mantapa were untouched.
These inner chambers still remain small and darkened spaces that encourage a personal and intimate communion with the Lord. Apart from four carved pillars, the artha mantapa has a large and elegantly proportioned granite Nandi facing the linga. Behind the Nandi, the eastern wall of the temple has a small opening that is directly in line with the linga.
In the days before Madivala was engulfed in buildings, the sun’s rays entered through this small opening to illuminate the linga. According to the priest, K Achyuta Rao, the temple’s deity is a Swayambhu linga, i.e., it is said to have manifested itself without any human agency. சிந்துவெளி மற்றும் அரப்பாவில் ”கொற்கை, வஞ்சி, தொண்டி வளாகம்” சிந்துவெளியில் சங்கத் தமிழரின் துறைமுகங்கள், தலைநகரங்கள் மற்றும் ஊர்களின் பெயர்கள் பாகிஸ்தானிலுள்ள கொற்கை (Gorkai.
Gorkhai), வஞ்சி (Vanji), தொண்டி(Tondi), மத்ரை (Matrai), உறை (Urai), கூடல் கட் (Kudal Garh) மற்றும் கோளி (Koli); ஆப்கானிஸ்தானிலுள்ள கொற்கை (Korkay. பூம்பகார் (Pumbakar) ஆகிய ஊர்ப் பெயர்கள் சங்க இலக்கியங்களில் குறிப்பிடப்பட்டுள்ள தலைநகரங்கள் மற்றும் துறைமுக நகரங்களின் பெயர்களான கொற்கை. பூம்புகார் ஆகியவற்றை நினைவுபடுத்துகின்றன.