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SPECIAL FEATURES
I would like to draw the visitors’
special attention to three very rare visual treasures of the
Chidambaram temple. We start with the sphinxes, or Purushamriga. Unique composite mythological beings, which play a
significant role in both the architecture and ritual of this
temple. Then we focus our attention on the ancient frescos
on the ceiling of the temple of Devi Sivakamasundari. These
recount the Leelas or sacred deeds of Lord Shiva in the
visual medium. Finally we will turn to the relief’s of
Karanas or dance movements which adorn many parts of the
temple.
The Nataraja temple in Chidambaram
is the only temple in India, as far as I have been able to
ascertain, whose entrance is guarded by a pair of sphinxes.
As the visitor enters the temple of the Nataraja proper, the
main shrine within the complex, through its east entrance,
he descends the twenty-one steps that lead into the heart of
the temple. There he encounters on either side of the
entrance on a raised platform, the images of the two
sphinxes. They are called Purushamriga (human-beast). They are sitting with their
lion bodies in an upright watchful, position. Their human
faces surrounded by full manes. They are part of the ritual
practice of the temple and the people burn lamps for them.
As, upon entering, our eyes meet theirs, they purify us from
our sins. They were assigned to that position, guarding the
temple entrance, from time immemorial.
Legend recounts they first guarded
the great ritual fire sacrifice performed by the Pandanvas,
the five heroes of the epic Mahabharata. This was called
Rajasuya. After the completion of the ritual the Purushamriga asked what they might do, now their task was
fulfilled. They were told to go to Chidambaram, where Shiva
was one day going to perform his Cosmic Dance for the
humanity. Their task would be to purify the devotees
visiting the temple.
The Purushamriga that guard the
east entrance are consciously on the people’s mind. They are
worshipped and butter lamps are always burning in front of
them. And from time to time, according to the temple’s
routine, rituals are performed for them. But not far away,
in another part of the temple, I found many more Purushamriga. Long forgotten and unnoticed by both priests and
devotees, as well as by the many scholars that visit this
famous temple.
When we turn left from the Purushamriga at the entrance and follow the third courtyard in the
clockwise direction, we reach the Nritta Sabha, the pillared
hall in chariot form. Its sculptured plinth is adorned with
a number of layers each with its own repeating motive. Just
above eye level, on the top pattika or belt, unfold a row of
reclining sphinxes, alternating with lions, wrapping around
the front part of the pavilion.
Then, on the western side of the
hall, two niches containing two form of Shiva project from
the Nritta Sabha. Both images are flanked by pairs of
elegant pillars, which support the roof of the niches. At
the base of each pillar again we find a sphinx. Male on one
side and female on the other, these four sphinxes stoically
support the pillars. And although they have fangs, they
guard Shiva with expressions of peace and benevolence. And
even though their position is prominent, these sphinxes seem
to go unnoticed by the visitors, and their resemblance to
the sphinxes of Egypt has never, to my knowledge, been
pointed out until now.
The sphinx also plays an important
role in the daily rituals of the Nataraja temple, in the
form of a silver lamp on which a sphinx is figured in a
standing, worshipping, position. This lamp is used in
several rituals during the day.
We may wonder whether there is a
trans-cultural connection through cultural transference.
Whether there is a historical connection, or whether the
resemblance’s have intrinsic significance within the system
themselves? Archetypal, born from the depths of the human
collective subconscious.
A second feature that deserves the
special attention of the visitor are the ceiling frescos of
the pavilion in front of the temple of Devi Sivakamasundari.
They have been variously dated as being between 1000 and 800
years old, and express through the visual media several of
the mythologies associated with the Chidambaram temple. When
the visitor enters the Devi temple by descending the sixteen
steps, the pillared hall containing the frescos stretches
right in front. It consists of three wings. The middle wing
has been decorated with relatively modern paintings. The
ancient frescos are found in the northern and southern wings
of the pavilion.
In the wing immediately to the
right of the main middle wing of the mandapa, we find the
depiction of the myth of the Daruvanna. The images have to
be read from the east towards the west, i.e. from the
direction of the Shiva Ganga tank towards the temple
proper.
In the first scene we see Shiva and
Parvati enthroned on Mount Kailasa surrounded by the gods.
In the second scene Shiva leads
Vishnu by the hand as they proceed together to the
Daruvanna.In the third scene they have transformed
themselves in Bhikshatana and Mohini.
The fourth scene shows the Rishi
wives following Bhikshatana, crazed with desire.
The fifth
scene depicts the Rishis as they loose all sense and pursue
Mohini.
In the sixth scene we see the
Rishis perform their magical fire sacrifice, and all the
demonic beings created there in, to attack Shiva.
In the seventh scene Shiva sits
peacefully, having subdued all demonic forces, and
performing his Cosmic Dance.
Several of the other myths and
legends that can be recognized are those recounting the
lives and actions of the saints Vyagrapada, Patanjali and
the king Hiranya Varman. The story of the saint
Manikavasakar, the flood in Madurai. Further we find
depictions of the Chariot Festival, temple building
activities etc. Special attention may be drawn to the
depiction of the temple plan, as it must have been at the
time of the painting of the
frescos.
The third feature which is of
special interest to visitors are the karanas or dance
movements, sculpted in countless relief’s all around the
temple complex. They are of two kinds.
The first we encounter as we enter
the temple complex through any of the four gopurams. Each
temple gateway has the 108 karanas or dance movements which
comprise Shiva’s Cosmic Dance, sculptured on the surface of
its passage. On Shiva’s command they were taught to the
saint Bharata by Shiva’s companion Nandikeshvara. They were
made part of the art of theatre, which had been created for
the benefit of the humanity by Brahma the Divine Creator,
and given to Bharata Muni to perform and pass on to the
humanity. They are described in Bharata’s Natya Shastra, the
doctrine of Drama and Dance, the oldest existing text on the
art of theatre.
Only four other temples have
depictions of the karanas as part of their imagery, all in
Tamil Nadu. The great temple in Tanjore has the Karanas
depicted in a gallery which is unreachable to the visiting
public, in the tower around and above the sanctum. The
Sarangapani Vishnu temple in Kumbakonam has the karanas
around on the outside of the main gopuram. These series are
both incomplete. Then we find karanas in the gopurams of the
temples of Vriddachalam and Tiruvannamalai.
The other type of dance sculptures
we find on the base of several of the main halls within the
temple complex, where they form, as it were, a procession of
dancers and musicians. These dance movements have not been
systematized and though they can be seen to have some
relation to the karanas they follow their own structure,
rhythm and dynamics, as a dance unfolding.
In between these panels with
dancers and accompanying musicians we find figures and
images of little known folk stories. These folk stories were
once part of the repertoire of ancient folk theatre. These
dance panels can be found around the base of the Hall of
Thousand Pillars, the Nritta Sabha, the Devi temple, the
Deva Sabha, the Pandya Nayaka temple and around the
enclosing wall of the great courtyard. |
