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12/12/13 The Hindu : Friday Review Chennai / Heritage : Voyage of discovery www.hindu.com/fr/2010/04/16/stories/2010041651200400.htm 1/4 Online edition of India's National Newspaper Friday, Apr 16, 2010 Site Search Friday Review Chennai and Tamil Nadu Published on Fridays Features: Magazine | Literary Review | Life | Metro Plus | Open Page | Education Plus | Book Review | Business | SciTech | NXg | Friday Review | Cinema Plus | Young World | Property Plus | Quest | Friday Review Bangalore Chennai and Tamil Nadu Delhi Hyderabad Thiruvananthapuram Voyage of discovery SUGANTHY KRISHNAMACHARI Rajarajechcharam is Kudavayil Balasubramanian's tribute to Raja Raja Chola. Photos: R. Ashok and M. Karunakaran. Interesting details: A view of the Brahadeeswarar temple in Thanjavur. There you see Raja Raja I enter the Thanjavur Big Temple, through the entrance known as Anukkan vayil, and his bodyguards ask people to make way for him. The King admires the Kerala style art of the entrance. He then turns his gaze towards the Keralantakan Vaayil, which is a reminder of his victory over the Chera king. This gopuram is a metaphor in stone for one of the five elements, namely fire. Raja Raja's glance then briefly rests on the Raja Rajan Vaayil, with its sculptural representations of another element - water. He then walks towards the sanctum sanctorum, where he worships the Linga that arises from the earth. The inside of the vimanam is hollow all the way up to the kalasam, representing yet another element - space. The King then enters the Saantaaram, the passage around the sanctum sanctorum, and worships the deities here, while a pleasant breeze caresses his face. The fifth element - air - is represented here. But the king's worship is not over, yet. He now genuflects before devotees who have worshipped at the temple! 40-year obsession Archives Datewise Classified Lead Cinema Film Review Music Dance Theatre Arts & Crafts Heritage Miscellany News News Update Front Page National States: Tamil Nadu Andhra Pradesh Karnataka Kerala New Delhi Other States International Opinion Business Sport Miscellaneous Index Advts Retail Plus Classifieds Jobs Obituary

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Transcript of The Hindu _ Friday Review Chennai _ Heritage _ Voyage of Discovery

Page 1: The Hindu _ Friday Review Chennai _ Heritage _ Voyage of Discovery

12/12/13 The Hindu : Friday Review Chennai / Heritage : Voyage of discovery

www.hindu.com/fr/2010/04/16/stories/2010041651200400.htm 1/4

Online edition of India's National NewspaperFriday, Apr 16, 2010

Site Search

Friday Review Chennai and Tamil Nadu Published on Fridays

Features: Magazine | Literary Review | Life | Metro Plus | Open Page |

Education Plus | Book Review | Business | SciTech | NXg | Friday Review |

Cinema Plus | Young World | Property Plus | Quest |

Friday Review Bangalore Chennai and Tamil Nadu Delhi Hyderabad Thiruvananthapuram

Voyage of discovery

SUGANTHY KRISHNAMACHARI

Rajarajechcharam is Kudavayil Balasubramanian's tribute to Raja RajaChola.

Photos: R. Ashok and M. Karunakaran.

Interesting details: A view of the Brahadeeswarar temple inThanjavur.

There you see Raja Raja I enter the Thanjavur Big Temple, through the

entrance known as Anukkan vayil, and his bodyguards ask people to make

way for him. The King admires the Kerala style art of the entrance. He then

turns his gaze towards the Keralantakan Vaayil, which is a reminder of his

victory over the Chera king. This gopuram is a metaphor in stone for one of

the five elements, namely fire.

Raja Raja's glance then briefly rests on the Raja Rajan Vaayil, with its

sculptural representations of another element - water. He then walks

towards the sanctum sanctorum, where he worships the Linga that arises

from the earth. The inside of the vimanam is hollow all the way up to the

kalasam, representing yet another element - space.

The King then enters the Saantaaram, the passage around the sanctum

sanctorum, and worships the deities here, while a pleasant breeze caresses

his face. The fifth element - air - is represented here. But the king's worship

is not over, yet. He now genuflects before devotees who have worshipped at

the temple!

40-year obsession

Archives

Datewise

Classified

LeadCinemaFilm ReviewMusicDanceTheatreArts & CraftsHeritageMiscellany

News

News Update

Front Page

National

States:

• Tamil Nadu

• Andhra Pradesh

• Karnataka

• Kerala

• New Delhi

• Other States

International

Opinion

Business

Sport

Miscellaneous

Index

Advts

Retail Plus

Classifieds

Jobs

Obituary

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12/12/13 The Hindu : Friday Review Chennai / Heritage : Voyage of discovery

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These are the sequential images that one is able to visualise, when one

reads Dr. Kudavayil Balasubramanian's book on the Big Temple, titled

‘Rajarajechcharam.' The book is the result of his 40-year obsession with the

Big Temple. The book records details about the architecture, sculptures, art,

inscriptions, history of and philosophy behind the temple.

The author, Dr. Kudavayil Balasubramanian

It is a heavy tome running to 518 pages. Although laden with facts, it does

not wear one down, for the facts are presented in a simple style, with

accompanying photographs. Where photographs are not available, as for

example in the case of lost copper images, like that of Panchadehamurthy

and Mahameruvidangar, sketches are provided, on the basis of details in

inscriptions.

Reading the book is like embarking on a voyage of discovery. We are

surprised to learn that ‘Madras terracing,' was used in the Keralantakan

Vaayil and Raja Rajan Vaayil. A description of the musical instrument

Pataviyam as ‘violin like' is borne out by pictures of sculptures in the temple

showing bhuta ganas playing the instrument.

Balasubramanian's references to inscriptions and sculptures in other temples

add value to the book. Mythological stories behind sculptures are explained.

The details about how interest rates were fixed, and how interest on loans

from the temple treasury was paid in kind, make for interesting reading. It

would have been helpful if Balasubramanian had also explained in his book,

how the ‘gift' of sheep for lighting lamps in the temple worked.

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The book cover

I catch up with him, and ask him how these ‘gifts' worked, and his

explanation shows that our kings knew how to make temples self-sustaining.

A donor who wished to sponsor an eternally-lit lamp at the temple, would gift

sheep. Anyone who wished to make a living through sheep rearing, would be

given a flock of 96, which would consist of a certain number of rams, ewes

of fertile age, and lambs too. He could sell or use the meat and milk of the

sheep. All he had to do in return was to supply ghee everyday for the lamp

of the donor.

If at some point he wanted to give up sheep rearing, he could return the

flock to the temple. Only, he had to make sure that the flock that he

returned had the same number of rams, ewes of fertile age and lambs that

he had received from the temple. Thus ghee for lamps was ensured, as was

employment to many. Maybe such explanations will be included in the future

editions of the book.

Balasubramanian's book, which costs Rs. 600, was released recently in

Thanjavur, by Swami Dayananda Saraswathi. Copies can be had from the

author. Phone: 9843666921

* * *

Who killed Aditya Karikalan?

W ho killed Raja Raja I's brother Aditya Karikalan? The needle of suspicion

pointed to Uthama Chola, according to K.A. Nilakanta Sastri. There were

some who felt Raja Raja had a hand in the murder.

Kudavayil Balasubramanian has published a paper, on the basis of the

Udayargudi inscriptions, in which he points out that neither Uthama Chola

nor Raja Raja had a hand in the murder. The killing of Aditya Karikalan was

an act of revenge against him by the Pandyas, for his cutting off the head of

the Pandya King and keeping it on public display.

The plot

The assassination plot against Aditya Karikalan was masterminded by three

brothers, whose names are mentioned in the Udayargudi inscriptions. The

three plotters would not have dared to remain in the Chola territory after

committing the murder, argues Balasubramanian. That is why there are no

inscriptions that mention what punishment was handed down to them.

But the Udayargudi inscription clearly states that the lands of even their

distant relatives were confiscated by the government. This confiscation took

place long before Raja Raja's time, ruling out the suggestion that Uthama

Chola had deliberately spared the plotters. The Udayargudi inscription says

that in Raja Raja's second regnal year, a portion of the confiscated land was

sold to Vyazha Gajamallan, and two officials were sent down to supervise

the terms of the sale.

The averment that Raja Raja was kind to the plotters because they were

Brahmins, is absurd, according to Balasubramanian. Brahmins were not just

advisors to kings, but even fought in armies, and would be killed by the

enemy forces.

Inscriptions say that Raja Raja killed many Brahmins who were in the

Chalukya army. So had Raja Raja or Uthama Chola been able to capture the

assassins, they would not have shown them any lenience on account of their

caste.

S.K.

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