இலண்டன் சைவ மாநாடு (சிறப்புமலர்)
7வது சைவ மாநாடு இலண்டன் 2004
spell on the Rishipatnis in the Daruka forest and
unfolded the maya (illusion) of this phenomenal
world which was indeed the central part of the
Panchakritya act of Siva in the Ananda tandava, as
tirodhana.
Yet another unusual icon seen in ancient
Tamilnadu is the substantiation of Hanuman in the
place of Nandi, which is to be seen in the Pandyan
cave temple at Kunnattur near Madurai, and is found
repeated in the almost coeval cave temple of South
Kerala, at Kottukal near Anchal; and much later also
on the door frame of the Vidya Sankar temple at
Sringeri, the earliest Vijayanagara temple of South
India (c. I 336 A.D.) In all these, the traditional Nandi
door keeper of the Siva shrine is replaced by
Hanuman on the understanding that Hanuman is a
manifestation of Rudra ('Rudra virya samudbhava'),
thereby taking us also behind the cosmogony
related to the Rama incarnation in Ramayana story,
as also integration of the Vishnu tattva and Siva
tattva in the same concept which was the earliest
stage of our inonic imagery. Valmiki puts in the
mouth of Ravana who, when he winessed the
exploits of Hanuman in Lanka face to face, was
panic-stricken in visualizing if this Hanuman was not
Nandi himself reincarnate, and by whom he was
cursed when he undertook the audacious act of
shaking Kailasa mountain. 'Kimesha Bhagavan
Nandi bhavet sakshadihagatah; yena saptosmi
kailase pura sanchalite maya' It was the same
Rudra who contained himself in the form of Agni in
the Sudarsana chakra in the hands of Vishnu for
destroying enemies of truth and goodness. The
Sudarsana chakra icon is shown with the Chakra
purusha in alidha pose having sixteen hands on one
side and with a yoga Narasimha with Chakra on all
the four hands, on the other side, established within
a Shatkona yantra, as can be seen in the Cakhrapani
temple at Kumbakonam and scores of other Visnu
temples in Tamilnadu and on the Saiva side is
implicated in the Chakra dana murti form in the
Amsumadbheda and other Agamas and depicted in
sculpture in Rajasimha's (Narasimha varman II -
700-728 A.D.) temples like Airavatesvara at
Kancipuram. Reverting to the Tandava forms of
Siva, early Saivagamas like Kamika, Karana and
Amsumadbheda have mainly nine dance types
indicated out of the one hundred and eight karanas
which Natya sastra describes and which form a
credo from the tenth century A.D., as expatiated in
sculpture in the Brihadisvara at Thanjavur, upper
bhumi of the aditala there. The first of these nine,
though styled as the Bhujanga trasita and differing
from Bharata's specification as explicated by
Abhinavagupta, corresponds to the Nataraja. When
Ananda tandava at Chidambaram came to be
interpreted, the question of Raudra (terrific) aspects
of Siva with multiple arms, could not have arisen.
Only Bhujanga trasita has four arms among the
types of nine detailed. The Ananda tandava form
starts occurring not earlier than the time of Parantaka
Chola I, and is certainly at its best in the last quarter
of the Tenth century, when we take into consideration
the dates of Konerirajapuram (969-990 A.D.);
Tiruvarur (962 A.D.); Vriddhachalam (981 A.D.) to
mention a few outstanding stone and bronze
examples. The Nallur Natesa specimen which has
eight arms cannot really be classified as nearing to
Ananda tandava pose and its presumed date, even
if earlier, as the very beginning of the tenth century
was a precursor and not the progenitor of the
Aananda tandava cult icon which, truly to be called
Nataraja (Adavallan) is free from Tamasic aspects
and gets ritually fixed from the tenth century and
gets an Utsavamurti in bronze from the third quarter
of that century, as a South - facing shrine combining
Dakshina murti and Kalakala aspects thereby; is
four-hundred and adorned by Ganga on the locks of
hair. It was essentially a Chola Pandya heritage
and was not found in the pallava times. Thus, all
tandava forms of Siva are not liable to be called
nataraja, but only the Ananda tandava, inspired at
Chidambarm by the Pratyabigna school of Kashmir
Saivism, in content though not in art subliation.
The Puranic age was indeed the nursery for
the integration and diversification of form given to
cosmic power into manifold visualization; and it was
given mostly to the ritual and art elite of Tamilnadu
to explicate these vari egations into picturesque and
visually arresting iconic forms. It was Tamil Nadu's
formula also for conserving grass-root principles of
the post-Vedic. Puranic water shed stage, in a far
sublime and didactic way than was possible for their
compeers in other parts of our ancient country.
173
Courtesy: Journal of the International Institute of
Saiva Siddhanta Research
Vol. 1. No.2: Jan 1986.
7
வது
சைவ
மாநாடு
இலண்டன்
2004
spell
on
the
Rishipatnis
in
the
Daruka
forest
and
unfolded
the
maya
(
illusion
)
of
this
phenomenal
world
which
was
indeed
the
central
part
of
the
Panchakritya
act
of
Siva
in
the
Ananda
tandava
as
tirodhana
.
Yet
another
unusual
icon
seen
in
ancient
Tamilnadu
is
the
substantiation
of
Hanuman
in
the
place
of
Nandi
which
is
to
be
seen
in
the
Pandyan
cave
temple
at
Kunnattur
near
Madurai
and
is
found
repeated
in
the
almost
coeval
cave
temple
of
South
Kerala
at
Kottukal
near
Anchal
;
and
much
later
also
on
the
door
frame
of
the
Vidya
Sankar
temple
at
Sringeri
the
earliest
Vijayanagara
temple
of
South
India
(
c
.
I
336
A.D.
)
In
all
these
the
traditional
Nandi
door
keeper
of
the
Siva
shrine
is
replaced
by
Hanuman
on
the
understanding
that
Hanuman
is
a
manifestation
of
Rudra
(
'
Rudra
virya
samudbhava
'
)
thereby
taking
us
also
behind
the
cosmogony
related
to
the
Rama
incarnation
in
Ramayana
story
as
also
integration
of
the
Vishnu
tattva
and
Siva
tattva
in
the
same
concept
which
was
the
earliest
stage
of
our
inonic
imagery
.
Valmiki
puts
in
the
mouth
of
Ravana
who
when
he
winessed
the
exploits
of
Hanuman
in
Lanka
face
to
face
was
panic
-
stricken
in
visualizing
if
this
Hanuman
was
not
Nandi
himself
reincarnate
and
by
whom
he
was
cursed
when
he
undertook
the
audacious
act
of
shaking
Kailasa
mountain
.
'
Kimesha
Bhagavan
Nandi
bhavet
sakshadihagatah
;
yena
saptosmi
kailase
pura
sanchalite
maya
'
It
was
the
same
Rudra
who
contained
himself
in
the
form
of
Agni
in
the
Sudarsana
chakra
in
the
hands
of
Vishnu
for
destroying
enemies
of
truth
and
goodness
.
The
Sudarsana
chakra
icon
is
shown
with
the
Chakra
purusha
in
alidha
pose
having
sixteen
hands
on
one
side
and
with
a
yoga
Narasimha
with
Chakra
on
all
the
four
hands
on
the
other
side
established
within
a
Shatkona
yantra
as
can
be
seen
in
the
Cakhrapani
temple
at
Kumbakonam
and
scores
of
other
Visnu
temples
in
Tamilnadu
and
on
the
Saiva
side
is
implicated
in
the
Chakra
dana
murti
form
in
the
Amsumadbheda
and
other
Agamas
and
depicted
in
sculpture
in
Rajasimha's
(
Narasimha
varman
II
-
700-728
A.D.
)
temples
like
Airavatesvara
at
Kancipuram
.
Reverting
to
the
Tandava
forms
of
Siva
early
Saivagamas
like
Kamika
Karana
and
Amsumadbheda
have
mainly
nine
dance
types
indicated
out
of
the
one
hundred
and
eight
karanas
which
Natya
sastra
describes
and
which
form
a
credo
from
the
tenth
century
A.D.
as
expatiated
in
sculpture
in
the
Brihadisvara
at
Thanjavur
upper
bhumi
of
the
aditala
there
.
The
first
of
these
nine
though
styled
as
the
Bhujanga
trasita
and
differing
from
Bharata's
specification
as
explicated
by
Abhinavagupta
corresponds
to
the
Nataraja
.
When
Ananda
tandava
at
Chidambaram
came
to
be
interpreted
the
question
of
Raudra
(
terrific
)
aspects
of
Siva
with
multiple
arms
could
not
have
arisen
.
Only
Bhujanga
trasita
has
four
arms
among
the
types
of
nine
detailed
.
The
Ananda
tandava
form
starts
occurring
not
earlier
than
the
time
of
Parantaka
Chola
I
and
is
certainly
at
its
best
in
the
last
quarter
of
the
Tenth
century
when
we
take
into
consideration
the
dates
of
Konerirajapuram
(
969-990
A.D.
)
;
Tiruvarur
(
962
A.D.
)
;
Vriddhachalam
(
981
A.D.
)
to
mention
a
few
outstanding
stone
and
bronze
examples
.
The
Nallur
Natesa
specimen
which
has
eight
arms
cannot
really
be
classified
as
nearing
to
Ananda
tandava
pose
and
its
presumed
date
even
if
earlier
as
the
very
beginning
of
the
tenth
century
was
a
precursor
and
not
the
progenitor
of
the
Aananda
tandava
cult
icon
which
truly
to
be
called
Nataraja
(
Adavallan
)
is
free
from
Tamasic
aspects
and
gets
ritually
fixed
from
the
tenth
century
and
gets
an
Utsavamurti
in
bronze
from
the
third
quarter
of
that
century
as
a
South
-
facing
shrine
combining
Dakshina
murti
and
Kalakala
aspects
thereby
;
is
four
-
hundred
and
adorned
by
Ganga
on
the
locks
of
hair
.
It
was
essentially
a
Chola
Pandya
heritage
and
was
not
found
in
the
pallava
times
.
Thus
all
tandava
forms
of
Siva
are
not
liable
to
be
called
nataraja
but
only
the
Ananda
tandava
inspired
at
Chidambarm
by
the
Pratyabigna
school
of
Kashmir
Saivism
in
content
though
not
in
art
subliation
.
The
Puranic
age
was
indeed
the
nursery
for
the
integration
and
diversification
of
form
given
to
cosmic
power
into
manifold
visualization
;
and
it
was
given
mostly
to
the
ritual
and
art
elite
of
Tamilnadu
to
explicate
these
vari
egations
into
picturesque
and
visually
arresting
iconic
forms
.
It
was
Tamil
Nadu's
formula
also
for
conserving
grass
-
root
principles
of
the
post
-
Vedic
.
Puranic
water
shed
stage
in
a
far
sublime
and
didactic
way
than
was
possible
for
their
compeers
in
other
parts
of
our
ancient
country
.
173
Courtesy
:
Journal
of
the
International
Institute
of
Saiva
Siddhanta
Research
Vol
.
1.
No.2
:
Jan
1986
.