கௌரிசங்கம் என்ற #சிவகண்டியும் செட்டிநாடும்

கௌரிசங்கம் என்பது தற்கால பேச்சுவழக்கில் சொல்லப்படும் ஐந்து முக உருத்திராட்சம் கொண்டு செய்யப்பட்ட மாலையாகும். இது உண்மையில் கவுரிசங்கம் என்பது இரண்டு முக உருத்ராட்சத்தை சுட்டு ஒர் சொல். நகரத்தார்கள் சைவர்கள் என்பதால் திருமணத்திற்கு முன்பு தங்கள் குருபீடங்களில் உபதேசம் கேட்பது தங்களின் தலையாய கடமையாக கொண்டிருந்தனர் அப்போது ஆண்கள் அணியும் முக்கிய அணிகளில் இதுவும் ஒன்று. அன்றாடம் சிவபூசையின் போதும் பின் சாந்தி கலியாணத்தின் போதும்  தாய் தந்தையாரின் இறப்பின் போது அதுசார்ந்த சடங்கின் போதும் அணிந்து கொள்ளும் வழமையான அன்று நகரத்தார்கள் கொண்டிருந்தனர். கவுரி+சங்கரர் அதாவது அர்த்தநாரீஸ்வர தத்துவம் சிவன் மற்றும் சக்தியின் சேர்க்கையை சுட்டும் சொல். சிவசக்தியின் சேக்கையே உலகின் இயக்கமாக சைவர்கள் நம்புகிறார்கள் மேலும் இதன் அடிப்படையில் இவ்வகை உருத்ராட்சம் சக மனிதர்களுடனான உறவுகளை மேம்படுத்தும் திறன் மற்றும் இல்வாழ்க்கையினை மேம்பபடுத்தும் போன்ற நம்பிக்கைகள் உண்டு. இதன் காரணமாக நகரத்தார்கள் உருத்திராட்ச மாலையின் மையப்பகுதியில் சிவசக்தியின் உருவங்களை காட்ட முற்பட்டனர்.

கௌரிசங்கரம் என்பதே இதன் சரியான சொல்லாடல் இதனை சிவகண்டி என்றே அன்று நகரத்தார்கள் அழைத்து வந்துள்ளனர் காலபோக்கில் இச்சொல்லாடல் வழக்கொழிந்துவிட்டது. இந்த கௌரிசங்கத்தில்  உருத்திராட்சங்களை ஒன்றுடன் ஒன்றாக இணைக்கும் இணைப்புகள், தொங்கட்டான் மற்றும் கழுத்துபகுதியில் ஒரு தொங்கட்டான் போன்றவை தங்கத்தில் செய்து பயன்படுத்தியுள்ளனர் சிலர் தினபடி பயன்பாட்டிற்கு வெள்ளி மற்றும் செம்பிலும் செய்து உபயோகித்துள்ளனர் . தற்காலத்தில் சாந்தியின் போது வெள்ளியில் செய்து தங்க உலாம் பூசியும் பயன்படுத்துகின்றனர். இந்தத் தொங்கட்டானில்  முன்பகுதியில் பெரும்பாலும் இடபாருடர் எனும் இடப வாகனத்தில் சிவசக்தி சமேதராக அமர்ந்திருக்கும் வடிவம் பொறிக்கப்பட்டிருக்கும் அதன் கீழ்புறம் உள்ள குழியில் இருமுக உருத்திராட்சம் வைக்கப்பட்டு இருக்கும்.இதன் பின்புறம் நடராசர் சிவகாமி மற்றும் பிள்ளையார் முருகனின் உருவங்களை செதுக்கியிருப்பர்.ஆனால் முற்காலத்தில் பயன்பாடில் இருந்த கவுரிசங்கங்கள் முழுக்க முழுக்க இருமுக உருத்திராட்சம் கொண்டு செய்து அதில்  அம்ம்பாள் சிவபூசை , நடராசர் சிவகாமி , பாலமுருகன் , சண்முகர் போன்ற உருவங்களும் முன்பகுதியில் காட்டப்படும் வழக்கம் இருந்துள்ளது. இந்த கவரிசங்கத்தில் காணப்படும் நுண்ணிய வேலைப்பாடு செட்டிநாட்டு கம்மாளர்களின்  கலைத்திறனுக்கு ஒர் சிறந்த சான்றாகும்

வேணும் மலையாளத தொட்டியத்து கருப்பர் துணை

-- இராம.நா.இராமு இராமநாதன் 

Thiruvathavoor and Purushamirugam

Purusha mirugam was renowned as one of the biggest devotees of Lord Shiva.

As the name suggests, he was half man and half animal  with the lower body of a lion and a human often he is depicted with a bell and lamp in their hands, sometimes before a Shiva Linga. This depiction refers to the character of the purushamriga described in myth as a devotee of Shiva.

The sculptures of purusha miruga the character described in the tradition and literature as a rishi with great knowledge and as a devotee of Shiva. Often it's represented with beards and moustaches, and are sometimes shown with their matted hair knotted on top of their head, or with a crown.

The purushamriga plays a significant role in daily as well as yearly ritual of South Indian Shaiva temples. In the shodhasha- upakaara ( sixteen honors) ritual, performed between six times at significant sacred moments through the day, it decorates one of the lamps of the diparadhana or lamp ceremony. And in several shiva temples the purushamriga is also one of the vahana or vehicles of the deity during the processions of the Brahmotsava or festival.

 According to oral tradition the Nayaka dynasty had an exceptional relationship with the purusha miruga , which accounts for the prominent role this mythological being played in the sculpture of this period.  The ulagalantha chozlan pererii ( periya kanmai ) lake in thiruvathavoor dates back thousands of years and is said to have been constructed by Rajaraja 1, an emperor of the Chola dynasty. In the west of this greater lake we could see the nayaka period purusha miruga. It is worshipped as the guardian deity of shutter.

In times of no rain, people of the area believe that rain will come if they break 100 coconuts and pray to the purusha miruga.

The tradition recounts that the mother of Tirumalai Nayaka (who ruled between 1623 and 1659) performed a special worship of the purushamriga wishing to conceive. In the Kanya Kumari district, on the southernmost tip of India, during the night of Shiva Ratri devotees run 75 km while visiting and worshiping at twelve Shiva temples. This Shiva Ottam (or Run for Shiva) is performed in commemoration of the story of the race between the Purushamriga and Bhima, one of the heroes of the epic Mahabharata.

madurai koratham

Koratham is the chariot with a domb structure which is made of wood or silver and  is called as #koratham ( #Chariots pulled by bulls ).

In #Tanjore regions ( thiruvanaikoil, srirangam, mayavaram, thiruvidaimaruthur and kumbakonam etc ). In tanjore Brihadeshwara Temple we could see the 18 th century Mural of #Thanjavur Maratha Queen #SujanBai and in tanjore #Maratha king processions were we could the typical Tanjore Marathas style chariots. In certain southern region of tamilnadu we could see these similar koratham in madurai meenakshi amman temple and thiruchendur subramaniya swamy temple.

Sivaganga king Marutupandyar brothers made a koratham and it was donated to meenakshi amman temple. This chariot will be used yearly thrice.Gurupuja festival of Thirunnana Sambandhar who is the founder of Madurai Aadinam. This takes place on Moola Nakshatra Day of vaikasi month ( mid of may june )at the time the processional deity of sambandhar will be taken the mutt .During kolatta utsavam (mid of july and August ) & thailakappu utsavam ( mid of December and January ) we can see the processional Deity of meenakshi will be carried in chitrai veedhi.

In this pictures we could see the leaf spring #suspension system that has been used in Chariot . The purpose of a leaf spring is to provide support for a vehicle and it creates a smoother ride by absorbing any bumps or potholes in the road. Generally in marathas chariots we cant see this system from this now we could understand this chariot looks like a blended version of Marathas chariots and #chettinad chariot hope this shows the blend of the two chariot patterns.

-- Ramu. Rm.N

Bhisti & thopparai

Bhisti & thopparai

The word Bhisti is said to be derived from the Persian word bihisht  which means paradise. Bhisti is believed to be a water carrier from paradise who brings relief to the thirsty. A Bhisti can be identified as a person carrying upon his hip the entire skin of a goat the body and legs of which are sewn up the neck only being left open. The bag is known as a mussock (mashak) and could hold 30-35 litres of water. A strap is tied to both the hind and front of the water bag which stretches across his right shoulder the bag being on the left side. A stopper is placed in the mouth of the bag, which the carrier holds with his left hand. A cloth is worn about the loins, and his legs are bare to the ground. This profession has lasted into the 21st century although just barely newspapers report often on the last remaining Bhistis of Old Delhi hired mainly for ceremonial purposes attached to a dargah or cemetery, like the watering of graves.

In this collage we could see the similar water bags were made and used in chitirai thiruvila at Madurai,Tamilnadu. These bags were known as thopparai which means leather bags. It is customary for people to make vows to the deity during the festival every year and redeem it the next year. One such vow is to spray water using the thopparai. The art of making these goat skin bags are being mastered by about 200 families living in Kamarajar Colony in Kariapatti every year they were making ten thousand to twelvethousand bags for generations to spray water during the procession of Lord Kallazhagar near Meenakshi Templein Madurai.

Three months before the festival the villagers go to the local markets where goats are sold including Thirumangalam in Madurai and buy goat hides. It is then brought and cleaned, cured and the fur is removed from it. Then it is hammered to make it pliable and the irregular corners. are stitched together to make a bag. A long spout is fixed at one end and the people sling the bags over their shoulders and fill the bags with water and squirt it on the people who come to witness the festival and also the deity.

-- Ramu.Rm.N

#thandai ankle cuff

#thandai2

The ankle cuff ( #thandai ) has a prominent existence throughout history. According to shapes the name of the ankle cuffs will be varied. The beads in the ankle cuffs produces a delicate anklets that makes rhythmic #tinkle with every step. Its a common #jewelery used by both male and female from all cultures have adorned their ankles as indicators of wealth and social and marital status, as well as beautifiers. Hereditary chain anklets made with gold and diamonds were given to eligible people like nobles, village leaders, and landowners as a sign of special recognition. A wearer of such an anklet was entitled in court and exempt from custom duties, search and seizures, and the criminal process. Anklets were later adopted in silver and brass.

In this collage we could see the brass and silver tinkling leg cuffs were still used for infants throughout India and in the other hand we could see the similar golden cuffs ( thandai ) has been used for processional deities in tamilnadu. thandai were quit commonly used till early 20th century so from these pictured could understand the usage of anklets from deity to the common public is quite common and also similar pattern do exist for some centuries too.

--- Ramu. Rm.N

#comparison #jewelry #Indian_jewelry #continuation #ankle_rings #anklecuffs 

Aadiperuku #chapparathatti & #bangala rathyatra

The #Aadi_Perukku festival celebrated on 18th day of the Tamil month of Aadi ( july- August ) to welcome fresh waters into the rivers and canals was celebrated with religious fervour and enthusiasm by people in delta region of tamilnadu Attired in their best women visited bathing ghats along the Cauvery, #Kollidam and Grand Anicut canal in the delta districts and offered pujas to Mother #Cauvery. Youth and Children use took bath and enjoyed the fresh water in the rivers by jumping into it from bridges and bathing ghats. On this day those who got married recently offered special pujas at the river banks. Although most part of the rituals were oriented towards woman, boys too had their share of joy in the festivity.Children pulled #chapparams  (miniature chariots) made from discarded timber pallets carrying the images of Hindu gods and goddesses along the streets in their villages as part of the celebrations in Delta region especially in kumbakonam tanjore belts.

These toys were colloquially known as #sapprathatti which looks like a chariots. This toy car play ( #sapparam ) has a traditional continuity in Tamil literature. #Pillai_Tamil is a genre of tamil literature which celebrates the childhood of the hero or deity on whom it is being sung. This genre divides the period of childhood into 10 stages. The first seven stages Kappu, Senkeerai, Thalaatu, Chappaani, Mutham Ambuli and Varugai are the stages common to both male and female children. Last Three stages will be diffrent for boys, sittril, siruparai, #siruther. At the age of 21 months the child would play with a small chariot made of wood is know as Siruther Paruvam butGrammatical Commentary' states that this season occurs in the child's seventh year.Nowadays siruther were made in the form of #olaichapparam / #theruvadchan. However it would we could see this tradition is still preserved and exists in delta region.

In the other hand of this collage we could see similar tradition practice happening in West Bengal. Rathyatra is about a week-long festival large number of people gather at the time of yatra. #Rathyatra which is the third important festival in Bengal after #Durga_Puja and #Kali_Puja. #Rathyatra of West Bengal is the second oldest chariot festival in India after the Rathyatra of Puri. At Balaram mandir of Ramakrishna Mission the festival will be held in a grand manner. Every year thousands of devotees and monks used to pull the rath which had once pulled by Sri Ramakrishna.

The famous rathyatra festival of #Mahesh in #Hooghly district will be held with thousands of devotees used to gather to pull the ratha. This celebration mainly takes place in the months of June or July. During this festival time we could find toy chariots were sold at every street corner ahead of Rath Yatra in the west Bengal a week before the festival this time. The small, one- or two-storey chariots made of plywood, scrap-wood and colourful papers. Rath Yatra children in almost every neighbourhood are seen pulling the small chariots, accompanied by their grandparents or parents and friends. We could see this practice in Bangladesh hindu  villages too.

--- #Ramu.Rm.N

#Adukkupavadai

Adukkupavadai is a traditional costume used during the festival occasions at Srirangam #Namperumal  processional deity is used to adorn with precious jewelery, garlands and deities vechiles is adorned with beautiful sheets of colorful cloth and sarees tied at the top. We could witness this during the certain vechiles processes like Lion, horse, yali, elephant and swan. In the other hand we could see the similar costume have been used in Karnataka theaters arts like yakshagana.

The splendour of Yakshagana lies with the unusual costumes and make-up of the artistes. The smooth flow of heavy and gorgeous costumes testify to the stimulating power of this audiovisual medium.The traditional costume consists of a dhoti a pyjama a jacket and a loose gown. Depending upon the characters they increase the girth of the body with sheets of colorful cloth and sarees tied around worn is yellow and glittery in nature. The clothes are of deep red, green, yellow colour and have a shiny surface. Yakshagana is popular in the districts of Dakshina Kannada,  Kasaragod,  Udupi, Uttara Kannada, Shimoga and western parts of Chikkamagaluru.Towards the south from Dakshina kannada to Kasaragod of Tulu Nadu region the form of Yakshagana is called as Thenku thittu. In this collage we could see the #Bhoota_Kola ritual pictures were shown were could see the similar coustumes have been used. This rituval provides a magical insight into the world of spirits through a unique combination of colors, costumes, story-telling, dance, and music.

Yakshagana is related to other performance art forms prevalent in other parts of Karnataka and the neighbouring states of Andhra Pradesh, Kerala(kathakali), Tamilnadu( kattaikoothu/ #therukoothu ). During vijayanagar emperor Yakshagana shows were presented in the royal courts. Kandakuri Rudra Kavi who was one among the eight famous court poets of Krishnadevaraya of Vijayanagara composed the earliest Yakshagana work Surgriva Vijayamu. After the fall of the Vijayanagara Empire this tradition was patronised by the Nayaka kings of Madurai and Thanjavur particularly Vijaya Raghava Nayak of Thanjavur and Shahji of Maharashtra. Vijaya Raghava Nayak introduced a number of novelties to improve the tradition of Yakshagaana. From this we could understand that usage of Adukkupavadai is  due to vijayanagara influence and it still exist in #Srirangam temple procession.

-- Ramu.Rm.N

#Tradition #impacts #yakshagana #Adukkupavadai #srirangam #namperumal #rituals #Bhoota_Kola