 275 Saivite Temples of
India from the 7th-9th century ADTemplenet Special Feature 10/19/99 Templenet Archives
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 Introduction Paadal Petra Stalam (Shrines sung by the Nayanmars) A well kept secret The Nayanmars Geographical Disposition State of these temples today Templenet Layout The Future Dedication References Acknowledgements Introduction: The State of Tamilnadu boasts of a staggering number of temples that dot the skylines of its hamlets, towns and cities. 265 of these and 10 from the rest of the subcontinent form the focus of this bumper issue of Templenet. Paadal Petra Stalam: What sets these 275 odd shrines apart from the thousands of temples that constitute the backbone of the cultural heritage of India? The answer lies in the Tevaram hymns of the Nayanmar Saints of the 7th through the 9th centuries AD*, which speak of the existence of these temples during that phase in history which is well over 1200 years past – and in the Royal patronage extended to the preservation of traditions in these shrines for centuries together, even after the period of the origin of Tevarm hymns*. Each of these shrines is referred to as a Paadal Petra Stalam (Shivastalam). These 275 shrines have survived a history of more than 1200 years, and most of them are still vibrant centers of worship, art and culture. Little is known of such a grouping of temples to the outside world, leave alone India, or for that matter the Southern State of Tamilnadu – in whose language Tamil, the hymns speak of their glory*. About a dozen of these temples notably the tourist attractions such as Chidambaram, Madurai, Rameswaram, Kanchipuram, Tiruvanaikka, Tirukkazhunkunram, Tirunelveli, Kalahasti and Tiruvannamalai are well known to the general public. Recent interest in astrology has brought shrines such as Tirunageswaram, Tiruvenkadu and Kanjanur into prominence*. The vast majority of these 275 shrines remain largely unheard of, although several of them are vast structures, bearing witness to the patronage extended by the Pallavas, the Imperial Cholas, the Pandyas, the Marathas and the Nayak rulers of Tamilnadu*, and some were even silent witnesses to the Anglo French wars* that happened on Indian soil! Inscriptions carved in stone, that have survived the passage of time bear details of endowments made by the royal patrons, and also speak of the state of life during those periods in history*. Even greater, is the legacy in architectural monuments, lavishly decorated with sculptural wonders* (as in the musical pillars at Tirunelveli) and the myriad of stucco images that line the mammoth towers of these sprawling complexes – images representing legends from the colorful lore of the Indian Puranas (Puranas which constitute the shared legacy of the entire subcontinent, without particular reference to the Tamil speaking region), as well as legends specific to beliefs associated with particular temples. There is further the legacy left behind in terms of the exquisitely carved niche images of the Parivara Devatas and the bronze images of the festival deities both sets of which are considered to be objects of reverence; as well as the stone carved images that don the inner sancta of these temples. A well kept secret: However, by far, the greatest legacy that these temples speak of is what I refer to as India’s best kept secret. These temples represent a social movement in history, that has carefully preserved a grand tradition over a 1200 year period. 1. A tradition of grand festivals* celebrating existence itself – in synchronization with the movements of the earth and the moon with respect to the sun. 2. A tradition of an involved worship protocol which is amazingly common across almost all of these temples. 3. Adherence to protocol in the alignment of deities and various structures within the temple again exhibiting an amazing similarity across a relatively wide landscape (barring the temples of Vada Naadu, Tuluva Naadu and Malai Naadu). 4. A tradition that fostered music and dance*. Dance has been considered a form of worship service in several of these temples and no worship service is considered complete without the singing of the Tevaram hymns in their full splendor - (in fact it is the Tevaram hymns that are considered to have formed the basis of the developments in Karnatic music in the later half of this millenium*). In addition, musical instruments such as the nadaswaram played during festivals and worship services have carried on the tradition of classical music over time*. 5. A tradition of concern for societal well being* as evidenced from several of the inscriptions, as well as a concern for the maintenance of tradition in temples that did not enjoy patronage – as evidenced from inscriptions which speak of the collective contribution of two or more temples to provide for worship services in temples that lacked royal patronage. The Nayanmars: It is necessary to know of the Nayanmar saints and the Tevaram hymns before  undertaking a tour of the 275 shrines glorified by
the Tevaram. 62 saints who lived their lives, expressing their devotion to Shiva,
(considered to be one of the supreme manifestations of divinity and the most ancient of
Gods held in worship in the Indian tradition) were honored in Tirutondattogai*, a Tamil
work by Sundaramoorthy Nayanar, the 63rd of these saints in the famed Tyagaraja
temple at Tiruvarur. The lives of all 63 of these saints
were researched* , written and extolled in Sekkizhaa’rs epic work Periya Puranam,
later in the 12th century AD. It is this group of 63 saints that constitute the
Nayanmars and it is the foremost three of this group of saints that authored the bulk of
what we know today as Tevaram.
Tirugnanasambandar,
Tirunavukkarasar and Sundaramoorthy Nayanaar constitute the Tevaram trinity. Sambandar and
Appar lived during the age of resurgence of the Hindu religion amidst persecution by the
then fading Jain and Budhist faiths while Sundarar belonged to a later period. Sambandar ,
Appar and Sundarar undertook long pilgrimages visiting Shiva temples in existence then,
singing of their glory in chaste Tamil verse. Patikam is the word used to refer to the
collection of 10 or so verses that spoke of a temple. (More will be said about
Manikkavacakar the author of Tiruvacakam in a later issue of Templenet, although he
is commonly shown together with the other three).
It is believed that these
hymns went into oblivion and a part of them were later on discovered by Raja Raja Cholan*
in early 11th century AD, and were collated and classified by the revered
Nambiandaar Nambi of Tirunaaraiyur. What was discovered
by Raja Raja Cholan in the famed Chidambaram temple constitutes the first seven chapters of
the 12 Tirumurais the compendium of Tamil hymns used in worship in Saivite temples. The
275 odd shrines that have at least one patikam composed in their honor are referred to
commonly as Paadal Petra Stalams, or more generally Shivastalams. There are 249 other
Saivite shrines, referred to in the Tevaram, which do not bear a Patikam, and these are
referred to as Tevara Vaippu Stalams*. Please note that only 274 of the 275 shrines have
been traditionally referred to as Paadal Petra Stalams. The 275th,
Tiruvidaivaai was discovered only in 1917, with Sambandar’s patikam dedicated to it
engraved on its walls. This patikam is not a part of the works of Sambandar traditionally
associated with the Tamil tirumurais.
The fact that there are
several other Saivite shrines that  pre date the
Nayanmars, and that they have not been referred to in the Tevaram, may be attributed to
the possibility that the ‘lost’ portion of the works could have referred to
these shrines, Tiruvidaivai above very well being a point in illustration.
These patikams have been preserved and handed
over from generation to generation, and what we hear today of the hymns is the rendition
of these hymns from families trained in this art for generations together, the Oduvars.
Oduvars undergo a rigorous training before they set out to sing these hymns in temples
during worship services and processions.
Geographical distribution of these
temples: Now, where
are these Shivastalams located? 265 of the 275 Shivastalams are located in Tamilnadu
(including Pondicherry) and are distributed rather unevenly. Traditionally the entire
Tamil speaking region is classified into the Chola, Pandya, Kongu and
Tondai territories, with Nadu Naadu (the erstwhile North and South Arcot
districts) constituting the region between the Tondai and Chola territories. An
overwhelming bulk of these shrines (191) are located in the fertile Chola naadu
(Nagappattinam, Tiruvarur, Thanjavur and Tiruchirappali districts)irrigated by the Kaveri.
A disproportionate bulk of these (128) are located to the South of Kaveri. Only 14
Shivastalams are located in what is classified as Pandya Naadu (Madurai, Ramanathapuram,
Sivaganga, Karaikkudi, Tirunelveli. districts) and only 7 Shivastalams are located in
Kongu Naadu (Coimbatore, Karur, Tiruppur, Erode and Salem districts). Tondai Naadu
(Chennai and Chingleput districts) boasts of 32 Shivastalams, including the famed Sree Kalahasti temple in Andhra Pradesh.
The lone Shivastalam in
Kerala is Tiruvanjaikkalam near Kodungallur, while the one in
Karnataka is Gokarnam. Triconamalee
and Tirukketheeswaram are the 2 Shivastalams in Sri
Lanka. Sree Sailam is another of the Shivastalams in
Andhra Pradesh. Four of the Himalayan shrines have been sung by the Tevaram – Tirukkayilaayam (Mount Kailash), Kedarnath, Indraneela
Parvatam and Gowrikund. From the accounts of
Sekkizhaar, it is apparent that the travels of the Nayanmars were confined to the Tamil
region, and that Sambandar sang of the aforementioned shrines from Sree
Kalahasti, the northern most point of his travel.
State of these temples today: Given this background, let us take a look at some
of these Shivastalams as they exist today. Shrines such as Chidambaram,
Madurai, Tiruvannamalai
and Rameswaram are vast structures, that form the center
and the focal points of the temple towns that house them, and are very well visited and
well endowed. Tiru Mayilai – Kapaleeswarar Temple at
Mylapore, which is a recent structure built in lieu of the damaged ancient shrine
visited by Sambandar, is one of the prominent landmarks in Chennai* and it attracts vast
crowds during its biweekly Pradosham festival and during the famed Arupattumoovar
festival. On the other hand, some magnificient structures stand in total desolation as in
the case of Tirupaasoor Shivastalam near Tiruvallur just
outside of Chennai. A few other magnificient structures are in ruins as in Tiruvalanchuli near Kumbhakonam.
Two of the Shivastalams have been relocated (one near Sirkazhi and
the other which was submerged by the Poondy reservoir). Some of the 265 Shivastalams in
Tamilnadu are relatively small shrines as in the handful of shrines other than the Ekambreswarar temple at Kanchipuram, while a small handful of
the 265 Shivastalams are subsidiary shrines in famed temple complexes such as Tiruvarur and Tiruppugalur.
"The South is
Shiva’s own land" in the words of art historian Michael Wood*. It is a very
precious legacy that the Southern state of Tamilnadu has in its possession, what with
hundreds of thousand year old stone structures substantiated by the 1200 year old legacy
of grand Tamil verse and music, augmented with centuries of patronage of music and the
arts, celebrated with festivals and carnivals throughout the year.
Templenet
Layout: Templenet
is proud too present this great legacy to the world, through this special presentation on
the internet, where it takes readers on a journey to each of these 275 Shivastalams. You
may access the Shivastalams from the main menu which provides a listing based on the
traditional geographic classification, or from the menus that allow you to access
Shivastalams from the nearby tourist centers (in due course). Also watch out for weekly
features focussing on select groups of these temples such as the Veeratta Stalams,
the Vitanka Stalams and so on.
The
Future: A Tamil
version of this feature is to be produced shortly; watch out for details. Also,
‘Abodes of Shiva’ is set to be published as a book shortly. This book will serve
as a comprehensive guide to the 275 Shivastalams, and will feature several articles in
addition to those published on the internet. *A complete set of annotated references
related to Shivastalams will be listed in the book.
References: The information presented in this
website is a presentation of the author's ongoing research on Indian
Temples and is based on facts collected from various sources of references both in
English and in Tamil, and from personal accounts of travel to several of these
Shivastalams, and from personal conversations with the Sivacharyars, Oduvaars custodians
of these shrines and several others.A complete set of annotated references will be listed
in the book titled ‘Abodes of Shiva’ to be published shortly, by Templenet.
Acknowledgements: Of the several people whom I talked
to during my travels, mention must be made of the Sivacharyars at Tiruvalankadu, Takkolam, Mayiladuturai, Tiruvilanagar,
Tiruvarur, Sikkal, Nagappattinam, Tiruvannamalai
(Ramesh Gurukkal) , Madurai (Raju Bhattar); the Oduvaars
at Tirumayilai and Sikkal,
Sambamoorthy Sivacharyar of the Kalikambal temple at Chennai; the late Ganesa Gurukkal at
the Kachapeswarar temple, Chennai whose singing of the tamil hymns was a source of
inspiration during my high school days; temple guides at Tirunelveli,
Tiruvidaimarudur; local resident pilgrims at Kanchipuram, Tiruvothur;
Dr. Naa Mahalingam of Sakthi Sugars (especially for his granting permission to use
material from a number publications featuring him as the general editor), Mr .
Vaidyalingam – Tamil scholar (Tiruvanmyur), Dr.
Sirkazhi Sivachidambaram, and several others, conversations with whom inspired the creation of this book,
Ramani Akileswaran for his help with images, my parents for supporting and standing
behind this project and my wife Jayashree for her tireless work in helping create
the webpages.
Dedication Kanniks
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