Temples, Temples and Temples

[SwamiTaBra]

Share:

Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp Email Share Link

We were talking about energizing the idol. Another way of doing it is through installation of Yantras. A particular Yantra is installed and the deity is invoked through Pranaprathishta and Avahanam with a particular mantra. This mantra is called Moola Mantra. The Yantra and Moola Mantra differs from deity to deity. This especially true in the case of Devi temples. In some of the temples they also installed Jana Akarshana Yantra to draw the Public.

Sri Ramakrishna when asked about the worship of idols and need for the temples was to give the analogy of cow's blood and milk secretion.

Can it be considered apt?

Rgds.,

 

[happyhindu]

Smt. HH,

I have usually found that when you give the link to a particular page in googlebooks, it just does not make it available; will you kindly give, instead, the url for the front cover and then the page number to be referred to?

Sir it is page number 150 to 151 in the book “A Social History of India”.

I think you had broached this point (dasyu with Krishna as their leader) earlier also. I did not save that post. Can you give the link, pl.

It is on the thread in which I had Vivek and I had conversed. Am able to retrieve this related one from google search: http://www.tamilbrahmins.com/genera...on-interpretting-scriptures-10.html#post67058

But am not able to retrieve the exact post from google search, unless i go thru the thread again. Thankfully, i remember the sources i had used at that time. They are:

1) Page 25 of this book “Advanced history of ancient India” By Shiri Ram Bakshi: Advanced history of ancient India - Google Books

2) Page 35, 36, 39, 40 of this book “Racial Synthesis in Hindu Culture” By Sekharipuram Vaidyanatha Viswanatha: Racial Synthesis in Hindu Culture - Google Books

SV Viswanatha does differentiate between
(1) a non-aryan leader called krsna and;
(2) a sage called krsna who had a son called Vishvaka (who occurs in
a) RV.1.116: Rig Veda: Rig-Veda Book 1: HYMN CXVI. Aśvins.,
b) RV.1.117: Rig Veda: Rig-Veda Book 1: HYMN CXVII. Aśvins and
c) RV.8.074: Rig Veda: Rig-Veda, Book 8: HYMN LXXIV. Aśvins.)

I feel both authors, Bakshi and SV Viswanatha are actually referring to verses RV.8.96.13 to RV.8.96.15. Bakshi translates the said verses as the fleet of Krishna on the banks of Amsumati (Yamuna), destroyed by Indra and Brihaspati and their men.

But the verses in Sanskrit from RV 8.96 have nearly disappeared on the internet. Even sacredtexts.com is providing the verses only until RV.8.92: Rig Veda: Rig-Veda, Book 8: Rig-Veda, Book 8 index and the subsequent verses have been removed.

With some difficulty i was able to identify the verses from totalbhakti.com as below: Sacred Texts, Download Religious Texts, SAMA VEDA, YAJUR VEDA, ATHARVA VEDA, RIG VEDA, SUKTAM, AARTI, NAMAVALI, SUNDERKAND, CHALISA, MANTRA - totalbhakti.com

अव दरप्सो अंशुमतीमतिष्ठदियानः कर्ष्णो दशभिः सहस्रैः |
आवत तमिन्द्रः शच्या धमन्तमप सनेहितीर्न्र्मणा अधत्त ||
दरप्समपश्यं विषुणे चरन्तमुपह्वरे नद्यो अंशुमत्याः |
नभो न कर्ष्णमवतस्थिवांसमिष्यामि वो वर्षणो युध्यताजौ ||
अध दरप्सो अंशुमत्या उपस्थे.अधारयत तन्वं तित्विषाणः |
विशो अदेवीरभ्याचरन्तीर्ब्र्हस्पतिना युजेन्द्रः ससाहे ||

ava drapso aṃ[FONT=&quot]śumatīmati[/FONT]ṣṭ[FONT=&quot]hadiyāna[/FONT]ḥ[FONT=&quot] k[/FONT]ṛṣṇ[FONT=&quot]o daśabhi[/FONT]ḥ[FONT=&quot] sahasrai[/FONT]ḥ[FONT=&quot] |[/FONT]
āvat tamindraḥ[FONT=&quot] śacyā dhamantamapa snehitīrn[/FONT]ṛ[FONT=&quot]ma[/FONT]ṇ[FONT=&quot]ā adhatta ||[/FONT]
drapsamapaśyaṃ[FONT=&quot] vi[/FONT]ṣ[FONT=&quot]u[/FONT]ṇ[FONT=&quot]e carantamupahvare nadyo a[/FONT]ṃ[FONT=&quot]śumatyā[/FONT]ḥ[FONT=&quot] |[/FONT]
nabho na kṛṣṇ[FONT=&quot]amavatasthivā[/FONT]ṃ[FONT=&quot]sami[/FONT]ṣ[FONT=&quot]yāmi vo v[/FONT]ṛṣ[FONT=&quot]a[/FONT]ṇ[FONT=&quot]o yudhyatājau ||[/FONT]
adha drapso aṃ[FONT=&quot]śumatyā upasthe.adhārayat tanva[/FONT]ṃ[FONT=&quot] titvi[/FONT]ṣ[FONT=&quot]ā[/FONT]ṇ[FONT=&quot]a[/FONT]ḥ[FONT=&quot] |[/FONT]
viśo adevīrabhyācarantīrbṛ[FONT=&quot]haspatinā yujendra[/FONT]ḥ[FONT=&quot] sasāhe ||[/FONT]

I would say "we are born from both those who worshipped the natural elements and also those native people who worshipped their tribal, totemic, gods due to intermixing." Will you disagree?

I agree with you completely sir.


Regards.

 

[sangom]

Smt. HH,

Thank you. I am now able to view the googlebook page.

 

[Nacchinarkiniyan]

Sri Ramakrishna when asked about the worship of idols and need for the temples was to give the analogy of cow's blood and milk secretion.

Can it be considered apt?

Rgds.,

I searched for the relevant sayings of Sri. Ramakrishna. I am not able to locate it. Could you post the exact saying and the source?

Thank you.

 

[Nacchinarkiniyan]

This is what Sri Ramakrishna said about temples.

Disciple: When there is brahman (God) everywhere why should we worship in temple?

Sri.Ramakrishna: Not every one can feel the presence of God every where. A cow gives us milk, but that comes out only from its teats. Though the cow has blood and milk, milk must come out through its teats. Like wise god's power is revealed though specific sanctified spots like temples.

Thanks to SwamiTaBra.

 

[Nacchinarkiniyan]

The history of temples is a bit boring to say the least.

For a change let us share unknown information about different temples. I will resume the history later.

Visalakshy temple In Varanasi.

Kanchi Kamakshi, Madurai Meenakshi and Kasi Visalakshi is an old Tamil saying.

Imagine my surprise when I visited Kasi about 30 years back. I inquired about Visalakshi temple. No one knew. Then some one asked"Do you mean the Nattukkottai chetti temple?". I said Yes thinking that I could at least check up there. We reached the temple through incredibly dirty lanes. It was a small temple with Tamil Nadu architecture. I saw a Tamil Sasthirigal. I was shocked when he confirmed that this is the Visalakshi temple. He told us that it is called Nattukkottai chetti temple because it was established by them.

Today the temple has been renovated and the lanes are not that filthy. Still filthy no doubt. Now some people know it as Visalakshi temple. The Nattukottai Chetti name seems to have disappeared. Only South Indian devotees.

Two of the old books on Banares are considered to be authoritative. Banares : The Sacred City. Sketches Of Hindu Life And Religion With Many Illustrations by E. B. Havell. Published in 1905, and another Banares, The Sacred City of the Hindu in Ancient and Modern Times by M.A. Sherring. Published in 1868. Both these books do not mention the Visalakshi temple. Of course there are thousands of temples in Banares. But I thought Visalakshi temple was ancient.

In Banares today Annapurna temple is considered to be holiest next only to Viswanath temple. I will post about this temple later. Visalakshi as consort of Shiva is almost unknown to the local people.

 

[Nacchinarkiniyan]

Please keep propaganda for Godmen out of this thread.

Sri. KRS please delete the above posts.

 

[Haridasa Siva]

The history of temples is a bit boring to say the least.

For a change let us share unknown information about different temples. I will resume the history later.

Visalakshy temple In Varanasi.

Kanchi Kamakshi, Madurai Meenakshi and Kasi Visalakshi is an old Tamil saying.

Imagine my surprise when I visited Kasi about 30 years back. I inquired about Visalakshi temple. No one knew. Then some one asked"Do you mean the Nattukkottai chetti temple?". I said Yes thinking that I could at least check up there. We reached the temple through incredibly dirty lanes. It was a small temple with Tamil Nadu architecture. I saw a Tamil Sasthirigal. I was shocked when he confirmed that this is the Visalakshi temple. He told us that it is called Nattukkottai chetti temple because it was established by them.

Today the temple has been renovated and the lanes are not that filthy. Still filthy no doubt. Now some people know it as Visalakshi temple. The Nattukottai Chetti name seems to have disappeared. Only South Indian devotees.

Two of the old books on Banares are considered to be authoritative. Banares : The Sacred City. Sketches Of Hindu Life And Religion With Many Illustrations by E. B. Havell. Published in 1905, and another Banares, The Sacred City of the Hindu in Ancient and Modern Times by M.A. Sherring. Published in 1868. Both these books do not mention the Visalakshi temple. Of course there are thousands of temples in Banares. But I thought Visalakshi temple was ancient.

In Banares today Annapurna temple is considered to be holiest next only to Viswanath temple. I will post about this temple later. Visalakshi as consort of Shiva is almost unknown to the local people.

We visited Varanasi in 2009 and we also found it difficult to locate Visalakshi temple. The condition has not changed much from what you have described (30 years back).

 

[Nacchinarkiniyan]

Thank you, Haridasa Siva.

We go to Varanasi every year. Stay there for 7 to 10 days and recharge our Spiritual batteries.

 

[kunjuppu]

Thank you, Haridasa Siva.

We go to Varanasi every year. Stay there for 7 to 10 days and recharge our Spiritual batteries.

good stuff nacchi.

the only problem i have there is how filthy the place is. especially the old varanasi, near the ghats, with those old houses with bay windows hanging over the streets. these, if clean, could match any of those medieval european towns in beatuy, charracter and (ofcoursse) history.

instead there is the ever pervading stink, cow dung all over and the presence of those bovines all over. can they not move all the cows toa GO shala or something. as a sociorelitio cultre, we are nuts. what spirituality i hoped got soon washed away by the filth and the greed of the ganapaadigals.

the most peaceful experience was sailing in the ganga. we were there for 4 hours, under the sunlight, and (dangerous) cooking rice pindams in a primus oopen faced stove. one tilt, and yours truly would not have been here to present the public with these posts

 

[Nacchinarkiniyan]

Evolution of various Non_Puranic Deities.

Deities and temples arose when men sought protection against wild animals, natural calamities and diseases.

Thus we find Manasa Devi who is the snake Goddess. Nagamma or Nagamman.

Vasuri amman, Plague amman. Cholera amman were all known. I read somewhere about HIV amman recently. They were all for protection against Small Pox, chicken pox, measles etc. She is called Shithala Devi in the north and east. Shithal means cool. They adorn the front door of the house with neem laves to indicate that some one in the house has these diseases. Sithala Devi's festival comes around the time when these diseases break out after summer. There were temples for plague amman and Cholera amman. They have all become Sithala or Mariamman now.

We have a number of Deities like Masani Amman, Pidari Amman, Angala Parameswari, Thulukanathamman (Renuka devi), Ellai amman and so many others. Masani is derived from Smasana.

Some of them Like Vasavi amman, Soudambika are deities of a particular community.

Vasavi Kanniga Parameswari who is the Kula Devata for Arya Vysyas and other Telugu people has an interesting history. You can read it here.

Vasavi Kanyaka Parameshwari - History

Sowdeswari or Sowdambika is the Kula Devata of Telugu/Kannada Devangar community.

You could consider Lalitha Tripura Sundari (Raja Rajeswari) as a Kula Devata of the South Indian Brahmins.

There are temples for Kateri Amman in Trinidad and Tobago in the West Indies. The descendents of the Tamilians who went to the sugar plantations as labour during the British days worship her though they have forgotten Tamil.

We have the village deities who protect the village. We call them Kaval Dheivams. Madan, Ayyanar, Karuppana Sami, Madurai Veeran and others. These deities are for protection of the village. These Kaval Dhaivams could be traced to the hero stone worship of the early Tamils. We know the legend of Madurai Veeran which was made into a movie with MGR as Madurai Veeran. Madan is generally represented by a block of stone which is similar in apperance to the old hero stone. These deities have temples at the boundaries of the village.

Sastha was also a Kaval Dhaivam. We have Sastha temples only at the end of the village.

The origin of Ayyappan could be traced to the Kaval Dhaivams of Pandi Nadu. I will devote one post to Ayyappan and Sastha later.

Many of the Deities have a legend or history. We know about the legend of Madurai Meenakshi. A Pandyan Princess with three breasts who was told that she would lose her third breast when she marries Shiva. She fought with Shiva and married him.

Such interesting legends/stories are there for many deities. I will post some of them.

Please post the legends/stories you know about the origin of different Deities. But not Sthala Purana.

 

[Nacchinarkiniyan]

An incident which reveals the conflict of interest in the worship of a power/deity.

A Hindu organization in Hawaii that spent the last 22 years worshiping the healing stone of Wahiawa were dissapointed that the stone has been removed by its traditional worshippers. The stone had been seen as sacred by two distinct religious cultures, one Hindu and the other traditional Hawaiian. Over the years the Hindu devotees built a temple for the sacred stone and observed Hindu worship rituals with large groups of devotees.

In recent years the traditional Hawaiian worshipers became unhappy with the Hindu rituals, which they felt offended the sacred stone. They wanted the stone to be left in the open, so that the sun and rain would fall on it, but Hindus built a temple, covering it from the sky. Also they objected to the Hindu's worship ritual of abhishekam, where diferent liquids such as milk and yoghurt are poured over the sacred stone.

At one point a compromise had been made between the two religious groups, but now that seems to have come to an end. The traditional Hawaiian worshippers have taken the stone away from the land it had been on for decades. The move happened quite suddenly, as people holding the lease on the land received permission from the land owners to relocate the sacred stone to another location. It appears the reason is because they did not like the Hindu rituals being used to worship the sacred stone.

From.

Sacred Hawaiian Shivalinga Taken Away by Traditional Worshippers

The original Newspaper article with photographs.

Storied stone taken away - Hawaii News - Staradvertiser.com

 

[sangom]

An incident which reveals the conflict of interest in the worship of a power/deity.



From.

Sacred Hawaiian Shivalinga Taken Away by Traditional Worshippers

The original Newspaper article with photographs.

Storied stone taken away - Hawaii News - Staradvertiser.com

This is an example of how the Tabras could have taken away many of the places of worship of native folks in the ancient as well as historical past. Ayyappa is probably the latest IMO. Because of the improved governments and legal systems, perhaps the Hawaaiians could repossess the stone but our indigenous tribes/groups lost for ever!!

 

[Brahmanyan]

Perungalur

I give a brief account of Temple of our Kula Deivam at Perungalur.

Perungalur is a beautiful village, rather a small town, situated at about 18 Kms. from Pudukkottai on the Tanjavur-Pudukkottai State highway. There is a small river by name "Agniyaaru" runs by the side of this village. Historically this place has changed hands between the Kingdoms of Tanjore and Sethupathis of Pudukkottai often and ultimately joined with Thondaimandalam.

Perungalur is noted for its temples. The main temple here is for Lord Siva and his consort, known as "Vamsodhdharakar" and "Mangalambikai". This temple has an interesting story behind it. Kulothunga Chola -Third, of Chola dynasty who did not have children offered prayers for progeny, before Lord Siva for continuance of his dynasty. In response to his prayers Lord told him to install a Siva Linga facing east and another facing west and continue his payers to them. The Temple where the Deity is facing west is in Perungalur.
In due course Lord answered his prayers and blessed him with children to continue his dynasty.
Thus the Deity here is called "Vamsodhdharakar" meaning "perpetuater of dynasty".
This famous Temple is situated on the eastern side of a tank-bund. This tank is quite a large one. If we come to this tank bund, we are taken back to 40-50 years. It is so peaceful here with only sound of the chirping of the birds and the noise of the leaves of Arasu Trees fluttering in the cool wind around the lake. It is an experience of peace and tranquility.

In between the Temple and the Tank there is a Vanni Tree,underneath the same idols of Vinayakar, Naagar and Ayyanar are installed. In the outer Prakaram of the Temple another "Vinayakar" known as "Khshema Pillayar" (one whoblesses wellbeing) has a Sannadhi, also there are Sannadhis for Murugar, Dhakshinamoorthy,Durga, Chandikeswarar and Bhairavar. There are separate Sannadhis for the main deity "Vamsodhdharakar" in the form of Linga facing west and Goddess Mangalambikai the Amman is facing south in the Main Temple.

The Temple festivals take place in the Tamil Months of Vaikasi (April-May) and Aadi (July-August) for ten days. People from villages around Perungalur also join the locals during this period to arrange for the celebrations. The entire village is decorated in a big way for the festivals. There is an unique custom here.At the end of the festival the locals give Thamboolam to out side Villagers as a mark of conveying thanks to them for their help.

Apart from the Siva Temple there is a Temple for Ayyappan named "Malayamarungar" and an Ayyanar temple called "Urumunathar"in Perungalur. "Malayamarungar (Malayappan) is considered a powerful God. The Poojaris who perform Pooja in this Temple are called "Padimathar". "Urumunathar" temple is situated little farther away from the other two temples. Some restrictions like that of in Sabarimalai are applicable to ladies in this Ayyanar temple of "Urumunathar". Till recently the first son in our family was named Malayappan or Hariharan.

Perungalur temples are considered powerful and respected as family deities by many Brahmin families including ours. The devotees of these temples follow some special rituals. The devotees take bath in the Temple tank and proceed on in their wet garments to offer three handful of paddy and a rupee to each Deity in the temples.

During my visit to various villages in Tanjore district, I found Ayyanar Temples in the outskirts of many villages I saw. And they were being worshiped by all communities. As for our family is concerned, we are not sure from where our ancestors migrated first. The Poojari at Perungalur claims that most of the Brahmin devotees of his temple were migrants from Malayala desam. There is nothing to support this except some old hand written account.

Perungalur is the native place of the famous Tamil writer "Akilan" (P.V.Akhilandam). who is also the first Jnanpeeth awardee for Tamil.

Perungalur still remains a peaceful village without the shadow of the present world of speed. Why don't you go and enjoy the cool wetness of our Tank and take the blessings of our powerful family deity "Vamsodhdharakar" once?



Brahmanyan,
Bangalore.

 

[Nacchinarkiniyan]

This is an example of how the Tabras could have taken away many of the places of worship of native folks in the ancient as well as historical past. Ayyappa is probably the latest IMO. Because of the improved governments and legal systems, perhaps the Hawaaiians could repossess the stone but our indigenous tribes/groups lost for ever!!

Why blame only Tamil Brahmins? It was done all over India.

This is how Hinduism grew. By acceptance/absorption. Hinduism not only took over the temples of the tribals but also absorbed many of their beliefs and practices. Tribal deities are the main stay of Sakthism. Almost every Deity is of tribal origin. They are Non-Vedic. Even Krishna and Shiva worship can be traced to our tribal roots.

We are all tribals in origin. We still exhibit many of the behavioral patterns of tribes.

 

[Nacchinarkiniyan]

Evolution of deities - Kerala

Thank you, Brahmanyan.

Let us catch up with why and how the deities were evolved.

When the Brahmins came upon the Deities of the indigenous people, they were faced with some problems. In most cases the Deity did not have a name. Even when when it had a name, it was local and could not be identified with any of the existing Deities of Hinduism.

They could either change the name or identify the Deity as one of their existing Puranic goddesses.

In Kerala they chose a generic name Bhagavathy which is the female form of Bhagavan. The only other state where a deity is called Bhagavathy is Assam. Thus we have Chottanikara Bhagavathy, Manappully Kavu Bhagavathy, Kodungallur Bhagavathy and so on. The name of the place with Bhagavathy added on to it. The exact name of the deity is not known in many cases.

Most of the deities were identified as Bhadrakali or Kali.

Bhadrakali - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bhadrakali is not a form of Kali, but an independent deity.

The worship of Bhadrakali is closely associated with the traditional folk arts of Kerala.

1. Theyyam
2. Theeyattu
3. Patayani
4. Poothanumthirayum
5. Mudiyettu
6. Kuthiyottam
7. Kettukazcha

Now most of us think that the Namboodiris are the priests of all the temples of Kerala. This is not true. In fact most of the temple priests are Ezhavathy, Potti, and Embranthiris. The last two are originally from Karnataka. They were accorded a secondary status by the Namboodiris. But they were not allowed to learn the Vedas. Ezhavathy are supposed to be from Tamil Nadu. The priests of the Kodungalloor are from the Adikas (Madhu Brahmins) caste. They eat meat.

Ezhavathy : Reference (The Full Wiki)

Nambudiri : Wikis (The Full Wiki)

Kuruppanmar : Wikis (The Full Wiki)

Please take these claims with a barrel full of salt.

In Kerala the Namboodiris were known for Mantrikam or use of Mantra yoga for worldly purposes. This was one way of exercising control over people.

Many of the local deities were associated with Mantrikam. Kali is the main deity of Mantra Yoga. The later aversion to Bhadrakali and Kali could have been because of their old association with Mantrikam.

But without further research we can not be sure.

The latest trend is to associate all Goddesses with Lalitha Tripura Sundari or Rajarajeswari though there is not even a single old temple for Lalitha anywhere in Kerala.

It started when the Brahmins installed Sri Yantra and Mahameru inside the old temples like Kodungalloor Bhagavthy temple which is a Kannagi temple.

I will cover this change in the mode of worship in detail later.

 

[kunjuppu]

nacchi,

in my native town (vadakara in north malabar) the reigning deity is kottakkal bhagavathi.

 

[Nacchinarkiniyan]

Thank you, Kunjuppu. Any interesting story about Kottakkal Bhagavathi?

One I was in Kozhikode in Sivarathri day. I asked a local person about the prominent Shiva temples there. His question floored me. He asked "Do you want a Brahmin Shiva, Nair Shiva or Ezhava Shiva?"

He explained that there were three prominent temples. One in Tali which is associated with the Zomorin kings. This is the Brahmin Shiva. Then there is one which was founded by a Nair tharavad. This is the Nair Shiva. And then the one temple established by Sri Narayana Guru at the time when the Ezhavas were denied entry into temples run by Nairs and Brahmins. Here the priest is an Ezhava.

He also told me the the devotees visiting these temples were from these castes.

I did not know whether to laugh or cry.

Of course I visited all the temples.

We see this often. A temple is promoted by a particular community and becomes associated with that community. The Kalikambal temple in Thambu Chetty street, Madras is associated with the Viswa karma (Achari) community.

 

[Haridasa Siva]

When I was in Madurai, the nearby temple was a Hanuman temple. The priest in that temple was from Madhwa Brahmin community. So, the Hanuman sported a sandal paste tilak on his forehead. But the Hanuman in Nunganallur and many other places has a naamam on his forehead because the priests belong to Vaishnav community. You would have observed that the deity in temples with Brahmin priests would have panchakachcham while it is not the case with other temples.
I think humans see God as another being albeit with “supreme powers”. They feel strongly abut their customs, practices and beliefs and apply the same to “their” God.

 

[kunjuppu]

nacchi,

so sooo many years ago. my physical presence with vadakara ceased 1966 with the demise of my grandparents.

the tali siva temple i have been there. if i remember right there is a brahmana samooha madam, where i have marriage, pponal functions. at that time it was rented out only to brahmins and the rental fee was next to nothing. i had relatives living in two separate agraharams in tali. not sure if these still exist, considering that they were in the city centre of kozhikode.

re the bhagavathi temple of vatakara: i only remember the talipoli function which was an annual function of malayali maidens in front of the bhagavathi, and one is expected for some devottee to get into a trance (komaram elagarathu). to me this komaram was the most exciting feature and would go only to watch it. though my grandmother used to caution me against getting 'too involved' with malayali culture.

having distant roots in palakkad, and more immediate roots in north malabar, i am now looking back dispassionately about my family's concept of self identity . to the tamils of madras, we were proud keralites. my grandmother taught me malayalam, insisting that it was my mother tongue. she used to spread sand on the ground and trace the alphabets with my fingers - the idea being that with the drawn bruise, the language would be imprinted forever in my body (& soul?). but we subscribed to kalki, kumudam & vikatan, from which my mom learned tamil !!

we participated in all keralite festivals - onam was more elaborate than pongal anyday. we went to non brahmin temples with as much respect as those with brahmin priests. guruvayoor was ofcourse on top of the list. but the annual kalpathi ther was an important event for grandparents and would visit it regularly.

the other temple in vadakara, where regularly prayers were offered and nei payasam delivered home by the namboodir chekkan was ofcourse lokanar kaavu'. the kavu had ofcourse sivan, bhagavathy & vishnu, and a namboodri priest.

wikpedia has an interesting write up about the kaavu.

Lokanarkavu Temple - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

sorry for the wrong ramble. your query just triggered some long dormant memories

 

[Nacchinarkiniyan]

Pathala Bhairavi Temple

Thank you, Kunjuppu.

This thread is all about temples. I have been to the Lokanarkavu temple. Have you been to the Mutthappan temple where you offer toddy, alcohol, grilled dry fish and meat?

Liquor as offering and divine counselling in Kerala temple - Express India

There is a Kala Bhairava temple in Ujjain where you offer Liquor to Bhairava.

Kal Bhairav Temple, Ujjain Ujjain Blogs, Ujjain Trip, Ujjain Travelogue

But the most strange temple is the Pathala Bhairavi temple in the same compound.

There is a hole in the ground. You have to crawl through it. After a couple of yards of crawling you drop down to a big underground hall where there is a Murthi of Kali. Many people do not dare to crawl through the hole. It was a tight fit for me.

Remember the movie "Pathala Bhairavi" in Tamil based on the name of this deity.

Ujjain and its temples figure prominently in the Tales of Vikramadhitya. Yes. Vikramadhitya and Vethal and also the story of the 32 statues which stand on 32 steps to the throne.

 

[kunjuppu]

nacchi,

no, i have not been to mutthappan temple. as stated earlier, my connections with vadakara ceased 1966 with demise of my maternal grand parents.

a visit is long overdue. i still have relatives there, who would only be too glad to host me and take me around.

their own relationship to the kerala culture was one of mixed attitudes; they considered nairs and nambiars equals, while the maid who was a chali (ezhava) was treated with second class kindness (separate plate, glass and above all, only kanji vellam with green chili & salt for breakfast). looking at it, from this distance, i cannot but help at wondering at the inbuilt inequality of those times, and how the victims meekly accepted it. in that context i am glad of the dravidian revolution.

pathala bhairavi - remember seeing it as a child in chitra talkies, madras

 

[Nacchinarkiniyan]

Temples, their status in law, ownership, HRCE

Now we will discuss the organization of the temples in general, their status in law, the HRCE, its genesis and other related developments.

I will illustrate these points with two cases of temples from Maharashtra and West Bengal.

The quotes are mostly from Supreme Cout judgements.

Temples were constructed by the Kings because it was considered a pious act. It was also considered a sacred duty. Temples were also constructed/expanded as part of draught relief programs to provide employment to people. They were used as granaries to store food grains. They were also useful as flood shelters. Some were even converted to Armouries and some temples have secret passages to enable the King to escape at the time of need.

These temples which were constructed with public money were considered public temples which were open to all. The Kings had their own private temples for their exclusive use. Private individuals/institutions also constructed their own temples.

So there existed two set of temples. One public and one private.

The ownership of the public temples was/is with the public.

“In a public temple, the installed idol itself is held to be the temple’s legal owner, and the beneficiaries—those to whom the endowment is dedicated—are the general public. In a private temple, the owner is the individual who endowed the idol, and the beneficiaries are the family members.”

For both public and private, ownership of endowed property reside in the idol and profits go the institution. The identities of beneficiaries and direction of dedication are the only differences legally; but for practical purposes, the difference is a private idol owner can make a profit.

The Kings could not manage the temple themselves. So they entrusted the temple to either an institution or a group/family.

For example Brahadeeswara temple was constructed by Rajaraja Chola. It came under the Maratha kings later. They appointed Trustees to look after it.

The Atheenams did not construct the temples which they controlled. They were only given the right to manage these temples.

These kind of gifts by Kings and other rich people is called endowment. An Endowment is Public when it is made to a public institution like a temple.

The temple is managed by a trust. A Public Trust. The trustees can sell the properties of the temple.

The right to appoint institutions like adheenams/maths to manage the temple rested with the King and later the Government of India as successors to the Kings. There have been many cases where the institutions using their position and influence have wrested control from the Archaka families.

The kings made grants of land. The income from these lands were for maintaining the temples. But for many temples the income was not sufficient . We will go into reasons later. So the Kings also made annual grants to those temples whose income was not sufficient for maintaining them.

The British continued this practice. The religious groups in England protested their government’s involvement in non-Christian institutions which included payments to temples.

Most of the temples were mismanaged to say the least over centuries.

The Kalighat Kali temple is centuries old. It was established by a sadhu in the middle of a jungle by installing a swayambhu murti. He entrusted the temple to a Brahmin family at the time of his death. That Brahmin family/clan still controls the temple. The present temple building was constucted by one Sabarna Roy Chowdhury (a Brahmin) family of Banisha in 1809.

In 1698, the East India Company bought three villages (Sutanuti, Kalikata and Gobindapur) from the same family. That is the origin of Kokata.

Later the descendents of Sabarna Roy Chowdhury family claimed ownership of the temple. The case went to upto the Supreme court which decided that the original Brahmin clan has the ownership right. This is in confirmation of the principle that any endowment to a public temple by an individual or group of persons does not transfer the ownership.

Now this family has mismanaged/continues to mismanage the temple. But some time in the 1950s a devotee went to the court complaining that even regular pujas were not being conducted. The court ordered a committee to be formed with members of the public and the original owners to mange the temple. But things have not improved.

West Bengal Government wanted to give 10 crores to the temple for its improvement. The Brahmin clan was not interested because they thought it would dilute their control. Because of a public furore and government pressure they accepted the grant and made some improvements in the temple.

The management is a disgrace and a blot on Hinduism. South Indian devotees who visit the temple often wonder why the government has not taken over the temple. They are all for it. But the West Bengal Government will never do it. It is only pumping money into the temple which is being misused for individual gains.

I will post this in a number of posts so that the members can read and understand the purport of the post.

(To be continued)

All quotes are from the book “Recognition and Legislation of private religious endowments in Indian law” by Michael C. Baltutis.

 

[Nacchinarkiniyan]

At this point of time it would be appropriate to see what constituted the wealth of the temple. How this wealth was mismanaged by the management over a period of centuries even before the British set foot in India.

The wealth of the temple over the centuries consisted of Land holdings and Jewellery. Kings and other patrons donated land and also gifted Jewellery.

The famous temple of Vajreswari (Maa Taara) in Kangda, Himachal Pradesh was of such legendary wealth thet every invader worth his salt took time to sack it. Mohammed of Gazni carted off a fabulous fortune in god, silver and jewellery in 1009 A.D. In 1360 it was again plunderd by Tuglak. Still it was able to recover and in Jehangir's reign it was paved with plates of pure silver. Unfortunately the earth quake on April 4, 1905 totally destroyed the temple. It has been rebuilt.

We all know about the sacking of Somnath temple.

But one question arises in our minds. Were the temples as rich as it is written in legends? I think there has been considerable exaggeration about the wealth. However it is true that considerable wealth in Gold, Silver and Jewellery were looted. This shows that the temples had accumulated Gold, Silver and jewellery over the years.

Now we come to the crux of the matter. Temples did not have any record of the Gold, Silver and Jewellery. So any loss over a period of time went unnoticed.

To quote a recent example, in Kalighat temple, about four years back a devotee covered the four arms of the Deity with gold plates. The devotee's name was not revealed at his request. Then some of the old residents told me that these hands were covered with gold plates earlier, but no one knew when the gold plating was stripped. Temples did not have any record of the jewellery. So no one would even know if some jewellery disappeared.

Now we come to land holdings. Kings and donors gifted land to the temples. The land consisted both of irrigated/cultivated fields and uncultivated lands. The income from the cultivated lands was to go towards the maintenance of the temple. The cash collection was either non-existent or very poor.

These cultivated lands were given on lease to various persons for cultivation. Even in the case of Lands there were very few records. The only records were the inscriptions in stone.

In Tamil Nadu and other states the temples owned extensive cultivated lands and urban property. For example it was discovered some years back that almost the entire city of Vishakapatnam belonged to the Simhachala temple. In Madurai the temple owned large part of lands in Madarai town. In a place like Palakkad the entire village of Tharakad once belonged to the Tharakad temple. I was once negotiating to buy a large piece of land in rural Tamil Nadu. Then we discovered that the entire land belonged to one of the Atheenams.

The allocation of land to the tenants was done by the management of the temple. Wholesale favoritism and nepotism took place during this procedure. The community to which the management belonged were given priority. Even stone inscriptions were changed.

Now most of the tenants were paying only a nominal rent. Even that was not paid for years. Land was occupied with the help of the management with no record of any transfer.

Now there are there groups involved in the running of the temple.

1. Priests.

2. The managements. Dharmakartha and committees, Atheenams, Maths, Mahants and others.

3. The King or the government.

The Brahmin priests were not in charge of the management. They were mere employees. Many of the Maths controlling the temples and Mahants were Brahmins. Priests owned very few temples in India.

In Tamil Nadu most of the temples are owned by the Atheenams. The Sivacharyas/Kurukkals are only employees. This truth was brought home to me when I visited a famous temple of Tamil Nadu in the early 70s. The temple was one in which you could drive a car almost upto the entrance. When we got out of the car, two persons came running. One the priest of the temple and another person who was not a priest. The other person asked us whether we have come to see the atheenam. Before that he called the priest bad names and asked him to get lost.

We told the other person that we have come to visit the temple. He disappeared immediately. Then we asked the priest who he was? We were informed that he was the Driver of the Atheenam.

The Sivacharya/Gurukkal community are the priests of most of the temples in Tamil Nadu. They are the poorest of tamil Brahmins. I am shocked that in spite of knowing very well that the Sivacharya/Gurukkal community has not become rich, some of our members continue to argue that Priests of tamil nadu have robbed the temples.

It may be true of other states, but definitely not Tamil Nadu.

The management of the temple was responsible for looting the temples. and frittering away all the resources. They continue to be Trustees even now.

The Kings also did some strange things. Archeological research has revealed that the lands which were given by Raja Raja to Brahadeeswara temple, were later given by his son Rajendra to the Gangai Konda Cholapuram temple.

These web sites give some indication about these. I do not agree with all conclusions of the first article about temples.


Changing Face of the Temple,indian temples, indian architecture, art and culture of india,Indian history,devadasis, castes in india, hinduism, religion in india

The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Temple management and residents at loggerheads in Srirangam

Govt cuts dues of temple land tenants - Times Of India

The British stepped in to control and prevent the temples being looted.

 

[Nacchinarkiniyan]

The British under normal circumstances kept the Sovereign promises. They took over the some of the duties and obligations of the Kings. The Government of India also did the same under the agreement with the Kings. For example The Travancore Government paid a pension to the Kings of the small states which Marthanda Varma conquered in 1740. One of these pensioners the Raja of Thekkenad was receiving an annual pension of a princely sum of Rs. 27/50 till the privy purse was abolished. The English government continued to pay the pensioners of Burma. It was in pound sterling. My father got his pension till his death.

So the British continued to make Endowments to the temples in the territories which they had annexed.

From very early on, local governments began to take notice of and oversee the endowments received by the institutions. Reddy discusses the existence of a separated Religious Endowment Department in 15th century Andhra Desa, which supervised the functioning of religious institutions and maintained copies of original grants; similar arrangements were also made in other Hindu Kingdoms.”

Central Endowment Regulations (1810-1920)—regulations in which British took control over charitable and religious trusts to prevent people “reaping lucrative financial benefits through the mismanagement of an endowment’s funds”; regulations were done state by state, beginning with Bombay.

in these, “the states’ Boards of Revenue (BOR) acquired ultimate responsibility for the regulation of endowments.” As well as provide for “repairs and maintenance of buildings, appoint trustees for non-hereditary temples, supervise trustees of hereditary temples, and ensure that the endowments were not used for any private purpose.”

British continued regulation until 1830’s, “when religious groups in England began to protest their government’s involvement in non-Christian institutions.” Which also included “payments to temples whose endowments had lapsed”, “In 1843, the British government began its withdrawal from endowment regulation; all regulation was given over to local rajas, panchayats, newly-formed committees, or existing temple priests and trustees. This withdrawal produced a vacuum of authority in endowment regulation, producing mismanagement on a scale rivaling, and possibly surpassing, that of any period. The British severed all ties between the BOR and endowment regulation in the Religious Endowment Act of 1863 (Act XX), which provided for the appointment of Local Committees to replace the BOR. These Committees exercised supervision only over those temples whose trustees were appointed; temples whose trustees were hereditary were left wholly unmanaged until 1920…The Charitable and Religious Trusts Act of 1920 (Act XIV)—passed almost 60 years later—allowed an interested party to apply to a court” to get the financial information of trusts for public use—and this Act, like all preceding ones, was only for public trusts, and “private religious endowments were still wholly unregulated”.

“The HRE Act (Madras Act II of 1927) marked the government’s first attempt to proactively address the issue of temple mis-administration. The Act’s proactivity was effected by a shift from a court-based system to an executive-based system.

Source - Baltutis, Michael C. “Recognition and Legislation of private religious endowments in Indian law”

H.R.C.E was originally an autonomous board of commissioners.Became a regular department in 1951.

The management and control of the temples and the administration of their endowments is one of the primary responsibilities of the State . A number of measures have been undertaken prior to the year 1925 for efficient control and supervision of the administration of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments.

In the Act 1 of 1925, the Government constituted "the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Board" consisting of a President and two to four Commissioners nominated by the Government to function as a statutory body. Subsequently, Act 1 of 1925 was repealed by the Act 2 of 1927, which was followed by several modifications up to the year 1951. In order to streamline the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Board, a Special Officer (Thiru. R.V. Krishna Iyer ) was appointed in the year 1940.

The Special Officer recommended that the Government may administer the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments instead of the Board. The non-official committee appointed in the year 1942 under the Chairmanship of Thiru. P. Venkataramana Rao Naidu, a Retired Judge of High Court of Judicature, Madras recommended among other things that it would be advantageous to convert Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Board into a Government administration. Accepting the above recommendation, the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Act, 1951 was enacted provincialising the administration of the Hindu Religious Institutions. Comprehensive amendments have been made to this Act and Tamilnadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Act XXII of 1959 came into force with effect from 1st January 1960.

Source -- HR & CE Dept., Govt. of Tamil Nadu

In early 1920s there was a sustained campaign by leading intellectuals of that time (mostly Brahmins) for Government intervention to stop the looting of temples by the trustees. Of course this was opposed by the Maths and other community based religious organizations.

It is worth noting that the same set of Brahmin intellectuals campaigned for the prevention of child marriages and widow re-marriage.

There have been hundreds of cases from all over India regarding temples. Many of them went upto the Supreme court.