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Jain Sage in a Hindu Temple: Paruvassery Pallyara

// January 26th, 2012 // No Comments » // Culture and Ecology

Paruvassery temple near Vadakanchery in Alathur taluk of Palakad district is an ancient shrine of Jain antiquity.  It is around 5km north of Vadakanchery town on NH 47 between Thrissur and Palakkad.  It is locally called Pallyarakavu showing clear linkages to Pally the Pali word signifying a non Hindu sacred space.  Now it is a Hindu temple and is called Pallyara Bhagavathy temple where the idol of the goddess is worshiped in the central shrine.  The granite idol of the Jain Thirthankara is placed  outside the Nalambala complex in a roofless shrine towards north west.  It is facing east.  The temple is facing north and is surrounded by wooded domestic plots.  There is also a Siva temple nearby with a small sacred grove with Naga deities and a large pond nearby.

The temple overlooks vast paddy fields and a lotus pond.  Nelliampathy Mountains dote the background with a few Palmyra palms in the foreground.  A Pipal and mango tree stand before the temple in deep embrace.  When I visited the place with friend Madhavadas from Thrissur in the evening of 26 Jan 2012 there were plenty of birds around.  Parakeets and Mynas were vocal on the great Pipal.  Jacanas were busy in the drying lotus pond.  Small Green Bee-eaters were sitting pretty on the electric wire as if they were ruminating over the Sramana past of the place.  Palm swifts were flying around and egrets were returning to their roosts.

The Jina idol is in black granite and is around two feet high.  Yaksha and Yakshi figures adorn its left and right.  The iconic three-tied umbrella is clearly visible over the head of the sage.  This Jain marker confirms the religious affiliation of the statue.  The Jina is seated in Padmasana and early interpreters mistook the image as that of Buddha.  The face and head of the relief is mutilated and it could be a clear imprint of obliteration attempts during the takeover and conversion of the temple into a Hindu Brahmanical one.  This mutilation mark is also similar to the destructive mark on the Jina image at Kallil temple near Perumbavur and the half demolished Buddha at Karumady, popularly known as karumady Kuttan.

Historians and researchers like M R Raghava Varier, K T Ravivarma, V V K Valath and others have recorded and written extensively on the Jain antiquity of Paruvassery Bhagavathy temple.  It shows the modification of Sramana shrines into Hindu Brahmanical temples that occurred in the period from 8-12^thcenturies in Kerala.  The general pattern is changing the sub deities of goddesses or Yakshis attending the Thirthankaras into main deities called Bhagavathy or goddess and cleverly excluding and erasing the main deity in a systematic way.  Another small shrine towards a few miles east now dedicated to Ayyappa is also having Jain antiquity as it is referred as Swayambhu or self originate.  The pre existing Sramana temples and idols were termed as Swayambhu by Brahmanism all over south India. The examples at Kallil and Paruvassery show such iconographic and architectural modifying strategies of Brahmanical invasion in Kerala.

Reference

Ravivarma, K T.  Pandathe Malayalakara

Valath, V V K.  Thrissur Jilla

—-.  Palakad Jilla

New Year at Nelliampathy

// January 2nd, 2012 // No Comments » // Culture and Ecology

The mountain peaks of Nelliampathy scale beyond 1500 m above sea level.  It is located at the north eastern frontier of the Anamalais further north of Parambikulam.  Pathi means human settlement and Nelli is the goose berry tree found abundant even above 1000 m on the Nelli mountains.  The place names of Nelliampathy and Parambikulam goes back to the Tamil Sangham age (Valath 158).

On the new morn of 2012 I rode up to the summit of the Gooseberry Mountains.  From Thrissur I crossed the hard Kuthiran pass, and through Vadakanchery and Nenmara reached the blue beckoning peaks of Nelliampathy.  It is 30 km from Nenmara and the road from Nenmara is in good condition.

The minimalistic grassland sholas and evergreen forests of this beautiful highland is really recharging and cool.  It is also home to a variety of flora and fauna.  Bird life is also prominent with horn bills and high soaring raptors.  Small shrines in Pagoda shape dedicated to Dharma Sastha indicate  the Sramana antiquity of the place that is close to Anamalai an important Jain center in the past that is on the eastern slopes of the ghat towards Pollachi.

Sitharkundu view point at around 1000 m, offers spectacular view of the Palghat pass and many reservoirs all around the Palakad district.  Coffee, tea and fruit orchards are plenty atop the mountain.

Vadamala or the southern tip of the northern ranges of the western ghats on the northern side of the pass is also visible from this southern arm.  After spending the whole day in exploration in high altitude mountains and dales I returned to Thrissur after watching sunset from Ayyappan Thittu.  The NH 47 stretch between Vadakanchery and Pattikad is disgusting.  But the refreshing experience on the Nelli mountains is worth the hard ride.

Reference

Valath, V V K.  Keralathile Sthalanama Charithrangal: Palakad Jilla.  Thrissur:  Kerala Sahitya Akademi, 2005.