Ajaysekher.net » Culture and Ecology

Sastha and Buddha: Buddhist Vestiges in Southern Western Ghats of Kerala

Ajay — Sun, 20 May 2012 11:45:30 +0000

Buddhist vestige at Kallupacha, RPL Estate, Kulathupuzha. Carved into a fine granite boulder with three doorways

The western foothills of the southern ranges in the Western Ghats are known for ancient and popular Sastha Temples of Kerala. Sabarimala, Achankovil, Ariankavu, Kulathupuzha and Sasthamkotta are prominent Dharma Sastha or Ayyappa temples located in and around this region. Their proximity to the Tamil Country in the east and Malakootam or Malaya Kootam/Parvatham (Now Agasthya Kootam) in the south are remarkable. Malaya Kootam is still called Pothiyil Mala (variation of Boddhiyil Mala) and it was also called Pothalaka in Buddhist lore, the seat of the Avalokiteswara Boddhisatva. It is a ghat region revered by the Hindus and the Buddhists alike.

Kattalapara Buddhist vestige. near Shenduruny sanctuary, Kulathupuzha. Abandoned due to poor stone quality. Now three doorways are worshiped as representing Hindu, Christian and Islamic religions

Dharma Sastha is a synonym for the Buddha. Ayyappan is an Avalokiteswaran later Hinduized and appropriated by Brahmanism in the early middle ages as an offspring born out of the Siva-Vishnu union. The metamorphosis of this deity through the violent conflicts and negotiations involving Vajrayana (Tantric Buddhism) Saivism and Vaishnavism is evident in the legend. In the Tamil Country Pali words Ayyan, Appan, Achan, Ayyappan and Puthan refer to the enlightend one at least from BC third century.

Kottukal rock cut temple, near Anchal.

Vajrayana used various Avalokiteswaras and Boddhisatva idols with consorts to popularize the cult and it was easy for Brahmanism to appropriate it overnight. Like the Buddha Nilakandha temple of Nepal or the Padmanabha temple of Thiruvananthapuram the Ayyappa temples were easily modified into Hindu Brahmanical ones. Some scholars also argue that Tantric Buddhism itself was a clever deviation made by the Brahmanical usurpers who joined the Buddhist Sangha for the gradual sabotage as the basic teachings of the compassionate one challenged Brahmanism and caste.

Ariankavu Ayyappa temple at the eastern end of Kollam pass close to Tamilakam

The Buddhist rock cut vestiges in and around the Kulathupuzha forests prove the early presence of missionaries in the Kollam pass well before the advent of the common era. It can be assumed that they entered the western slopes of the Western Ghats through the Ariankavu pass and established their Pallys and Pallykootams in the lower foothills. The rock cut constructions in Kallupacha in RPL estate in Kulathupuzha and Kattalapara close to the Shenduruny sanctuary are still surviving relics of early Buddhist rock architecture.

Kulathupuzha Sastha temple. The idol represents a Kulanthai or boy

The same architectural pattern and style of carving are found in the rock temple at Kottukal near Anchal. As the first two vestiges are inside plantations and forests they are almost in abandoned state but the Kottukal rock cut temple is modified into a Siva temple by later Saivism that entered Kerala in the 8th and 9th centuries. It also shows remarkable resemblance to Kaviyur rock temple near Thiruvalla and Kallil Jain temple near Perumbavur.

River Kallada at Kulathupuzha temple. Location of fish-feeding, an ancient conservationist practice related to Buddhism and Jainism as in Triprayar

It is interesting to note that the bigger shrines close to important mountain routes and the popular ones were transformed into bigger Hindu temples while the smaller vestiges and rock carvings were neglected and forgotten in the jungle. On June 1, 2011 the Hindu published an article on the report of Dr Rajendran an archeologist who surveyed the region. According to him these vestiges are related to early Buddhism that reached Kerala in the last centuries of BC era and the whole Ariankavu, Kulathupuzha, Ponmudi belt still holds the relics of this early Buddhist cultural intervention.

Mahamaya/Mayadevi in Kulthupuzha in classic Yakshi stance with a mirror in hand and leaning onto a tree. Mahamaya is the mother of Buddha who is the central deity in Kilirur and Neelamperur

According to Dr Rajendran Malsya Mudra or fish signs are identified in the carving sites that prove the Buddhist identity of the makers. In Kulathupuzha fish-feeding is also an important ritual that is still practiced showing the Buddhist conservationist spirit of the shrine. Such practices of conservation are still sustaining in many temples all over Kerala as in Thriprayar in Thrissur district. Naga deities and Mahamaya (mother of the Buddha) idol are also worshiped in Kulathupuzha.

Naga deities in Kulathupuzha Sastha temple

I visited the region on 18th and 19th May 2012 and got the opportunity to see and experience the unique ecology and cultural traces related to the ancient conservationist traditions of Kerala. The Thenmala eco-tourism project and rivers Kallada and Kallar along with the numerous life forms offer plenty of learning experiences for the seeking.

Indilayaappan idol. An ambiguous deity in Ariankavu Ayyappa shrine, showing the Vajrayan, Saiva and Vaishnava scramble

Buddha Poornima at Thirunavaya

Ajay — Wed, 09 May 2012 05:48:59 +0000

Super Moon of Buddha Poornima 2012 reflected in river Perar or Nila at Thirunavaya. May 6, 2012

The full moon day of Vaisakha is celebrated in all the Asian countries as the birthday of the Buddha. Vaisakha Paurnami or Buddha Poornima is conceived as representing the birth, enlightenment and the passing away of the compassionate one. It was a lifetime opportunity for me to watch the super moon of 2012 Buddha Poornima, rise in the eastern horizon on the banks of the Nila or ancient Perar. Coincidentally I witnessed the unusually big moon at Thirunavaya on the northern bank of the river while returning from the ancient port city of Ponnani that forms the mouth of the river Perar where it drains into the mighty Arabian Sea.

Nila or Perar at Thirunavaya. Early 2012

Thirunavaya is known for its religious and historical significances. It is the location of the ancient carnival called Mamankam. In the middle ages it deteriorated into a bloody feud between the Zamorin of Calicut and the Valluva Konathiri or Vellatiri of Valluvanad. But before the 10th century it was a great cultural and spiritual festival related to the Sramana democratic traditions of ancient Kerala. Historians like P K Gopalakrishnan, Velayudhan Panikkassery and V V K Valath argue that it was a great Buddhist festival originally called Mahamargolsavam. Maha Margam is nothing but the way of the Buddha or the Dhama Pada.

But after the Brahmanic take over and spiritual hijacking that happened between the sixth and ninth centuries it degraded into a petty competition between the regional local chieftains resulting in bloody duels and the massacre of the suicidal militia called Chaver. The barbarism and violence involved in the establishment of the Savarna Brahmanical high culture in Kerala could be read in the vulgar decadence of this ancient carnival in Kerala. The well used to dump the bodies of the militia (Mani Kinar), the platform used by the kings (Nilapadu Thara) and the Changampally Kalari (school of martial arts) are still surviving here.

Buddha Poornima or Vaisakha Paurnami an image of the birth, enlightenment and Mahaparinibana/demise of the Buddha

Thirunavaya is also associated with the transition from Sramana culture to Brahmanical one. Keralolpathy and other Brahmanical texts testify that it was here that the Buddhists were defeated in verbal combats and their texts burned and tongues cut by the pedantic perverts of elite barbarism. Radical Malayalam scholars like P Pavithran argue that the ‘Nava’ reference in the place name is linked to this hoary episode in Kerala history. Conventional interpretations associate it with the Navagraha Yogis who performed the installation in the Navamukunda temple. Some versions also talk about the repetition of the installation that happened nine times . Whatever may be the etymological root of the place name it is inextricably linked to the cultural pasts of Kerala. The pulled or plucked tongue of the Chamana become a key icon of cultural hegemony and the resistance of the silenced.

Thirunavaya offers the best views of Nila or Perar. The Mamankam memorials and the old temples make it a historically and architecturally rich cultural location. I had a long and enlightening conversation with Mr Rajiv, a police officer who patrols the region as illegal sand mining is ruining the river and the ecology. We talked about the early human settlements and civilizations on the banks of the Perar and ventured deep into the history and cultural pasts of the region. We watched the super moon climbing like poetry in the dark blue canvas of the starry night. It was a great and meaningful dialogue with a sensitive and informed fellow being and we really enjoyed the time. When we parted it was almost 9pm and I rode to Kuttippuram, five kilometers east, where I am currently residing in a rented quarters.

Perar and Pakkanar

Ajay — Sun, 06 May 2012 18:09:57 +0000

Perar or Bharathapuzha at Tritala. Tritala regulator-cum-bridge in the background

The myth of the ancient aboriginal Paraya woman giving birth to the whole clans and communities in the river basin of Bharathapuzha or Perar (Parayi-petta-pathirukulam) articulates multiple truths regarding the heterologies of the region as far as Valluvanad and Vannerinad are concerned. Historians and anthropologists assert the fact that the Paraya were one of the ancient settlers in south India. As the “Out of Africa” theory that situates the whole human race in the womb of an ancient black mother, the Parayi myth traces the origin of the Kerala people to an ancient aboriginal Paraya woman who inhabited the banks of the ancient Perar.

Great Banyans by the Perar between Kudallur and Tritala

The legendary Pakkanar who immortalized the subaltern legacy along the river Perar was also a child of the ancient aboriginal woman. His ancestral household and family called Eerattingal is still found in Tritala on the river bank. I visited this ancient family and their temple in memory of Pakkanar in the afternoon of May 5, 2012. The current elder Mr Pakkan told me about the oral tales related to Pakkanar. According to him Pakkanar redirected the course of the river for the installation of the family deity, the goddess. His staff was a pole from a Kanjira tree and when he passed away it was planted on the river bank and it grew into a new tree. A huge and old Kanjira tree is still found by the river that is revered as a memorial for Pakkanar.

The huge Kanjiram that is worshiped as a Pakkanar memorial by the Perar at Tritala

Along with Pakkanar the temple deities include Eerattu Kutty, Chathan and Bhagavathy. The idol of the goddess in rough granite style closely resemble the posture of the Sapta Kanyas found in Krishnapuram palace museum. The local deities like Chathan and Kutty also show remarkable linkages to the corrupt form of Buddhist worship. It is clear that the family and people were one of the earliest inhabitants of the region and the family has witnessed various waves of cultural invasions and influences over the ages. In the discussion I urged the elder to record and publish the family legends and regional heterology to resist hegemonic appropriations and reversals.

Pakkan the current elder of Eerattingal family talking before the Pakkanar temple, Tritala

Changeable Hawk Eagle of Thrikanapuram

Ajay — Fri, 04 May 2012 08:46:53 +0000

Changeable Hawk Eagle, Thrikanapuram on the banks of Perar. May 1, 2012

Thrikanapuram is an ancient cultural site on the southern bank of Perar or Bharathapuzha. Kuttippuram bridge connects it with Kuttippuram on the northern bank. Thrikanapuram is distinguished for its sacred groves and shrines. It houses some of the ancient grove-shrines like Papini Kavu. The similarity in place names to Papini Vattam and Thrikanamathilakam (or Mathilakam) near Kodungallur that are situated at the mouth of Periyar towards the south is remarkable.

Papini Kavu, Thrikanapuram

Thrikanamathilakam is also called Thirukunavayil Kottam and was an ancient Jain cultural centre and university till the 8th century. Papini Vattam was an ancient Jain nunnery later condemned as the ‘temple of sinners’ (Papini means accursed witches and Vattam denotes a Sramana shrine) by Brahmanism. It is evident that Thrikanapuram in Malappuram district on the southern banks of the Perar was an ancient Jain cultural centre like Thrikanamathilakam near the mouth of the Periyar in Thrissur district.

Changeable Hawk Eagle at Thrikanapuram

In the evening of May Day 2012 I visited this ancient laterite plateau rising up to 100 meters from the river bed. Near the Papini Kavu I could see a huge hawk being chased by crows. I got a few shots of this big raptor and it escaped into the dying light of the evening salvaging itself from the crows. The long pronounced crest and tail bands of the bird were clear. The out-thrown wings and swooping flight of the raptor was amazing and awesome. On returning I found it to be a Changeable Hawk Engle with the field books.

Sunset at Thrikanapuram. Thirunavaya on the northern banks in the horizon

Architectural and Iconographic Relics of Buddhism in Kerala

Ajay — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 06:33:57 +0000

Like a floating pagoda: Ananthapura temple, Kasaragod

Most of the temples that are a thousand years old are modified Buddhist temples in Kerala. According to historians Brahmanism came and converted the temples from 8th to 16th centuries. Buddhism and Jainism came to south India as early as BC 3rd century and established the early Sramana civilization of Kerala that was casteless and democratic. They also spread literacy and scripts in ancient Tamilakam.

Gautamapuram temple, Kottayam

Pali, Sanskrit, Ayurveda, Vasthuvidya, Visual arts and music that flourished in Kerala were legacies of Buddhism and Jainism. Kerala gave birth to some of the leading intellectuals of Buddhism including architects, astrologers and medical practitioners.

A seated Boddhisatva on the wall of Ananthapura temple

A Sreedhara Menon in his official History of Kerala observes that the present Hindu temples in Malabar resemble the architectural style of Sramana temples (Menon 99). The temples of Kasaragod show this remarkable similarity and the missing link. In his linguistic and cultural analytical work Budddh’s Footprints, Prof. P O Purushothaman through his linguistic archeology affirms that all the ancient monuments of worship in Kerala were originally related to Buddhism and Jainism ( Purushothaman 50-51).

Seema Malaka lake temple, Srilanka

Ananthapura temple near Kumbala looks exactly like a Buddhist lake temple. Its replicas could be found all over Asia as far as China, Japan, Korea and Thailand. The reliefs on the wall of the shrine also show some Buddhist motifs including the figures of Boddhisatvas, though slightly modified many times in the last millennium during the renovations.

Kilirur temple shrine housing Buddha relief, in Gaja Prishta style (simple)

The legend that associates this temple with Padmanabha temple,Thiruvananthapuram also proves the Buddhist past of this temple as Padmanabha temple was a Buddhist temple before the 8^thcentury. A reclining Padmapaani (lotus in hand) Buddha idol was modified into a Padmanabha (lotus from the navel) Vishnu icon (Ayyappan, Jayaprakas, Jose).

Gaja Prishta style: Madhur temple, Kasaragod

The ancient practice of keeping the crocodile in the pond also enacts the conservationist spirit of Buddhism that established hospitals even for animals and birds as testified by the second edict of Asoka in which Kerala is mentioned in connection with wild life conservation. The word Anantha found in both place names could be a later modification of Aananda (Buddha’s foremost disciple and also the Buddhist concept of “bliss and joy”). Any way the temple even today looks exactly like a Japanese lake temple or a floating Korean Buddhist pagoda.

Ananthapura temple, Kasaragod

The Hindu temples at Adur and Madhur in Kasaragod district also show marked architectural affiliations to Buddhist and Jain monuments. The three-tiered sanctorum in Gaja Prishta style in both the temples; is often linked to the Sramana architectural style by archeologists (Sarkar 23). The same Gaja Prishta (elephant butt) style is also surviving in many other Hindu temples with Buddhist past as in Kilirur temple in Kottayam in south Kerala.

Adur temple, Kasaragod. Gaja Prishta style

A close comparative study of the ancient monuments in Kerala reveals the fact that the temple architecture and ritual practices were appropriated from the Sramana traditions of Jainism and Buddhism. Religion, power and politics were misused for this take over by the forces of internal imperialism.

Buddha recovered at Pallikal Bharanikavu, Kayamkulam. C. 7th century AD

Cheat, usurpation, violence and unimaginable barbarism were also employed for this erasing act. But somehow it is still violently re-enacted in carnivals like Kodungallur Bharani in which low castes are given one-day license to invade and pollute the shrine after drunken and obscene parleys. The altars inside the present shrine still shows the lotus carvings that prove that it was the seat of a Buddhist idol, says experts (Valath).

Buddha as Krishna in Kilirur temple, Kottayam

Brahmanism with the help of tribal chieftains, servile militia and petty kings converted these temples around 8^th and 9^thcenturies. The partially damaged Buddhist idols and Jain reliefs recovered from central and south Kerala testify this bloody and fierce invasion that subverted the ethical and egalitarian democratic culture of Kerala that began in BC third century with the arrival of Sramana monks.

A Japanese Buddhist shrine in a pond of white lotuses

But the lasting imprints of the Sramana culture are still tangible and visible in the folk as well as classical architecture and ritualistic practices all over Kerala in connection with ancient temples and carnivals (Valath). The Mamankam of Thirunavaya, Kettukazhcha of horses and oxen found in Thrissur and Kollam, Annamkettu and Paravathookam of Kottayam and Alapuzha districts are all abiding articulations of the ancient Sramana democratic culture of Kerala.

Mavelikara Buddha idol. c. 8th century AD

References

Ayyappan, A. “Padmanabha Vigraham.” Mathrubhumi Weekly. April 8, 1984.

Jayaprakas, M S. Padmanabha Kshetra Vivadam. Trivandrum: BSP, 2011.

Jose, Dalitbandhu N K. Sripadmanabha Kshetranidhi Arutethu? Trivandrum: Bahujan Vartha, 2011.

Menon, Sreedhara. Kerala Charithram. Kottayam: DCB, 2010.

Purushothaman, P O. Buddhante Kalpadukal. Kottayam: Current Books, 2006.

Sarkar. Temple Architecture in Kerala. Trivandrum: Govt of Kerala,1998.

Valath, V V K. Thrissur Jilla. Thrissur: Kerala Sahitya Akademi, 2008.

Polyphony of Lives and Struggles: Vibgyor Film Fest 2012

Ajay — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 08:50:21 +0000

Dalit musicians playing at Vibgyor 2012

Mazhavilmela or Vibgyor International Film Festival 2012 was held in Thrissur from Feb 22 to 26. The seventh edition was a great event with the participation of documentary/short film makers and their films and spectator-activists from all over the world.

Patwardhan, Tabone, Bradbury and Sarabhai at the opening of Vibgyor 2012

Jai Bhim Comrade, the opening movie by Anand Patwardhan was a critical act of defiance against the growth of Indian fascism, especially in the post Gujarath India. Political documentaries by David Bradbury and Frencesco Tabone were also illuminating on similar issues of inequality and violence all over the world.

Poet Anwar Ali reading his poem at Vibgyor 2012

The fest was also a meeting point for activists and students from various parts of Kerala. It was a carnival of music and dance with an accent on the politics of culture. The atmosphere of cultural interaction and micro and minor resistance was meaningful.

From Jai Bhim Comrade, opening movie at Vibgyor 2012

Conferences and campaigns on key issues of life and livelihood in South Asia was apt and relevant. It was a true celebration of differences and diversities. Minor and little subjects and expressions got their space and voice in this new age festival.

Gautamapuram and Beyond:Towards a Cultural History of Kottayam

Ajay — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 10:01:27 +0000

Gautamapuram temple, Kottayam

Kottayam offers at least two etymological possibilities of interpretation. Ayam of a Kotta means pond of a Kotta or pond by a Kottam. Akam of a Kotta makes it the interior of a fort. The second one is more popular but the first one seems more historically relevant. In both ways the place is associated with a Kotta or Kottam that signifies a pre Hindu place of worship in south India often associated with Sramana or Chamana culture. Jain and Buddhist temples are often called Kottam, Vattam, Kutti, Ambalam etc. Pally was more of a sacred word in Pali language used to refer to more established Viharas, Chaityas and Basatis of greater sanctity. Simple pagodas, pillors, towers, Stupas, Pipal platforms with ponds nearby etc. were referred to with these words of common denomination and popular currency.

Biodiversity of river Kodur: Cotton Pigmy Goose and Cormorant in a backwater formation of Kodurar that forms the southern margin of Kottayam town

It is clear that Kottayam before the 8^thcentury was the abode of Kottams, ponds and Ambalams. Place names that survive centuries of cultural onslaughts like Muttambalam, Pallypurathu Kavu, Mariyapally, Gautamapuram etc. point towards the Sramana antiqutity of Kottayam. Pallypurathu Kavu on the banks of the Kodurar close to the lake Vembanad in the west literally means an ancient sacred grove outside but in the vicinity of the Pally (Buddhist temple after disseminating the slurs). Mariyapally could be an alteration of Maariyapally or changed shrine. Muttambalam may refer to a spherical Stupa of Buddhist worship as relic worship was popular in many schools of Buddhism.

Panachikad shrine on the southern bank of Kodurar

It is also important to note that Panachikad an ancient seat of a Naga Yakshi and her sacred grove and spring is located just across the river on the southern bank. Yakshi itself is a corrupt and demonized term related to Buddhist Nuns and Teachers (imagined as evil by Brahmanism in order to exterminate them after disseminating the slur). There are also ancient shrines of Buddhist antiquity like Neelamperur Pally Bhagavathy Temple a few miles south west and Kilirur Kunnummel Bhagavathy Temple in the west. According to historians these temples remained Buddhist even up to 15^th or 16^th century.

Apart from a place in Chennai in south India only Kottayam has a place name called Gautamapuram that is located on the northern bank of river Kodur between Pallypurathukavu and Muttambalam. It lies in the slope just south of present Baselius College and Manorama. An ancient temple there is also called Thri (Thiru) Gautamapuram temple. Though Krishna is worshiped here today in the central shrine as in Kilirur temple just a few miles west on the banks of lake Vembanad, local people especially the Avarnas believe that it was an ancient Buddhist shrine. But according to the NSS officials of the temple it is named Gautamapuram as a sage Gautama has performed the installation here.

In his masterpiece Kerala and Buddhism, S Sanku Iyer talks about Gautamapuram and its Buddhist past. According to him it was the location of a Buddhist Vihara that was lost or demolished (Iyer 5) and it was named after Gautama Buddha himself by the early missionaries who reached Kerala in the third or fourth century BC. He also cites Changanassery Parameswaran Pillai saying that there was a Buddha idol in the ruins at Gautamapuram (Iyer 67).

Endorsing this view and rehabilitating the local legends and oral narratives by the Avarna people in the locality who have become extinct in the area because of rapid urbanization and the pressures of the newly moneyed classes, Dalitbandhu N K Jose also records about the Buddhist past of Gautamapuram at the heart of Kottayam in his polemical work Buddh Dhamam Keralathil (Dalitbandhu 36). It is also interesting to note that same legends are also existing among dalitbahujans regarding Thiru Nakkara temple just a mile afar in the west.

Named after Gautama Muni or Gautama Buddha?

It is evidently clear that the official historical versions on Kottayam that begin with the Thali rule and Thekumkur associated with the Brahmanical Savarna hegemony that begins with 16^th century are grossly inadequate and obsolete in interpreting the greater and ancient legacies of the people, their cultural traditions and trajectories of resistance against internal imperialism of caste, cultural elitism and absolute hegemony by the forces of barbaric violence, Varna and Veda. Epistemological violence related to mutilation and erasure of history and culture done through linguistic and semiotic doctoring may take centuries of de-colonizing and rewriting to achieve balance and poise.

Jain Sage in a Hindu Temple: Paruvassery Pallyara

Ajay — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:12:59 +0000

Jaina Thirthankara idol in Paruvassery Pallyara Bhagavathy temple, Vadakanchery, 26 Jan 2012

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.

Paruvassery Pallyarakavu temple, Thirthankara shrine towards left, outside the complex

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.

Open shrine in which Thirthankara idol is kept outside the Paruvassery Pallyarakavu temple

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.

Ayyappa shrine near Pallyara temple. Said to be Swayambhu. Having Jain antiquity

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.

Madhavadas before Paruvassery Pallyara temple

Reference

Ravivarma, K T. Pandathe Malayalakara

Valath, V V K. Thrissur Jilla

—-. Palakad Jilla

Nelliampathy ranges beyond the paddyfields at Paruvassery

New Year at Nelliampathy

Ajay — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 07:16:08 +0000

Nelli mountains beyond Pothundi dam. Jan 1, 2012

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).

Paddy fields of Vadakanchery on the way to Nenmara

White-necked Stork in Vadakanchery paddy field close to the town. 1-1-12

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.

Nelli mountains from Nenmara paddy fields

Grassland sholas and peaks of Nelliampathy

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.

Pothundi reservoir from the ghat road to Nelliampathy

Red-vented Bulbul, Sitharkundu, Nelliampathy

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.

The Goose-berry Tree at Seetharkundu, Nelliampathy

Sitharkundu view point: Palghat pass and northern arm of western ghats visible towards horizon

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.

Chestnut-headed Beeeater at Nelliampathy

Crested Serpent Eagle calling Kee... Kee... and gliding above an orchard in Nelliampathy

Reference

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

Tea gardens of Nelliampathy

An Aquila Eagle at Sitarkundu, Nelliampathy

A lakeside shrine in Nelliampathy

Rose-ringed Parakeet, Nelliampathy

A valley and mountain peaks of Nelliampathy

Music from the Sacred Grove: An Ancient Fairy in Panachikadu

Ajay — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 07:40:31 +0000

Sacred grove around the shrine

Just a few decades ago it was a dense and impenetrable forest on the north western slopes of a hillock overlooking the paddy fields on the southern banks of river Kodur, south of Kottayam. This sacred grove enshrined the stone icon of an ancient goddess related to the serpent clan. She is also worshiped as the spirit of the wood and the virgin spring that comes out of its thickets. She is revered as Panachi the Naga Yakshi and her protected grove is thus called Panachikadu. She is now worshiped as Saraswati in a pond covered with wild creepers. But her antiquity is traced back to the pre-Hindu or Sramana cultural phase of south India by historians and scholars (Valath).

Saraswati Nada

Buddhism in South India was open and inclusive towards the local and indigenous traditions like nature worship and tribal sacred practices. The greater philosophy of conservation and bio-ethics manifested in Buddhist praxis in a variety of ways in the ancient Tamil country as early as BC 3^rdcentury (Sugathan). Conserving protected and sacred groves for endemic flora and fauna was one of the most popular and persistent practices in South Indian Buddhism that lasts even today in Kerala in the form of numerous Kavu and Kadu that sheltered the birds, butterflies, amphibians, reptiles, insects and medicinal shrubs for thousands of years. Serpent and tree worship was also integral to this practice that included the Naga, Negritoid and Dravidian traditions (Gopalakrishnan).

Yakshi Nada, the seat of the fairy above Saraswati Nada

The sacred grove dedicated to the serpent deities in Vaikom temple is called Panachikal, meaning the vicinity of Panachi. The sacred grove near Niranam is called Panayannar Kavu, meaning the shrine of Panayan. Panayan means the serpent king and Panachi represents the serpent queen (Valath 313). In this analogy, Panachikadu means the sacred forest of Panachi the serpent queen or Sarpa Yakshi. According to experts in local history like V V K Valath, Panchikadu near Chingavanam in Kottayam was originally a Sramana (Buddhist or Jain) sacred grove were this Naga deity was worshiped and after the Hindu-Brahmanic cultural invasion that happened in the eighth or ninth century the old shrine was converted into a Saraswati temple.

Pond of the goddess below the spring

Place names like Chingavanam and Channanikadu nearby also point towards the Chamana or Sramana cultural connection. Channanikadu could be an adjacent shrine of a sister deity. It is also important to note that Pakil Dharmasastha temple is closeby. Anyway the Yakshi or Naga goddess still has a stone abode underneath the intertwined wild vines and creepers here. It is also important that the word Yakshi/Yakshan has a strong Jain linkage in the post Sramana period.

The place is also marked for a spring or Thirtham and a stone or Sila; that are key indicators or Mudras related to Jain or Buddhist shrines. Vishnu is enshrined in the nearby big temple now. Places having the Pali word Pally in name, like Mariapally, Puthupally, Vazhapally, Mallappally, Pallypurathu Kavu etc. surround the hillocks of Panachikadu that rises from the backwaters and paddy field formations of Kodurar towards the south east of Kottayam town.

It is also interesting to observe that Saraswati is worshiped as a sub deity of letters and arts by Jains along with Ganesh representing the primal connection with the animal kingdom in the form of an auspicious elephant god. The Jain temples of Sravanabelgola, Halebidu, Venur and Moodbidri are typical examples of this mode of plural and eclectic worship and spirituality.

Unfortunately the sacred grove and its wild endemic vegetation are shrinking day by day under the pressure of development in the forms of concrete roads and construction all around the shrine. The forest in the place name may remain in the very name in a few years if the culturally and ecologically aware people ignore this ancient sacred grove that has been an unlimited source of eco-spirituality, oxygen, drinking water and life sustaining knowledge practices for centuries. I could see rare medicinal plants, insects, butterflies and birds inside this holy wood as I walked around the grove on the morning of Monday, 26 December 2011. The lonesome long call of an invisible Iora from the darker green depth of the grove was particularly sweet and moving.

Stone representing the goddess covered in wild creepers, enshrined within the spring pond

Reference

Gopalakrishnan, P K. Keralathinte Samskarika Charithram. Trivandrum: Kerala Bhasha Institute, 2008.

Sugathan, K. Buddhamathavum Jati Vyavasthithiyum. Calicut: Progress, 2011.

Valath, V V K. Keralthile Sthalanama Charithrangal: Ernakulam Jilla. Thrissur, Kerala Sahitya Akademi, 1998.