Ajaysekher.net » Culture and Ecology

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.

Over Seventy Thousand Fathoms of Water — Poem by Anilkumar P V

Ajay — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 13:59:47 +0000

(by, of and for a nil)

You the sky incarnate

Pick snows from the furnace

And throw them effortlessly

At the sinews of memories

When the rain brings horror

To the clouds of your hair

I dream of your face

Soft with struggles

Cuddled in my arms

The sun waves and rocks

I brought from the east

Your eyes had all the surprise

A sigh that I heard clearly

All the way down I felt the pain

Of your nail yet to be born

A new sprout in the backyard

The songs of various birds

The vines of blue bells on the wall

It is red red red all the way

Slanting through the white

The first of red with flesh

Not in the vision of the church yet

With your nudity crowd and kid

—————————————

Anilkumar P V is a young poet, fiction author and essayist in English. He teaches at Govt College Thrissur.

anilkumarpayyappilly@gmail.com

Ancient Rock Temples in Thrissur

Ajay — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 08:22:35 +0000

Thrikkur rock temple, Thrissur. Oct. 2, 2011

On the banks of the Puthur river or Manalipuzha that originates from Peechi reservoir; stands this huge granite boulder that forms the top of a hillock. It is just 10km from Thrissur city; towards south east. A temple is carved into it that dates back to the 8th or 7th century AD.

Ancient spring on top of Thrikkur rock temple, Thrissur

It is held along with the ancient rock temples of Kerala like Vizhinjam, Madavurpara, Kottukal, Thrikkalkudi/Kaviyur, Kallil and Irunilamkod (Sreedharamenon 50). Now it is a Siva temple and enshrines a huge Linga or granite phallus. The ‘Swayambhu’ theory propagated by Brahmanism proves that it predates the Hindu Brahmanical conquest from the north that happened only in the 6th or 7th century A D. The stone inscriptions in Pali also prove the Buddhist or Jain origin of the shrine.

Ancient Ganes idol on top of Thrikkur rock temple. Showing marked resemblance to south Indian Jain Ganes iconography

It is one of the few surviving early rock cut cave temples of Kerala that had its origin in the Jain or Sramana cultural phase. Experts like V V K Valath locate it as a modified Jain shrine. In sight and details it has close resemblance to Kallil temple in Ernakulam district. Some wood carvings found in the temple also resembles Sramana iconography. The front constructions and Mandapas are later additions by the Paliath Achan who got Thalapally Taluk after Cochin recovered it from the Zamorin of Calicut (Valath 201-03).

Pipal on Chochery kunnu to the north east of Thrikkur. The shrine of Murukan was traditionally with the Avarnas like Ayyappan kunnu nearby

There is still water in the top spring. The Ganes idol in granite on top of the boulder closely resembles the one carved in the facade of Kaviyur rock cut cave temple east of Thiruvalla and Jain Ganesh icons through out South India. Neighboring hillocks like Ayyappan Kunnu and Chochery Kunnu that are the worshiping centers of the Avarnas prove the antiquity and pre-Hindu or pre-Brahmanical origins of the shrine. Moreover some healing powers are also ascribed to the temple rock and the ancient Pipal tree towards the west of the shrine. People with respiratory problems find it a healing place of worship.

View to the west from Chochery kunnu, Thrissur

I also visited the adjacent hills of Ayyappan Kunnu and Chocheri Kunnu and found the hillocks spectacular in ambiance and views on the bright sunny morning of 2nd October 2011. According to historians Thrikkur along with Irunilamkod rock temple sustain the Sramana legacy of temple architecture in Thrissur district.

Irunilamkod rock temple, Mullurkara, Thrissur. Oct. 5, 2011

On 5th October 2011 I could visit Irunilamkod rock temple near Mullurkara, between Wadakanchery and Shornur. This is also renovated by Paliath Achan in the 19th century. The granite hillock and the Murugan shrine on top along with the technique of carving show remarkable similarity to the Sramana or pre Brahmanic cultural phase of Kerala.

Oriental Honey Buzzard hovering over Irunilamkod, Thrissur Oct. 5, 2011

Valath observes that untouchable Avarnas were allowed in the temple even before the Temple Entry Proclamation in early 20th century. It was with the Avarnas in the hay day of caste and untouchability. This also proves the Sramana antiquity of the shrine; that was modified, Sanksritized and Hinduized later by the feudal lords at the end of the middle ages.

Panoramic view from the top of Irunilamkod rock

According to experts in local history like Valath; these rock cut temples in Thrissur represent the transition from Sramana to Brahmanical culture in terms of religious affiliation and architecture (Valath 205). They also hold these ancient monuments in the precious repository of surviving rock monuments in Kerala that fill the gaps and silences regarding our cultural pasts.

Peacocks are plenty on the hill top of Irunilamkod, Thrissur

The view from the top of the hill is marvelous and reveals the greenery of surrounding hills and dales and paddy fields. A Honey Buzzard exhibited its acrobatic skills overhead and I got a few peafowl feathers from the top of the hill.

Reference

Sreedharamenon, A. Kerala Charithram. Thiruvananthapuram: Dept of Culture, Govt of Kerala, 1967.

Valath, V V K. Keralathile Sthala Charitrangal: Thrissur Jilla. Thrissur: Kerala Sahitya Akademi, 1981.

Biking Kerala: Riding Kasaragod to Kottayam

Ajay — Mon, 30 May 2011 11:33:33 +0000

My five year old Kawasaki on top of Posadigumpe hill, Kasaragod, April 2011

On 24 May 2011 I embarked on a long 450km ride from Kasaragod to Kottayam on my five year old Kawasaki Avenger. It took two days to reach Kottayam as I stopped and visited plenty of places and people in between. Because of the contemporary and historical relevance of the places, people and routes I think I must record and write about it in text at least as there was no camera with me on this long and interesting land cruise from extreme north Malabar to south Travancore.

Malik Dinar Pally, Thalangara, Kasaragod. C. 8th century AD

I was shifting my bike that has successfully completed its fifth year of sensational service to Kottayam and the railway parcel people at Kasaragod expressed some ambiguity regarding the loading and unloading of the bike and its possible delayed arrival at destination, so I thought of riding it the whole way down to south on my own. It is one of the longest bike tours that I have ever undertaken at a stretch connecting Tulunadu and Travancore.

A summer rainbow over Chandragiri fort: From Chandragiri rail bridge, Kasaragod Feb 2011

I remember my early long rides above 500km on my dearest Kawasaki to Kanyakumari from Kottayam through Punalur-Tenmala-Kutalam-Tirunelveli route and return through Trivandrum-Kollam( in 2008); Kodaikanal from Kalady through Munnar-Bodimett-Theni and return through Pollachy-Palakad-Thrissur (2007); To Valparai from Kalady through Athirapally-Malakaparai route and return through Pollachy-Palakad-Thrissur (2008) and Rameswaram and Dhanushkoti from Rajakumari through Bodimett-Theni-Madurai-Ramnad(2009).

Five year old Kawasaki Avenger in our home (Akhila) in Gandhinagar, Kottayam. May 28, 2011

I started at 8.30am from Kasaragod from Thalangara the site of the ancient 8th century Malik Dinar Pally or Mosque and passing through NH17 connecting Kanjangad, Payyannur, Kannur and Thalasery reached the seashore near Thalasery bay around 12.30pm. Took lunch from a sea side restaurant, rested a while and visited the fort and churches belonging to the early 17th century European colonialists, mainly Dutch, Portuguese and British.

River Chandragiri at Pulikunnu, Kasaragod separating Tulunad and Kolathunad. Jan 2011

Then through the relics of French settlements at Mahi, Vadakara and Koilandy reached Kozhikode and enjoyed tea near Ramanatukara well past the traffic of the city towards south east. Again rode south on the NH17 and reached Kottakal and Valanchery and ended the day’s ride at Kutipuram at around 7pm. The beautiful KTDC Aram motel on the highway above the western arm of Kutipuram brdige on river Bharathapuzha is a cool place to stay overnight.

Athirapally waterfall

Rooms (only two ) and food are good and homely. They also gave me fresh bed cloths, bath towel and soaps all for Rs 450. The location and views are excellent especially at night and in the morning. The windows open to the river-scape beneath. Only the water level is low in the river in this advanced drought season. Its bare sandy beds are exposed in summer.

Valiyaparamba backwater, Trikaripur, Kasaragod Sept 2010

On the morning of 26 May 2011, the next day I restarted the journey at 7am again riding NH 17 through Ponnani. Near Chamravattam I could witness the new road barrage that is being constructed across the river that is going to cut the distance by more than 40km between Kochi and Kozhikode. I also enjoyed the sight of ancient temples and laterite cap-stones on the banks of Perar or Nila a river basin that housed early stone age civilizations in Kerala. This river valley and Palakad pass linked the Chera west coast with the Chola and Pandya empires in the east in the ancient Tamil country.

A beach near Uppala in Kasaragod Oct 2010

At Ponnani I visited ancient mosques Thotumkal Pally, Pally Kadavu and Jumath Pally, ancient Muslim Pallys near the mouth of the river on the southern bank of the estuary. This ancient port town was also the head quarters of the legendary Kunjali Marakars the supreme commanders of all naval forces in Malabar coast for many centuries. Unfortunately the Purathoor estuary and its mudflats and sand banks amidst the vast placid waters of the Ponnani estuary are gone in the dredging construction for the new harbor and fish landing.

Indo-Japanese Buddhist bike on its fifth birthday in our little boddhi garden in Kottayam. May 2011

The migratory birds may not come here next season. I remember visiting the location earlier and even enumerating the birds here as part of Asian Waterfowl Count with birding friends Dr Dileep K G, Manoj, Jijo, Vishnu, Sandeep, Jinu and others plenty of times in late winter in 2007 and 2009. But all of that is gone. My friend artist Anirudharaman who is currently teaching art in a Kutipuram Govt School has informed me that plenty of gulls flocked so inland as far as Kutipuram this season because of the habitat damage caused by the dredging and construction near the river mouth at Ponnani.

Me and my bike in our little boddhi garden, Gandhinagar, Kottayam. May 2011

After visiting the ancient Pallys so cherished by foreign travelers, Tipu Sultan and a range of Sufi sages from the north west I visited Biyam Kayal near Ponnani near Ezhavathuruthy and enjoyed breakfast there on the banks of this unique wetland and backwater at around 9am and resumed my southward journey through the the coastal highway NH 17.

Koi Carps and Gold Fishes: Arun's Koi pond in its prime in 2009 in our home garden in Kottayam

Passing Chetuwa, Chavakad, Vadanapally and Kaipamangalam I reached Mathilakam the ancient Trikanamathilakam or Kunavailkottam north of Kodungallur where Ilango Adikal the younger brother of Cheran Chengutuvan the Chera emperor of Kerala during the early Sangham age wrote his ancient classical Tamil epic Silapatikaram. I missed my camera all the while.

My Kawasaki near the Koi-waterlily pond made by Arun in our boddhi garden, Gandhinagar, Kottayam. May 2011

The Tirukunavayil Kottam or Mathilakam was an ancient Jain and Buddhist center and the Siva temple is a relic of the ancient Sramana heritage converted after the 10th century by Brahmanism and its most virile and violent Sudra henchmen.

Pink waterlily and its close companion at Kumarakom

The late P K Gopalakrishnan the radical local historian and writer who has extensively written about the place and its Sramana antiquity was from Panangad just south of Mathilakam. I felt like reading PKG once again as I crossed these ancient regions on my Kawasaki motorcycle that enjoys a love-hate relationship with many friends for its Japanese Buddhist design and looks.

Motorcycle and the art of enlightenment: My Kawasaki well into the sixth year of service

Passing Panangad I reached Kodungallur shrine and rested a while underneath the huge Banyans named after several households from Malabar and Travancore. I remembered the struggles by Sahodaran Ayyappan to ban the animal sacrifice at Kodungallur Bharani during the early 20th century.

Lesser Whistling Teals resting in Thrissur Vadakechira, Dec 2010

In the temple premise I tried to locate the exact Banyan beneath which there was an attempt on Sahodaran’s life while speaking against bloody and violent cults; so sensitively narrated by Adv K A Subramanyam and Prof M K Sanu in their respective biographies. And then proceeded to Cheraman mosque the earliest mosque outside West Asia and the first one in India founded by Malik Bin Dinar in 629 AD.

A view of Malabar coast at sunrise from Arabian sea. Sept 2010 taken during the first pelagic survey

It is also important to remember that an ordinary Muslim tradesman saved the life of Sahodaran as he was beaten up and chased by upper caste henchmen to end his life near this ancient Pally that is just a few hundred meters from the temple.

White lotus in Kanjangad: So dear to the enlightened ones

It is also interesting to note that Kodungallur Kunjikuttan Thampuran has even gone to the extend of describing this Pally as an ancient Buddhist Pally in the early centuries of the Christian era. According to biographers Sahodaran was given asylum inside his shop by the Muslim tradesman and he defiantly guarded and chased away the henchmen and hooligans of Brahmanism with an unleashed dagger drawn from his belt.

Inspiring Wings of mobility: White-bellied Sea Eagle of Malabar coast

The officials allowed me to enter into the old 7th century central chamber and I saw the ancient wood carvings, the pulpit and hanging bronze lamp with ancient Vatezhuthu (old Malayam-Tamil script) inscriptions used in the olden days. The museum of the Pally is also valuable in many ways.

A machine can take you to people, places, pasts, nature, cultures... especially a soulful one like my Kawasaki... it is a vehicle of imagination and freedom of expression in terms of space and time...

Then by crossing the Kottapuram Kayal reached Muthakunnam, Maliyankara and Pattanam – all resonant with the pasts of Kerala and its historical linkages with the world and radical reformers who shaped our society and cultures. Crossing the Vadakekara bridge I reached North Paravur and straight away visited the Jew street and ancient synagogue that is being renovated now by Kerala Tourism Department.

River Meenachil at Thazhathangady. May 2011

Site engineer Radhakrishnan from Iritty showed me around this marvelous monument in laterite and wood. The oldest and biggest synagogue in Kerala would be welcoming the cultural enthusiasts and researchers in a few months. Only a few Jew Pallys are left in Kerala that include the ones at Paravur, Chennamangalam, Mala and Mattanchery.

8th c. Thazhathangady Jumath Pally, Kottayam

Then I visited my friend Kannan of Prakruti Graphics, Paravur and after taking lunch resumed my journey to Idapally through Cheriyapally and Varapuzha. In between I also visited Varapuzha Pally breifly but could not get inside the ancient structure. After resting a few hours in a book shop inside the Oberon mall, Idapally I resumed my journey to Kottayam. Though plenty of books on Gandhi and Chanakya are abundant in this hi-fi bookshop I was wooed by some books on birds and a German author who wrote about India and Asia.

Artist Vinod Francis drawing waterlilies at Thazhathangady on river Meenachil. 29 May 2011

Accidentally I read Jesus Lived in India by Holger Kersten and was deeply engaged with the narrative on the enlightened Jesus who is also called a Boddhisatva in Gandhara Buddhism and in Kashmiri and Kabuli Sufi tradition. I resumed my ride to Kottayam through Vytila, Thripunithura, Vaikom and Thalayolaparambu, the homeland of Basheer and reached home in Gandhinagar at 7.30pm.

The Time Machine: Motorcycling is mobility, freedom and education on culture and nature

Fortunately the summer showers in Ernakulam and Kottayam districts that keep the regions cooler and greener than the other parts of Kerala this summer spared me and my long ride on the Kawasaki that still lures the children and the young in mind with its Japanese Buddhist design elements, fun looks and flowing curves and cool contours.

Beauty of black buddha: 9th c. granite Buddha recovered at Mavelikara

After reaching home I found out that my bike’s fifth birthday is over; it was on 12th May 2011. I think even machines have spirit and soul and they could enlighten us humans in various respects. The sights and sounds of sea coasts, rivers, high mountains, wetlands, people and the ancient Pallys at Thalangara, Ponnani, Kodungallur and the one in Thazhathangady are unforgettable and exciting in many ways.

Kovalam. May 2011

Ancient Pallys on the Banks of River Meenachil

Ajay — Sun, 22 May 2011 08:28:22 +0000

Vazhikadavu up on the Vagaman mountains: river Meenachil flows down from this western ghats above MSL 1000 m

The river originates from the lush green grass hills of Vagaman well above 1000 m at the margin of Kottayam and Idukki districts high up in the western ghats. After embracing various tributaries while flowing westward and nourishing the soils of Theekoy, Iratupetta, Pala and Kidangoor it reaches the fertile planes of Kottayam and splits into various distributaries to merge in to the great Vembanad lake near Kumarakam before meeting the Arabian sea.

Unique grass hills and shola in Vagaman: The origin spring of river Meenachil

The river Meenachil or Meenchilar attracted plenty of early navigators and explorers from far and wide over the ages. Jews, Muslims, Christians and similar trading groups of Sramanas earlier from BC third century onwards were lured by its inland waterways and market ports abundant with spices. I revisited the sacred bank of Meenachilar near Thazhathangady on Friday 20th May 2011. Local friend Shajahan helped me to relocate the Pally.

River Meenachil at Thazhathangady, Kottayam. 29 May 2011

Meenachilar at Thazhathangady: Beautiful old houses on the southern bank. early May 2011

Thazhathangady (market situated low) near Kottayam on the banks of Meenachilar retains plenty of Pallys both Christian churches and Islamic mosques today. It could be well assumed that the region also housed Sramana Pallys and Jewish Pallys (synagogues) in ancient times before the Hindu Brahmanical conquests of the 7th and 8th centuries. Synagogues have vanished and Buddhist Pallys like the Tali temple were converted to Hindu ones in the fierce conquests of Brahmanism through cheat and disguise.

Juma Masjid Thazhathangady, Kottayam: Founded in the 8th century by Malik Dinar the first Islamic missionary to Kerala/India from West Asia

The Juma Masjid/Jumat Pally or ancient Taj mosque of Thazhathangady is more than 1200 years old and was founded by Malik Ibnu Dinar from West Asia in the 8th century AD. This ancient Muslim Pally in Kerala is supposed to be the oldest mosque in India along with Ponnani Juma Msjid, Kodungalloor Cheraman Pally and Kasaragod Malik Dinar Pally at Thalangara.

Northern entrace and facade facing Meenchil river: Thazhathangady Pally is one of the oldest Islamic Pallys in India, more than 1200 years old

It is a marvel in ancient Kerala style of architecture that is a legacy of the Sramana heritage of Kerala having strong connections to Chinese, Japanese, Sri lankan, Tibetan and Nepali architecture. These ancient surviving structures clearly show Kerala’s historic cultural exchanges with the greater Buddhist Asia and Islamic and Christian West Asia.

Eastern attic casement of Juma Masjid, Thazhathangady, Kottayam

Pally itself is a Pali word and it is Sramana (Buddhist/Jain) in origin. All the minority religions in India; Jews, Christians, Muslims… in addition to Jains and Buddhists used this Pali Sramana word to refer to their worshiping places even after the annihilation of Buddhism in Kerala around the 10th century by Hindu Brahmanism and its subservient Sudra henchmen.

The ancient granite footbath at the northern entrance in Thzhathangady Pally, Kottayam

The beauty of Thazhathangady landscape, water-scape and culture-scape

These cultural and linguistic shared legacies also show the shared Sramana heritage of all the people in Kerala irrespective of religion and caste. It is also crucial to remember here that caste is a typical Brahmanical import used to divide and rule the people under the hegemonic Hindu colonialism or Brahmanical internal imperialism. There is no reference to caste and Varna in the Sangham literature that is Sramana in spirit and philosophy that belongs to the period BC 500 to AD 500 that has produced Tamil epics and classical poetry.

An interior chamber in Thazhathangady Pally, Kottayam

The ancient architects of Kerala have imprinted their mastery and craft in the wooden structure here in Thazhathangady which is imposing and awe inspiring. The facades, columns and roof structures are amazing and visual treats to the visitors interested in space and form.

Old wooden and roof tiled houses in Thazhathangady on Meenachilar

Pally Kulam or pond in Thazhathangady Pally, Kottayam

The Pally is chiefly done in Teak and other hard wood and old terracotta tiles are used in the roof. This may be a later addition but the wooden structure and framework belongs to the eighth century itself as per the Pally inscriptions, legends and in looks. There are gigantic wooden beams and columns on which inscriptions from the holy Qur-an are still visible and readable in calligraphic Arabic alphabets.

Southern gateway of Kottayam Cheriya Pally (1579)

Heritage houses in Thazhathangady on river Meenachil, Kottayam

The ancient pond or Pally Kulam is also intact and well conserved by the community. The Pally has close architectural semblance with the ones in Ponnani and Kasaragod on the Malabar coast. The beautiful wooden and roof-tiled houses here in Thazhathangady are also exquisite and deserve to be protected as heritage monuments.

Kottayam Valiya Pally and granite cross (1550)

Wooden roof structure with striking Chinese archetectural influece, Thazhathangady, Kottayam

The 16th century Kottayam Valiya Pally and Cheriya Pally that belongs to Christian churches are also in the proximity. The government and the cultural wing of the UN must take initiatives to conserve these ancient Pallys and surrounding habitats on the banks of the river Meenachil in central Kerala. Steps must be take to develop these monuments to a greater cultural circuit like the Muziris Heritage Project in Kodungallur.

Old houses and streets in Thazhathangady, Kottayam

Fighting Caste in Early 19th century Kerala: Arattupuzha Velayudha Panicker

Ajay — Fri, 20 May 2011 16:49:25 +0000

Arattupuzha Velayudha Panicker (1825 - 1874): Social revolutionary and anti caste activist from early 19th century Kerala

It is a long sandy strip of land between the Arabian sea and the backwaters on the southern coast of Kerala near Kayamkulam. Arattupuzha in Karthikapally Taluk of Alapuzha district lies between Trikunapuzha and Valiazheekal. Now a new bridge connects it to Kayamkulam in the east as well. It is separated from the mainland by Kayamkulam Kayal on the east and the Arabian sea forms its western margin.

Lotus pond, Pipal and temple at Mangalam, Arattupuzha; established by Velayudha Panicker in 1854. School and library were close by

Place names that survive centuries of invasion, erasure and cultural hegemony testify that these wetlands towards the south of present Alapuzha district sandwiched between Vembanad and Kayamkulam backwaters were renowned Buddhist centers in south India for more than a millennium (Alexander 1949: 6). Trikunapuzha and Thotapally in the north are identified as sites of ancient Buddhist Viharas and possible location of Srimulavasam the southern seat of the Buddha (Narayanan 2005: 23).

Needing urgent protection:The old Kallisery Nalukettu, Mangalam, Arattupuzha

Place names like Karthikapally, Perumpally, Dhanapally etc. prove that ancient Sramana pallys (Buddhist Viharas or shrines) were plenty in the region. Buddhism survived well into the 13th or 14th centuries here in this watery margin sheltered by the wetlands and marshes that isolated it from the Brahmanical conquests in the mid-mainlands of Kerala that began in the 7th century and established itself by the early middle ages in Kerala.

Teak wood work on the southern verandah of Kallisery Nalukettu, Mangalam, Arattupuzha

Sramana pallys and people survived in the margins of Kerala even after the conquests of Brahmanic ideologues like Sankara and his Savarna followers in the eighth and ninth centuries in and around the great wetland ecosystems of Kerala, the Vembanad, Kayamkulam and Sasthamkotta backwaters. It is also remarkable to observe that Sramana traditions in the corrupt and disguised form as Chathan (Sastha or Buddha/Jina) worship survived in the west of Thrissur Kol wetlands as well.

Naga deities in the sacred grove to the south west of Kallisery Nalukettu. There were four such groves now lost. 19 May 2011

Buddhism and Jainism were also pushed to the eastern frontiers of Kerala to the high reaches of the western ghats during the early middle ages by Brahmanism and its Sudra henchmen together called the Savarna elitist and hegemonic culture of Kerala that is a product of the infamous sexual colonies and the nocturnal alliance called Sambandham that gave birth to the Manipravalam wedlock-culture and writing. Achankovil, Sabarimala and Anamalai Sramana settlements are relics of this ravaged cultures that are now being Hinduized.

Intricate wood carving on the roof structure, Kallisery Nalukettu, Mangalam, Arattupuzha

The very place name Arattupuzha has its associations with Perumapally that lies to its south and is connected to the annual celebration in the Pally called Arattu which is still retained by Savarna Hinuized temples along with the ritual called Pally Vetta originally belonging to the annual rituals in the Pallys or Sramana temples and shrines. The huge river or puzha here was used for the ritual bathing ceremony of the deity of Perumpally or the big Pally or huge Buddhist shrine.

South block of Kallisery Nalukettu, Mangalam, Arattupuzha

The Kallisery Ezhava household in Arttupuzha produced generations of warriors who were well trained in martial arts like Kalari Payatu, medical practices like Ayurveda and astrology (Wikipedia). They were also well versed in Sanskrit and some of them including the father of Velayudhan (Kalliseril Perumal Chekor) and himself were experts in even Tulunadan style of Kalari (Vasavapanicker 1980: 12). It is evident that they were associated with the protection of the Perumpally here and even after the Savarna conquests they recovered some of their self defensive resistance practices and effectively resisted Savarna aggression and violence in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Elaborate teak work on the sealing, Kallisery Nalukettu, Mangalam, Arattupuzha

The reference to Kal or stone in the name of the household is also a Sramana marker as Kal is associated with place names having affixes like Kottam or Vattam or Kuti - all referring to the ancient stone based architecture introduced by the Sramana sages in Kerala still existing as in place names like Kallil, Papinivattam, Kutipuram etc. (Valath 1991).

Community Hall in memory of Arattupuzha Velayudha Panicker, Mangalam

Though the life and struggles of the legendary Velayudha Panikkar of Arattupuzha has been kept outside the academic pedagogy and official history by the traditional ruling classes and Savarna hegemony in Kerala; recently there was a renewed interest in his guerrilla fights against the violent empire of caste and Hindu Brahmanism that are still lingering and assuming fierce proportions. A foundation is formed recently for the study of his ethical and anti caste resistance legacies. A community hall, the temple founded by him, the Kallisery household etc. are some of the monuments that still revitalize his memories at his nativity in Arattupuzha.

K K Kunnath, playwright and local historian talking about Velayudha Panicker beofore his home at Perumpally south of Arattupuzha

I visited Arattupuzha on 19th May 2011 and saw the reminiscences of this great anti caste crusader from 19th century Kerala. It has been my longing for a long time ever since I began my study on caste and marginality in Kerala and India for my doctoral dissertation. Yesterday it was materialized and I could see these places rich with the history of resistance of the people at the bottom and the real socio cultural and material margins of Kerala against caste, Brahmanism and the Savarna hegemonic elitist culture of Kerala.

Pipal and estern shrines in the temple complex founded by Panicker at Mangalam in 1854

The Sramana people of south Kerala who were later considered as Avarnas or untouchables under Hindu Brahmanism because of their Sramana ancestry were pushed to the very limit and margin and nailed against the wall here in the early middle ages by the invading Brahmanical conquests carried out by the Sudra militia. The Bahujans or Buddhist people were between the devil and the deep sea literally. That precarious condition of self defense gave birth to immortal rebels and fighters like Velayudha Panickar (1825-1874).

Lamp post near which Panicker was assassinated in Kayamkulam Kayal near Perumpally

He is the first Avarna to make temples, schools and libraries for the subaltern or people in Kerala as early as the early 19th century. He is the first warrior to fight against Savarna or upper caste dehumanizing violence like violating the modesty of Avarna women and humiliating them in public. He is the first social revolutionary in Kerala to question the hegemonic restrictions imposed by upper caste Sudras regarding the use of breast cloths and gold ornaments by Avarna women. He is the first immortal rebel in known local minor histories to defy and hit back at the Savarna or upper caste feudal Sudra lords who perpetuated physical and symbolic violence against the Avarna or the subaltern in south Kerala (Sathyaprakasam 1998: 12).

It was Velayudha Panicker who paved the foundation of social reformation and political protest in early 19th century south Kerala that eventually culminated in Kerala renaissance as in its most ethical articulations through Narayana Guru, Muloor, Asan and Sahodaran in late 19th and early 20th centuries. In this respect Arattupuzha Velayudha Panicker began the counter hegemonic resistance movement of people marginalized by Brahmanism and caste for centuries and began the egalitarian and ethical democratic reformation of Kerala. His life and early struggles are inevitable in the study of Kerala’s historical formations and Kerala renaissance.

Western bank of Kayamkulam Kayal where Panicker was cremated near Perumpally

He organized a meeting of various Avarna social youths and established a brotherhood of untouchable socio cultural activists in Aratupuzha (Sathyaprakasam 12). He also founded an art and cultural wing to stage performances like Kathakali that was prohibited for the Avarnas. Panicker established a troupe and school called Kaliyogam or Kalari for the training of young Avarnas in Kathakali. It lasted till his death and produced many artists from the untouchable communities. There were furious complaints and protests from Sudras to ban this. But defying the Savarna conspiracy against the artistic pursuit of Avarnas, Panicker helped Avarnas in Changanasery and Kottayam to establish their own Kaliyogams in their localities (Sathyaprakasam 13).

Velayudha Panicker also supported the most marginalized communities now called dalits by running night schools and Kalaris for them. His institutions were open to all sections of society. He also supported them by giving assistance in building new huts and renewing old thatches. This interest in the social bottom later influenced Avarna poets like Muloor to compose his well known Pulavrithangal that portrayed the life and struggles of dalits (Sathyaprakasam 13).

First temple for Avarnas installed by an Avarna in Kerala in 1854: Mangalam temple, Arattupzha

As social change and conversion was in the air soon after the missionary intervention in south Travancore in Nanjinad in relation to the breast cloth controversy and the Channar revolt in the mid 19th century; Panicker spread the word of socio cultural change among the people and prompted Avarna women to cover their breasts with cloths in public. In Kayamkulam market an Avarna woman was stripped and humiliated by Nair men and Panicker and fellows retaliated with counter strikes immediately (Sathyaprakasam 13).

The Sudra lords who perpetuated the heinous crime of violating the modesty of women in public were given instant sentence and ready execution then and there and this shocked and checked the Savarna hegemony around Kayamkulam forever. He also distributed breast cloths for Avarna women to wear in public and no Nair henchmen of Brahmanism dared to touch any Avarna women in and around Kayamkulam thereafter (Sathyaprakasam 13).

Old Travancore post box preserved near Mangalam temple, Arattupuzha

To add to this terror treatment Panicker told the Avarnas not to work for the Savarna upper castes. The Nair feudal lords were really reduced to nothing through this labor refusal by the dalit bahujans. They publicly apologized before the humiliated Avarna woman and only then Panicker withdrew his labor strike. During these days he gave food and minimum wages to thousands of agricultural laborers in the region (Sathyaprakasam 14). It is clear that such early work strikes must have influenced later dalit leaders like Ayyankali to organize his protest strikes for educational rights.

An Avarna woman wearing a gold nose ring was again disgraced by Savarna Nair henchmen at Pandalam further north east of Kayamkulam now in Pathanamthitta district. The inhuman caste lords plucked the ring by tearing the nose of the young woman and this wounded the minds of Panicker and his young comrades badly. They lead by Panicker reached Pandalam some fifty miles east, perhaps through river Pampa on their paddled boat rowing hard upstream against the flood of gushing waters from the ghats in disguise or under the cover of night and retaliated sans mercy(Sathyaprakasam 14). He also made and distributed at least one thousand gold nose rings among Avarna women in Pandalam and asked them to wear it in public and no Nair lord in Pandalam dared to touch them .

Buddha idol recovered and installed in 1923 at Mavelikara from the current Hindu temple pond, 10km north of Kayamkulam. It belongs to 10th century according to Dept. of Archeology, Kerala

Velayudha Panicker also practiced inter dining in those early days. He enjoyed inter caste meals with dalits mostly Pulayas and Parayas of his region; that was a shocking thing to do in the early 19th century Kerala (Sathyaprakasam 15). Sahodaran Ayyappan who organized the first documented inter dining in the history of Kerala at Cherai in 1917 must have took his inspiration from the oral tales and narratives on Arattupuzha Velayudha Panicker who practiced this radical subversion of caste almost a century ago a few hundred miles south in the southern coast of Kerala.

He was assassinated at the age of 49 by a henchman sent by the Savarna lords while in deep sleep in his boat in the Kayamkulam Kayal near Perumpally. But the spirit of resistance and rebellion against hegemony, the cause of social justice and human rights, the agenda of radical revolution and democratic cultural politics and struggle unleashed by this immortal activist against caste and Savarna Brahmanic hegemony of Kerala is unique, contemporary and even futuristic.

House of Muthukulam Parvathiamma on the eastern side of Kayamkulam Kayal

His activism was based on concrete socio political intervention and change. He also stressed the importance of art and culture in emancipation. His Kalari practice of martial arts, Ayurveda, astrology and Kathakali articulate the significance of representation, cultural politics and cultural capitals in the struggle for equity and justice. His mode of temple installations reinforce the spiritual quests, needs and awakening of the masses on an ethical and spiritual plane.

Sacred serpent grove at Thatakatusery, paternal home of Parvathiamma, Muthukulam

His institution building including schools and libraries project the primacy of welfare governance and constitutional frameworks. His counter resistance and physical revolts accent the social and material mobility of the subaltern. He offers plenty of possibilities for social activists, radical reformers and cultural policy planners and people in governance and social action. It is also important to remember that he inspired generations of social reformers, philosophers, spiritual leaders, cultural activists and democratic fighters till the present and will remain as a source of inspiration for the future democratic struggles in and outside Kerala.

Muthukulam Parvathiamma Memorial Library, Muthukulam, east of Kayamkulam lake

Though Panicker has been influencing me in many respects for a long time I could reach his homeland only yesterday on 19th May 2011. From Kottayam I got Chennai – Trivandrum mail to Kayamkulam in the morning. From the KSRTC bus stand now there are plenty of buses operating through Arattupuzha after the new bridge that is constructed between Pullukulangara and Perumpally. First I went to Mangalam a few miles north of Arattupuzha bus stop where the temple and Kallisery household are situated.

Bhuvaneswari temple at the paternal home of Muthukulam Parvathiamma

The moment you alight at Mangalam the small but beautiful temple premise and the community hall erected in the memory of Velayudha Panicker catch your eyes. There is a huge Banyan at the stop itself between the road and the Arabian sea. There are plenty of Pipals around the temple. The lotus pond and another pond with green water plants are really cool and captivating.

10th centuy Buddha recovered from Karunagapally at Krishnapuram museum

The temple in Mangalam was founded by Paniker in 1854. He installed one more temple in Cheruvaranam in 1855 near Varanapally. He allowed all people irrespective of caste, creed and gender to enter and worship in these temples. It is important to note that this happened all most three decades before Narayana Guru’s Aruvipuram installation of 1888. It is explicitly evident that Narayana Guru who received education at Varanapally household on the eastern banks of Kayamkulam Kayal from where Panicker found his wife Velumbi was clearly aware of the socio-spiritual and martial legacy of Valayudha Panicker.

Muthukulam Parvathiamma (1904 - 78): Early woman writer in Malayalm, belongs to Muthukulam, east of Kayamkulam Kayal, detail from a portrait at her home.

As an early 19th century activist and interventionist against caste and Brahmanism Panicker tried to acquire the cultural and symbolic capitals the Savarnas monopolized like temple worship, education, learning, arts like Kathakali and religious ritual practices including temple rituals. That is why during the 1840s and 50s he traveled extensively in the western coast to Vaikom, Guruvayoor and even up to Goa in diguise as a Brahman to enter into these Brahmanical temples there and find out the subtle nuances and cultural distinctions of Brahmanical worship. After a great deal of observation and study he formed a simple and egalitarian ritual code and performed his own installations in south Kerala in the 1850s. This observation and critical appropriation by Panicker could not be rejected as mere Sanskritization and imitation. It is something beyond cultural mimicry having greater political goals and strategic essentialism.

Smiling Buddha: Detail from Mavelikara Buddha idol, Buddha junction, Mavelikara, Alapuzha Dist.

Legend has it that he was chased by the Brahmanical henchmen even up to Cherthala from Guruvayoor on finding out that he was an Avarna or untouchable Ezhava. He used traditional boats with paddles, horses and elephants during his expeditions and interventionist explorations all along the south coast. That is why local people still cherish his memories and talk about him as a savior, martyr and ethical fighter for human dignity and rights. He was indeed a martyr who dedicated his life and efforts for the liberation of his community and similar Avarna communities in his region by struggling in various ways with the Savarna hegemony of his time in Kerala.

Buddha recovered from Bharanikavu Pallikal a few miles east of Kayamkulam

Mr Raveendran who runs a hotel near the temple at Mangalam keeps a portrait of Panicker and is articulate about his legacies. People in the locality still remember about the primary school and small library founded by Panicker in Arattupuzha in early 1850s itself. Though these pioneering institutions have vanished after the assassination of Panicker by cheat the memories and emancipating spirit are still with the local people. There is a library established in 1924, named after Asan near the temple and Kallisery household that still survives.

The Kallisery Nalukettu made of teak is still surviving the ravages of time though some parts are demolished and in decay. The Government must take immediate and timely steps to protect this historic monument and preserve it as a museum of cultural history, social justice and human rights for posterity.

Pagoda housing Karumadi Kuttan: 8th century black granite Buddh between Ambalapuzha and Thakazhi, some 30km north east of Arattupuzha

The surrounding Govt. schools, the temple, the ponds, the library, the community hall and the Kallisery household must be transformed into a greater cultural complex that could become the common and shared heritage of Arattupuza, Alapuzha and Kerala in general. The ancient household and associated monuments of this legendary fighter could form an apt memorial for Kerala renaissance as well. Archeological studies and excavation in this narrow land bridge including Thotapally, Trikunapuzha, Arattupuzha and Perumpally may also reveal vital treasures related to the Buddhist past of Kerala.

Reference

Alexander, P C. Buddhism in Kerala. Annamalai University, 1949.

Sathyaprakasam, M. Sarasakavi Muloor S Padmanabha Panicker. Trivandrum: Govt of Kerala, 1998.

Narayanan, Aju. Keralthile Buddhamatha Paramparyam. Changanasery: Tapasam/Current, 2005.

Valath, V V K. Keralthile Sthalacharithrangal: Ernakulam Jilla. Thrissur: Kerala Sahitya Akademi, 1991.

Vasavapanicker, Kumbalamchirayil. Sarasakavi Muloor. Pathanamthitta: KVP, 1980.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arattupuzha_Velayudha_Panicker

Chandragiri Fort: A Landmark on the Kasaragod Coast

Ajay — Wed, 18 May 2011 11:59:55 +0000

Fort Chandragiri, Kasaragod, Kerala

Though there are plenty of places called Chandragiri in south India including the ones in Tirupati in Andhra and Sravanabelgola in Karnataka the Chandragiri in Kasaragod is unique in its history, antiquity and cultural and ecological geography.

River Chandragiri joins Arabian sea: A view from fort Chandragiri at 50 m. MSL, Kasaragod

Fort Chandragiri stands atop the small hillock at the southern bank of the mouth of river Chandragiri near Kasaragod in north Malabar. Chandragiri river was the traditional boundary between Tulunad and Kolathunad or Malayalam speaking regions in northern Malabar.

Pregnant with pasts: Fortifications and citadels at fort Chandragiri, Kasaragod

The laterite mount that rises up to 50m above sea level overlooks the Chandragiri or Thalangara estuary and the Arabian sea. The northern bank of the river houses Pulikunnu and Thalangara regions that are also important in many ways.

River Chandragiri, Pulikunnu, Thalangara and Kasaragod town regions from fort Chandragiri

The river originating from Kodagu called Payaswini till it reaches the coastal planes (by flowing through Sullia in Karnataka to reach Kasaragod coast) becomes river Chandragiri as it meets the Arabian sea at Chandragiri. It is sure that the Chandragiri region is a geo-politically and culturally important location due to its geographical and ecological distinctions.

Laterite stone architectural motifs in fort Chandragiri, Kasaragod

The very name Chandragiri connects it with the mount in Sravanabelgola that is named by the ancient Jain sages after Chandranatha Thirthankara. Jains used to name places and hillocks after their saints and gurus. Pallypuram and Kalanad Dharma Sastha temple are still surviving around the hillock.

Arabian sea, river mouth of Chandragiri, Thalangara estuary, Kasaragod harbor, rail bridge from fort Chandragiri

The place name Pallypuram (Pally premise or surrounding) clearly shows that there was a Pally or ancient Jain/Buddhist shrine on the hill top. Sastha is also a Hinduized form of Jina or Buddha. Dharma Sastha is the synonym of Buddha still in the Malayalam lexicon.

Chandragiri river mouth and rail bridge connecting Kalanad and Kasaragod

The place name Kalanad may be connected to Kalabhra dynasty that exercised remarkable influence through out south India or the ancient Tamilakam from AD third to seventh century. The Kalabhras patronized Jainism and Buddhism and they established plenty of Sramana vestiges all around the subcontinent.

Pallypuram and Kalanad regions from atop Chandragiri fort, Kasaragod

Kalanad may also be related to the maritime history of the place as Kalam means Kappal or ship. It is also notable that Malik Dinar landed nearby in Thalangara and established one of the ancient Islamic mosques in south India on the northern bank of river Chandragiri in early 8th century AD.

Pipal tree near Kalanad Sastha temple: From fort Chandragiri, Blue Arabian sea behind

The location, setting and architectural relics reinforce the Sramana connection of Chandragiri fort. The very gateway and architectural patterns and motifs in huge laterite boulders closely resemble the stone structures at Sravanabelgola, Moodbidri and Karkala that are surviving examples of Jain architecture in stone just a few hundred miles away in the north east.

Kalanad Dharma Sastha temple (right) and Pipal from railway station

The meandering flight of steps and the surrounding walls and structures clearly echo the erased and modified Jain structure. I felt like entering the Gomateswara shrines at Sravanabelgola or Karkala as I ascended the steps to enter the gateway of Chandragiri fort in January and March 2011. It is important to observe that most of the present forts and Hindu temples are built over ancient Sramana sites of greater antiquity.

Kalanad and Pallypuram from Chandragiri fort, Kasaragod

It is also notable that Pallykara Panchayat that hosts Bekal fort is just to the south of Chandragiri and Pallypuram. Bekal fort was also a sacred Sramana site of archeological importance. Detailed excavations may reveal the real past of Kasaragod coast. It is remarkable that two Jain temples are still surviving in Manjeswaram towards the north of Kasaragod. Kodagu and Hassan districts in Karnataka that border Kasaragod were also ruled by Jain dynasties till the 13th century.

White-bellied Sea Eagle soaring above Chandragiri, Kasaragod

Fortunately it is now with the Archeological Survey of India and it is highly desirable that they conduct further excavations and detailed studies on the pasts of these forts along the coast of Kasargod from Manjeswaram to Kumbala, Chandragiri, Bekal and Hosdurg (Kanjangad).

Summer rainbow above fort Chandragiri, from Chandragiri rail bridge, Kasaragod, early 2011

The Keladi Nayiks of Ikkeri who fortified these strategic locations after the fall of the Vijayanagara empire in the 16th and 17th centuries probably erased the presence of Sramana antiquity and replaced the original Pallys or Sramana shrines with some Hindu Hanuman temples. Kumbala and Bekal forts still hold these Hanuman temples. The reference to stone or Kal in the place name Bekal is also a Jain marker.

White-bellied Sea Eagle near its nest on the Pipal, Kalanad Sastha temple, Kasaragod

These forts and associated temples must be preserved for posterity and detailed archeological, historical and inter disciplinary cultural studies by ASI and free researchers may expose the realities of the pasts. These important monuments must be kept intact for the sheer beauty of their locations and ancient ambiance. Irreverence for cultural history and critical humanities that is growing among the so called techno-trained people in Kerala could be a clear symptom of collective amnesia, political illiteracy and social ignorance.

Sunset in Arabian sea beyond the mouth of river Chandragiri, a view from the fort in mid 2010

Rivers Achankovil, Pampa and Manimalayar: Eco-cultrual Diversity of Pathanamthitta

Ajay — Wed, 04 May 2011 18:14:01 +0000

River Pampa near Maramon, Kozhanchery, Pathanamthitta

Pathanamthitta is the gift of river Achankovil originating from the high ranges of the Western Ghats near the ancient forest shrine of Achankovil in the north eastern border of Kollam district so close to Senkotai and Tenkasi in Tamil Nadu. Achan Kovil means the shrine of Achan or the supreme deity. The Malayalam words Achan, Appan, Aliyan etc. have Sramana and Buddhist origins.

Kaviyoor Cave Temple; 5km east of Thiruvalla on TK road

Along with river Achankovil, Pampa and Manimalayar join in the Pathanamthitta basin in the west to make it fertile and lush green. The place name combining Pathanam (ship) and Thitta (river bank and delta) explains the ancient riverside inland port or Pattanam (port town) on the banks of Achankovil. Pathanapuram is also close towards the south.

Common Emigrants mud puddling near Kaviyoor rock-cut temple called Trikalkudi

All these three rivers drain to Kuttanad backwaters ultimately to lake Vembanad in the west like Kodoor, Meenachil and Muvatupuzha rivers. In the ancient times Pathanamthitta was part of this intricate inland waterways and wetland ecology and cultural water-scape. The rise in the water level in those days allowed big vessels to come so inland as this ancient inland port town.

Trikalkudi Jain rock-cut cave temple, Kaviyoor. AD 9th c. in Pallava style

Orange-tailed Dart at Kaviyoor, Thiruvalla, Pathanamthitta

Pathanamthitta was part of Kottayam and Kollam districts till a few decades ago. This beautiful new district has important cultural and ecological treasures that lure the travelers. On April 30, 2011 I made a 200 km midsummer drive through its tropical green contours, wetlands, deltas and dales.

Gateway to Kaviyoor rock temple: Between two gigantic granite rocks, modified recently

I started from Kottayam in the morning and went to Thiruvalla straight down south on the MC raod. From there took the eastern route to Pathanamthitta. Just 5 km east near Paipad backwater lake and on the western bank of river Manimalayar I visited Kaviyoor rock-cut cave temple. This 8th century carved granite temple is associated with Jain and Pallava architectural tradition later converted to a Hindu Siva temple.

Protected by Dept of Archeology: Facing west the Kaviyoor Trikalkudi rock cut temple

The giant granite rock and surrounding area is still called Trikalkudi or divine rock settlement or divine footmark settlement. Place names close to the locality like Pazhampally, Pallypuram and Mundyapally also expose the Sramana antiquity of the place.

Carved out of the rock: Front varandah and chamber of Kaviyoor cave temple

More than that Mallapally, Madapally, Vazhapally, Mariapally, Puthupally, Pallypurathukavu, Karthikapally, Karunagapally etc. are also surrounding this region. To add to all this there is a Hanuman temple now called after Siva. It could be well assumed that this was an ancient Jain cave temple like Kallil near Perumbavur in Ernakulam district in the north.

Pallava style Dwarapalaka in Kaviyoor cave temple: Earliest stone sculpture in Kerala, probably much older than 8th century

Local people still have the legends of Bhuthams (demonised Buddhists imagined after Brahmanical invasion) building the cave overnight like the Bhuthathankettu dam in Periyar near Thattekkad that was built by the Sramana sages for irrigating the Periyar valley and improving its agriculture.

Spring full even in summer towards the left of the cave

Devotee like Dwarapalaka in Pallava style, Kaviyoor rock temple

A local woman also told me that the foot mark engraved on the stone was on top of the rock but now being lost through various encroachments and erasures. Jains traditionally worship the footmarks of their gurus or Thirthankaras. There is also a brimming spring near the cave. Jain shrines are also known for their medicinal springs.

Facade shows clear marks of chiseling, removal and erasure like Kallil temple: Originally Jain later converted to Hindu Saiva temple in the middle ages

Pallava style Ganes in Kaviyoor rock temple. Ganes and Saraswati were originally Jain sub deities like Padmavati and Khusmandini later Hinduized as goddesses

The facade also shows signs of chiseling and erasures. The comparatively new stone phallus inside the chamber does not match with the antiquity of the surrounding carvings and is surely a later re-installation.

A hawk near Kaviyoor rock-cut temple 30 Apl 2011

Spring source at the top of Trikalkudi rock, Kaviyoor, Thiruvalla

Pipal in between the rocks at Trikalkudi rock temple, Kaviyoor

From there I re-entered the state highway connecting Thiruvalla with Pathanamthitta and went east a few more miles to reach Eraviperur (8 km east of Thiruvalla) the head quarters of PRDS a subaltern socio-cultural and spiritual movement established by Poykayil Kumara Gurudevan and the birthplace and memorial of Poykayil Kumara Gurudevan or Poykayil Appachan.

The hut in which Appachan was born and left his body in Eraviperur, Pathanamthitta

Poykayil Sri Kumara Gurudevan memorial, Eraviperur, Thiruvalla

I met the president and important people leading the institution. They welcomed me as the translator of Appachan to English and showed around the place including the preserved hut of Appachan where he was born and left the body.

Sri C P Damodaran, President, PRDS

Then again went east to Marmon the venue of the annual Christian convention on the banks of Pampa. Thanks to the summer showers all the rivers and water bodies in the district are full and brimming with fresh water.

River Pampa near Maramon, Kozhanchery, Pathanamthitta

I remembered accounts of C V Kunhiraman addressing the huge gathering in the Maramon Convention on the banks of the great river to talk about caste and the vitality of conversion in fighting it in the early decades of 20th century during the hey day of Kerala renaissance social struggles.

A Shikra at Maramon, Pathanamthitta

On crossing the river Pampa on the eastern bank I met another revolutionary speaker immortalized in a bronze statue. It was C Kesavan in metal delivering his historic Kozhanchery address in 1935 during the Nivarthana Prakshobham or joined struggle by Christians, Muslims and Ezhavas.

Muloor memorial near Keralavarmasaudham, Elavumthitta, Pathanamthitta

Enjoying rice and spicy fish curry from a restaurant near the Pampa bridge I resumed my journey via Thekemala to Elavumthitta (around 10 km from Kozhanchery) the land of another brave son of the soil enriched by rivers Pampa and Achankovil.

Epitaph explaining his philosophy of humanim and keen sense of equity: Muloor in eternal versification

It was Muloor S Padmanabha Paniker who questioned Savarna hegemony in poetry and literature in an unquestionable fashion towards the end of 19th century in Malayalm and paved the way for Asan, Karupan and Sahodaran and a whole lot of Avarna or untouchable poets and writers in Malayalm through his brilliant verses and literary interventions that shook the cultural monopolies of the Savarna lords for ever. I reached his renowned home named after his friend, Keralavarma Saudham around 3pm. The newly preserved home and monument by Govt. of Kerala are a treat to the eye and the mind.

Poet's home named after his friend as Keralavarmasaudham, Elavumthitta, Pathanamthittta

It was getting cloudy and it began to drizzle. The humidity and heat of Pathanamthitta just before the summer showers are really challenging during this time of the year.

Muloor Memorial Govt. UP School, Elavumthitta, Pathanamthitta

But it is also a unique experience of nature in its own. At Elavumthitta I also visited the the Govt. UP School that is named after Muloor. A Buddha Engineering college for girls is also coming up in the region near Ayathil the wife house of Muloor.

Shrines dedicated to Narayanaguru and local deities near Keralavarmasaudham, Elavumthitta

From Elavumthitta I drove to Pathanamthitta the capital town of the district and visited my publishing friends Saju of Prasakti Books and Hari of Fabian at the Library Council Book Fair happeing in Co-operative College premises.

Interior of Keralavarmasaudham: Full of portraits of poets and lines from poetry

Browsing through some of their new titiles that they gifted to me and savoring tea with them I went up to Konni a few miles south on the Muvatupuzha-Punalur Hill Highway to enquire about the new Konni-Achankovil road now being developed by Kerala PWD.

Muloor home amidst the greenery of Elavumthitta, accessible through road from Pathanamthitta and Kozhanchery, some ten km from these centers

I went up to the margin of Pathanamthitta district and touched the border of Kollam through this new route by driving through the teak plantations for a few miles. Then talked to the local people and they informed me that the route lacked tarring in a mid 10km stretch in its 40 km course. I began my return journey through Konni-Pathanamthitta-Kozhanchery-Thiruvalla-Changanassery-Kottayam at around 6.30pm. The roads are good in this route.

Blue-tailed Dart in Elavumthitta

I reached home in Gandhinagar, Kottayam at around 9.45pm. Thanks to our little Maruti 800 the 12 hour and 200km drive on a hot and humid midsummer day was sensational and empowering in various ways in which I learned and experienced a lot about my neighboring district; its past, present, culture, nature and people.

Beauty of Elavumthitta architecture: Govt. rennovating the cultural treasures of Muloor home

I also found out a new thing about our rivers. Rivers are accessible and could be experienced through roads as well. But there is nothing like sailing through the rivers themselves and touching their fresh water with your hands. Compared to other districts Pathanamthitta rivers seem to be free from plastic wastes and pollution as well.

Grey Past and Green Present: From the top of Kaviyoor Trikalkudi rock temple