Panel Purana: A Panoramic Storytelling By Ancient Temples Walls

We often visit heritage sites to marvel at the architectural excellence of various pieces of art or at the grandeur of scale. Unless we have to our credit the erudition of scholars or the company of one such intellectual, we tend to miss the hundreds of tales that are captured on the walls in the form of panoramic panel art.

Hence this. This photo-feature series will look at panel art of various temples across India.

Temple architecture has always been much more than the magnanimous display of skill and opulence. It is a magnificent blend of myth, mystery, art and architectural mastery.

To begin with, here are the panels that embody the Periya Puranam at Darasuram.

This video is very popular in YouTube. It is a clip from the famous Cosmos television series of astrophysicist Carl Sagan, where he explains some exotic concepts like the oscillating universe and shows some parallels with Indic worldviews. At the background is an even more exotic and a more beautiful ancient temple built in a typical later or imperial Chola architectural style. Those who had seen the video would be as much fascinated by the concepts as by the temple in the background.

Darasuram Iyravatheeswara is a living Chola temple built in the twelfth century by Rajaraja-II (reign period: 1146–1173 CE). Sekkizhar, the famous seer-poet was a minister in the cabinet of Kulothunga Chola-II, the father of Rajaraja-II. Sekkizhar had written Periya Puranam (the great purana) which explains in detail the lives of the 63 Nayanmars - the devotees of Shiva. Rajaraja-II who grew up with this influence decided to immortalise in sculpture the scenes from Periya Puranam in the temple he built. Thus, running across the walls of the inner temple sanctum and mandapam are panels depicting episodes from the Periya Puranam.

Periya Puranam is in itself a unique literary achievement. The literary traditions throughout the world have been mostly elitist. The heroes of the classics have been usually derived from the aristocratic classes and never from the toiling classes. Princes, dukes, counts or at best the big trading classes supplied the heroes of literature. However, Periya Puranam anchored in devotion to Shiva had as its heroes and heroines, the devotees of Shiva derived from all walks of life - from washerman and potter, to fisherman and prince. One can see in Periya Puranam, a democratising movement that is inherent in the Bhakti movement, which would later also spread to North India.

The Periya Puranam panels are sculpted well above the decorated base structure of the inner temple wall and they are at the eye level. Here, we present some of the panels and the descriptions as well.

This panel shows Kunguliya Nayanar. At the famous Shiva temple in Thirupananthaal, a woman used to worship by offering to the Shiva Linga the garlands she herself made with fresh flowers. The woman devotee's name was Tadaka (not to be confused with the Tadaka of Ramayana). One day as she was offering the garland, her upper garment slipped. She was managing the garment and the garland with difficulty. She would not let go the garland even as she struggled with her dress. To protect her modesty, Shiva Linga itself bent before her, so that she could put the garland without letting go her garment. To proclaim the greatness of the devotee, the Linga then set itself in an inclined angle, even after the time of Tadaka.

Both the king and people were upset about the inclined position. The king tried to pull the Shiva Linga back to its position with the help of his elephants and warriors. But the Shiva Linga would not move an inch. On hearing this, Kunguliya Nayanar came and tied the rope to the end of his own throat and tried to pull it. Here Sekkizhar points out that Nayanar did not do this out of his ego or to demonstrate his devotion. When he heard that elephants and horses were used, he wanted to feel the effort and strain that the animals felt for Shiva. Seeing this love and empathy, Shiva could not let himself to remain unmoved, sings Sekkizhar. And the Shiva Linga got back to its original position. The god who bent himself to protect the honour of his devotee, now moved back to his original position when he saw the love and empathy his devotee showed for the animals.

Meiporul Nayanar was a local chieftain of an ancient Tamil clan called Malayaman. Meiporul Nayanar was invincible in all forms of combat and also was known for both his excellent administration and extreme devotion to the devotees of Shiva. He too had enemies, one of whom was Muthanathan. After having failed several times to defeat Meiporul in direct combat, he devised a heinous plan. He dressed himself like a Saivaite monk and went to the personal chambers of the king. He was stopped by Dattan, the bodyguard of Meiporul. But the fake monk said that he had brought an important Saivaite scripture about which he had to instruct the king without any delay. Dattan knowing his king's love and respect for Saivaite monks had to relent.

Reaching the king’s chambers, the monk ordered the queen to leave as the instruction had to be completely confidential. When the queen left and as Meiporul prostrated before the monk, Muthanathan lost no time in stabbing the king with the dagger. Sensing that something was wrong, Dattan charged inside with his sword and was about to kill the fake monk. But the king stopped his bodyguard. Even a fake monk wearing the symbols of Shiva had to be respected as 'our own' said the dying king and instructed that Muthanathan be safely taken to his own kingdom with no harm done to him. The words 'Datta, He is our own' is even today considered in Tamil literature as the greatest show of supra-human ability to forgive.

When moralistic religions like Jainism and Buddhism started dominating Tamil Nadu, the social status of wandering minstrels began a downward spiral. They who were once emissaries of chieftains, even their valued advisors, soon got degraded and became untouchables. What was first the religious prejudice initiated against them by the Jain and Buddhist religions soon became a social stigma against them. Interestingly, this seems to be a universal phenomenon. Both Islam and Christianity too considered the musicians as ones prone to immoral lives. So these religions also placed severe restrictions on the social status and rights of the musicians.

In an ultimate demonstration of human equality, Thirugnanasambandar ordered his Brahmin disciple, another great Shiva devotee, Thiruneelanakka Nayanaar, to let Thiruneelakanda Yaazhpaanar and his wife Mathangasoodamani to sleep by the Vedic fire in the house, a profoundly holy platform in Brahmin households. When Thiruneelanakkar prepared the bed for the couple to sleep by the side of the sacred fire, the fire emanated an auspicious sign by becoming brighter and sending out swirling flames to the right side. In a panel depicting this, one can see Thiruneelakanda Yaazhpaanar with his Sakoda Yaazh and along with his wife, singing the praise of Shiva as Arthanareeswara.

Maran of Illayankudi was a farmer. He was originally very rich and was known for his service of providing food to all. Shiva wanted to show that Maran would never falter from his dharma of providing food to the needy irrespective of his economic conditions. Soon Maran household was afflicted with poverty. Still he followed the dharma of giving food to the needy.

One stormy night even as the family had no food for themselves, and not even firewood for cooking, there was a knock at the door. In came a Saivaite monk drenched in the stormy rain, asking for food. There was no food. There was no way they could cook as they had no firewood. But without thinking the wife went into the rain and picked out the greens in the garden and Maran removed a part of the roof that was still dry. Even as their house collapsed they could light a fire to cook. Then Maran went to the fields in the night and removed all the seeds he had sown. Now they could prepare a meal of greens and rice for the monk. The monk transformed himself into Shiva and gave them liberation. This panel shows that episode.

There was a time in Tamil Nadu when the Vedic tradition suffered a setback. Tamil language also suffered a decline. The Saivaite revival brought back to Tamil Nadu the land of Vedas, both its religion and language. Many toiled and contributed in their own way to this revival and renaissance. One such was Nani Nandi Adigal. He used to light the lamps in the temple with ghee. When once anti-Saivaites harassed him by making oil and ghee unavailable, Nami Nandi Adigal lit the temple lamps of Thiruvarur with water from the temple tank. A panel portrays that episode. Once when Nami Nandi decided to take bath for ritual purity after the chariot festival, Shiva chastised him and showed that all the devotees irrespective of the caste are Shiva himself.

In the same way, Murthy Nayanar had vowed that he would every day supply fresh sandal paste to the Lord Shiva. The local chieftain was against the Saivaite religion and he decided to break Murthy Nayanar’s resolve by denying in all possible ways his effort to get sandalwood with which he has to make the paste. Undeterred, Murty Nayanar sold everything he had, and got sandalwood to produce fresh sandal paste. When at last he had nothing left, Murthy Nayanar used his own hand to draw out blood and bones to apply on the Shiva Linga. At this point, the lord came out and gave the Nayanar, liberation. The panel shows the Nayanar rubbing his own hands to produce the fresh paste of sandal and Shiva giving him darshan.

Buddhist monk Chakya Nayanar, was, from the depths of his heart, a great lover of Shiva. But his religious affiliation stopped him from showing his devotion. But none would question him throwing a stone at Shiva. So, he would take stones, considering them as flowers in his own heart, would throw them at the Shiva Linga every day. This he would do ritually and each stone would be accepted by Shiva as flowers. He is added to the list of 63 Nayanmars for stoning Shiva. Even, today, in jest people call atheists who abuse deities as ‘Chakya Nayanar’. The panel shows Chakya Nayanar throwing stones. One can see this as a way of accepting and managing religious differences.

Viralminda Nayanar was born in a Vellala family from Chera Nadu (Kerala). However, he was settled in Thiruvarur. He was a very outspoken Nayanar. Once, Sundarar the great Nayanar and friend of Shiva went to worship Shiva without paying obeisance to the other senior Nayanmars assembled in the Devachrya Mandapam of the Thiruvarur temple. Viralmindar got angry and said that the way Sundarar behaved was not in tune with the Saiva dharma - a statement crudely akin to excommunication. When others pointed out that Shiva himself accepts Sundarar, an angry Viralmindar declared that Shiva himself is then not behaving in accordance with Saivism. Following this, Shiva asked Sundarar to sing the greatness of his devotees. ‘Thiru thondar thogai’ that Sundarar sang in tthese occasions became the basis for Periya Puranam. The panel shows Viralmindar and devotees looking at Sundarar.

Karaikal Ammayar, who was born in the family of merchants, became a great saint poetess. Her contribution to musical Tamil is considered so immense. She could sing vividly the greatest philosophy with devotion and ecstasy. She could poetically bring out the imagery of the cremation ground where Shiva dances. The greatness of her is shown by the fact that Shiva himself called her as his ‘ammai’ or mother. She was called ‘pei-ammai’ or demon-looking mother. When she went to Kailash, she considered the land so holy that she walked the terrain on her head. The panel shows her walking on her head.

Shiva cherishes nothing more than great devotion. He sees the heart and not the external actions. It was evident from the life of Chakya Nayanar. Thiruneelanakka Nayanar, the great Shiva devotee, was shocked when he saw his wife blowing air through her mouth on the Shiva Linga. He considered this such a great sacrilege that he left his wife, and even after this his anger and agony did not subdue. However, Shiva appeared before him and showed his body, and wherever his wife did not blow, there were big boils. A spider had been frolicking over the Shiva Linga and the wife of the Nayanar, thinking that it would cause allergy to the lord, was blowing on the body, comforting the deity. Shiva could see deep inside the seemingly insulting action and accept the spirit. The panel here shows that episode.

These are just a few instances of the panels depicting Periya Puranam which have been sculpted on the walls of temples. Unfortunately, they are not being cared for any more, and they are slowly becoming corroded with most of the pilgrims and tourists not even pausing to see and appreciate them and imbibe their values. It is time some effort is taken to preserve them and highlight the messages with proper explanations.

(A book on Darasuram (Tamil) by Dr ‘Kudavayil’ Balasubramanian was used for identifying these panels)

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