chap9
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Art and Culture of Tamilnadu
R. Nagaswamy
9. TIRUPPERUNTURAI - A YOGA PĪṬHA STHALA
Tirupperunturai, popularly called Āvudaiyārkoil, is about 12 km from Arantāṅgi, on the Mayuram-Karaikkuḍi railway line. Situated in picturesque surroundings, on the banks of the river Vellār, the place is held in great veneration by the Śaivites on account of its association with the Śaiva saint, Māṇikkavācakar. Traditionally, the place is known by various names as Ādikailāśa, Upadeśasthala, Kuruntavana, Parāśaktipura, Yogapīṭhapura and Śivapuram.
Tirupperunturai assumed importance from the time of Māṇikkavācakar. The Saint hailed from Tiruvaḍavūr in Madurai District and was the first minister to the Pāṇḍya ruler, Varaguṇa. As minister, he was called Teṉṉavan Brahmamāharāyan. The ruler gave him a large sum of money to buy horses. When the minister reached Tirupperunturai, the divine atmosphere attracted him. Lord Śiva himself, seated below a Kurunta tree as a teacher, bestowed his grace on the saint who was enchanted by the beauty of the Lord and then onwards had no attraction for worldly things. All the money he brought from the Pāṇḍyan kingdom was spent in the service of the Lord. Māṇikkavācakar is known for his ability to communicate to the devotees his personal spiritual experiences in soul stirring and sublime poetry. His hymns, forming a veritable treasure of Śaiva faith, are grouped into a book Tiruvācakam. It was during his sojourn at Tirupperunturai, that he composed many of the famous poems, like the Tiruvembāvai and the Pūvalli.
When the king learned of the deeds of his minister, he got furious and punished him by putting him behind the bars. Lord Śiva himself converted a number of jackals into beautiful horses and gave them to the king as having been bought by the Minister. This miracle of Śiva, turning jackals into horses and leading them to the king is an often repeated theme in literature and sculpture. According to the story, the horses are said to have turned again into jackals and disappeared after causing considerable havoc. As Māṇikkavācakar was intiated by the Lord himself in Tirupperunturai and as many of the verses of Tiruvācakam were written there, it occupies a pre-eminent position in the history of Śaivism.
Tirupperunturai has many unique features. In the sanctum, the main deity is only a pīṭha (an altar) and there is no Liṅga or other form of Śiva; all worship is offered to this pīṭha alone. It seeks to represent the absolutely formless form of Śiva who is the very soul of the Universe, Ātmanātha. So also there is only a pīṭha in the form of Śrīvidyā Meruchakra in the sanctum of the goddess and no image. The Devi in this form is called Yogāmbika. Nor do we find here the Nandi, the balipīṭha and the flagstaff as found in other temples. Everything in this temple is representative of Divine knowledge, suggested by formless forms. Unlike other temples, where various aspects of Śiva, His consort and other deities are taken out on festival days, only the image of Saint Māṇikkavācakar is taken out in procession.
There are many imposing structures in the temple, known for their architectural splendour and sculptural wealth. The gopura in the south is majestic. The maṇḍapas are known for their intricate workmanship. Massive stone blocks have been quarried and sized into excellent cornices, simulating wooden reaper work. It speaks to the high level of technical efficiency achieved by the stone masons and traditional craftsmen to day say that it would be impossible for them to achieve that efficiency. There are many remarkable sculptures in the temple that are representative of 17th century art.
The portraits of Saint Māṇikkavācakar in his various forms naturally find a prominent place. The miraculous story of Śiva leading jackals as horses is portrayed in sculpture. There is a fine group of a hunter and his wife, which are typical portrayals of the Nāyaka period. Sculptures of Narasimha, Ūrdhava tāṇḍava Śiva, Kāli, and Ganeśa are other sculptures that attract attention. The maṇḍapa in front of Nandīśvara, Māṇikkavācakar shrine, was built by Raghunātha Bhūpala, whose portrait is found there. The Tyāgarājamaṇḍapa was built by Achyuta Bhūpāla, and completed by Vaṇaṅgāmuḍi Muthu Toṇḍaimān.
By about A.D. 1600 the temple witnessed a great structural activity at the hands of one Vāmadeva Paṇḍāram, who is called Tiruppaṇikarta in inscriptions. Many of the maṇḍapas with sculptures came into existence during this period. According to epigraphs available in the temple, the village Tirupperundurai was also called Pavitramāṇika chaturvedimaṅgalam, in the subdivision of Miḻalaikkūṟṟam.
Besides this temple of historic importance, there are two others in the village which have been in existence from the 11th century A.D. The Śiva temple of Ādikailasanātha received endowments in the reign of Kulottuṅga Chöḻa III in the 12th century A.D. It seems to have been built earlier by a person having the title Kuvalaya Chandra. The Viṣṇu temple, now called Gajendraperumaḷ, was built in the 11th century A.D. by a Chöḻa-Pāṇḍya Viceroy and is called Chöḻa-Pāṇḍya Viṇṇagaram in inscriptions.