Half
a Ton of unguarded gold - Chidambaram Thillai Nataraja Temple.
Golden roof over the Kanaka Sabah.
Very
few know about the true philosophical significance of Thillai Nataraja temple (PonAmbalam). It is not just a temple but a university,
where the Tamil scholars presented their works before they are made
public. It is a Sabah, a public place
where the scientific, religious, literary and art talents are exhibited for acknowledgement
and approval. It is considered to be the supreme of all five sabhas in Tamilnadu
(Chidambaram, Madurai, Kutralam, Thiruvalankadu and Thirunelveli). It is the primary temple (Koil) of all the
275 Padal Petra sthalangal; it is also one of the Pancha bootha sthalams representing the Akasam (inner and outer space). Three of the five Panchaboothasthala temples,
those at Kalahasti, (wind) Kanchipuram (Earth) and Chidambaram all stand on a
straight line exactly at 79 degree 41 minutes East longitude - truly an
engineering, astrological and geographical wonder. This temple is popularly
known as Thillai Ambalam, synonymous
with openness and transparency. It is
a temple more for the learned than for commoners.
Dr. Anandha kumaraswamy (Sri Lanka),
philosopher and historian of Indian culture described lord Nataraja as “a
synthesis of science, religion and art. Rishi
Patanjali positioned on the left side of Lord Nataraja developed the Yoga Sutra
which may be hailed as a great contribution of India to the world. Yoga is the
brand ambassador of India to the world.
According
to history, Emperor Paranthaka Cholan paved the golden roof in the 9th
century over the extension of Chit Sabah known as Kanaka Sabah with 21,600 golden tiles in the form of
Vilva leaf with the word SIVAYANAMA inscribed on them representing 21600
breaths. The golden tiles are fixed using 72,000 golden nails which represents
the number. of Nadis exist in the human body. The roof is topped by a set of 9
sacred kalasas, representing the
9 forms of energy. (Approximate weight could be 500 KG of gold. 1000 KG =one ton))
My focus is not on the divine side
highlighting the Arudra Dharshan , concept of Cosmic Dance, Chidambara Rahasyam and Thillai
Govindaraja Perumal but on the miracle as
to how approximately half a ton of gold
lying open to the sky without any protection survived 11 centuries.
It
was a here say from the Dhishidras that the deity of Lord Nataraja and Sivakami were taken as far as Allepy in Kerala during
the invasion of Malik Kafur in the 14th
century. He plundered many temples in Tamilnadu
but the golden roof remained un scathed.
There are no historical evidences that it was destroyed and rebuilt
again.
The
period of 17th and 18th century was a kind of dark stretch in the
history of India particularly South India.
There were no big empires in the South.
The whole of South India particularly the Pondicherry to Chidambaram
belt was ravaged by power struggle among Marathas, Hyder Ali and the forces of
East India companies of Britain and France for over a century. The Marathas, after Shivaji’s death, were not very active
but the Maratha influence can be seen in
many parts of Tamil Nadu particularly in Thanjavur. The temple was occupied by these warring
forces and was used as a fort with cannons mounted on the 25 feet tall outer
stone walls.
Comte De Lally arrived at Pondicherry as
Governor with a clear mandate to oust the British. He ran out of cash to feed
his army. He took extreme measures to replenish the near
empty treasury by levying contributions from the local rulers. He led a strong contingent towards Thanjavur
to collect the debt from the ruler. On his way he plundered the town of Nagore, ransacked
a few temples searching for gold and ornaments. He executed six Brahmin priests and unleashed
terror. Is it not a mystery that he did
not try to plunder the Chidambaram golden temple which is just 60
kilometers away from the French Head Quarters in Pondicherry?
Hyder
Ali supported by the French occupied Chidambaram for 4 years. During this gloomy period the deity was
hidden near Thiruvarur and did not have regular pooja for 30 long years, however
the golden roof remained untouched. Colonel
Eyre Coote of British East India Company defeated Hyder Ali in a decisive
battle in Porto Nova (Parangipettai) near Chidambaram in 1781 AD and decimated
his dominance in the region. The century old power struggle in the region
that threatened the temple came to an end by 1800 AD.
Half
a ton of gold lying exposed to the sky and unprotected for more than a millennium
in a country which was invaded and looted by many foreign forces for several
centuries is a great wonder. Who is
guarding them, is it Lord Nataraja? One logical reason could be a stiff resistance from
the local population in and around, but Chidambaram is a small town. Perhaps the intricate technology of the roofing
and strength of the materials prevented against dismantling and provided an all
weather cover for over1100 years,. Reluctantly, I can attribute the following reasons based on presumptive
logic for the inexplicable survival of the Pon Amanbalam. (1) The great
devotion of the Emperor Paranthaka Cholan, (2) The dedication and
tenacity of the Thillai Dhishidars who
managed the temple with strict
adherence to Vedic
and Agama rituals despite several political and military challenges.
(3) The magnanimity of the rich and powerful Adhinams who control numerous rich and famous temples
in the region but did not interfere with the Nataraja temple. (5) The
charity of the Nagarathar community of Chetti Nadu (5) Above all the deep devotion of the citizens
of Tamiilnadu.
Dr.
Krishnan Arunachalam.
References
History of the French in India by George
Bruce Mellison.,
Political History of Carnatic Nawabs by
N.S. Ramaswamy,
The Private Dairy
of Anandha Ramgam Pillai.,
A South Indian
Journey: The Smile of Murugan by Micheal Wood.
(Penguin Books)
The City of
Cosmic Dance – Chidambaram by B. Natarajan (Orient Longman),
Ummudi Bangaru
Chetty Jewelers.( opinion on the weight of gold on roof)
(Published in Mylapore Club magazine May/2014 by the author)
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