Dear SPS, Thanks for the Chandel info. I believe that the dynasty centred around Tewar [Tripura], MP, was Haihaya, & later the Kalacuris of Cedi. Chandellas as a great power were even later.
Parasurama's area killing Kshatriyas was also near there, also Haihayas around Maheshwar [Mahismati], also on the Narmada. Sorry I don't have dates. I'm sure that all these ancient puranic places have their equivalents in Dravida Desa also. Could it be the the sources of many puranic tales took place far to the west of where we now set them? In the Pamirs, perhaps? [I know such ideas are heresy. . .]
I'm not terribly fond of Chandella sculpture, I think they were upstarts - maybe that's why I focus on other dynasties in Bundel- and Baghel-khand areas. I visited Kalanjar in '05 & much sculpture in its site museum is from Kalacuri time - much finer in my opinion. Kathie
Dear Kathie, puranic tales are not set in stone (no pun intended!!) - they evolve with time and with the nature of people around them. For example the Mahabharat evolved from the original 3500 verses to over 95000 verses. Ramayana has evolved all over south east asia in various forms. In those days people got credit and respect from how they were quoted in poems and stories, so if you need to be remembered it was a way to add your story to a bigger story in some form or shape or another.
If you look into historical origins versus puranic origins of temples (what is called Thala puranams) you will find lot of contradictions that way. But that said, again for the average hindu many puranic characters are real as the person next to them. As long as this is what they call love or Bhakti yoga and not dogma, it is wonderful and we can talk of these as real all day long.
Dear Malathi, I really love reading Sthala Puranas and wish I had at least one for every tirtham I have in my database. Two themes occur over and over: a. In a dream of villager or Raja, a deity appears to him [always a man, as far as I've read] & orders him to dig in a certain spot nearby. Lo and behold, a murthi.
Often, he then has a second dream, ordering him to either build a temple around it in the exact spot, or move it to a specified, already auspicious spot.
b. The cow with no milk at day's end. She returns home day after day, at 'cowdust time', dry. Follow that cow, usually into the jungle, see her let down her milk on a certain spot, lo and behold, a murthi.
Charming stories, hunh! Kathie > > Dear Kathie, puranic tales are not set in stone (no pun intended!!) > - they evolve with time and with the nature of people around them. > For example the Mahabharat evolved from the original 3500 verses to > over 95000 verses. Ramayana has evolved all over south east asia in > various forms. In those days people got credit and respect from how > they were quoted in poems and stories, so if you need to be > remembered it was a way to add your story to a bigger story in some > form or shape or another. > > If you look into historical origins versus puranic origins of > temples (what is called Thala puranams) you will find lot of > contradictions that way. But that said, again for the average hindu > many puranic characters are real as the person next to them. As > long as this is what they call love or Bhakti yoga and not dogma, > it is wonderful and we can talk of these as real all day long. > > Malathi >
clearing a forest and striking blood( thirumullaivoil) chasing an animal which leads to the site( rajendra chases a golden monitor lizrd somewhere)are also common topics.
Kathie, maybe if you state a few 'sthalams' from your database we can look into their mythical and historical origins and see the parellels/contradictions?
Hi Malathi, Kathie and Venkatesh, I wish to bring to your notice that there is a book written by Dr.David Dean Shulman comparing various temple myths of Tamil Nadu, especially of Saiva tradition. The name of the book is 'Tamil Temple Myths - Sacrifice and Divine Marriage in the South Indian Saiva Tradition' To quote a few from the book: 1) The phenomenon of Localisation - Every inch of ground on earth has a divine association, where the shrine itself takes the center. eg: Kanchipuram, Tiruvarur 2) The phenomenon of flood(or)deluge and the sacred pot(or)boat - eg: Seerkazhi, Kumbakonam 3)The phenomemnon of Divine Akasha Ganga's droplets falling on earth - Tiruvarur, Chidambaram, Kanchipuram many more 4) The phenomenon of river being the wife 5) The curse being a motif - as a sign of redemption one has to install linga and worship 6) The divine marriage sites - symbol of unison of the male and female force 7) The divine images installed and worshipped by Devi Parvati (Divya lingas), by celestials (Deva lingas), by sages and seers (Arusha lingas), by Kings and mortals (Manusha Lingas), by demons (Rakshasa Lingas), by Banasura (by Bana linga)
There are many similar motifs which is discussed exhaustively in the book. It is a Princeton University Press publication.
-maagaRal: near kanchi This temple was built by rajendra chozhan and dates back to many centuries. It seems lord appeared in the form of udumbu, and the king chased it. Suddenly the udumbu ( monitor lizard) went inside a paambu putRu(Snake pit) and let its tail out. At that time, the king realised it was the lord himself. So he built a temple there. The siva linga is very small and it resembles the tail of udumbu extending out of the snake pit.
Hi Swaroopini, I doubt the book is still in print. It was published in 1980. You can certainly try this book in Theosophical Society Library or Roja Muthiah library. I'm sure one of them would have a copy and they also photostat if requested.