Last week end, we stayed in a resort at Masinagudi ( 40 Km from Ooty ) and I ventured into the forest to explore few hero stones and dilapidated temples. I visited 5 sites inside the jungle. It is not advised to visit the jungle without proper guides and permission from the forest dept as you can be hurt by wild animals.
I came across 2 dilapidated temples - One temple is completely broken and no deity there. The guy maintaining it has kept some swords and idols of his choice there. Once upon a time, there might have been a big fortress around it, but now it is a just a mound wall. Very dangerous to visit this place and the guy also is. This place is in a mysterious clearence in the middle of the jungle.
The other temple is also diliapidated. But very pathetic - the reason is the worshipers ( tribes ) dont know that this is a shiva temple. The nandi is in a platform. They have kept the nandi on top of the lingam and worshipping it together! The forest dept has provided an electric fence around this village as it is often rided by wild elephants.
According to the tribes, in ancient times lot of people lived in these 2 sites. But they all died due to war/disease.
The temples might have been constructed between 12 to 18th centuries.
I visited 3 hero stone sites. Out of which 1 is very important and antique of all. This site is just 5 minute walk into the jungle from the NH. But very dangerous to get inside without the permission of the authorities and without a proper guide. There are 2 hero stones here. But 1 is broken and fallen down. We lifted the fallen piece. But the figures couldnt be recognized. The other stone is still erect, but eroded. The bottom panel is very interesting as it portraits a human sacrifice. A man is shown sitting and praying while another is holding a sword that is probably going to chop his head off. Another man is overseeing this activity. Please see the attached JPG image of this.
Above this panel are 2 panels - the middle one is a row of dancing damsels and the top row is a god in sitting posture with his concerts.
This whole jungle is archaic with relics from a past civilisation. Couldnt explore more as the vacation was very short. I will go there again and visit more places and write here.
Dont visit these places without proper guides & permission from the forest dept. Ask your resort manager to arrange for these. Women are not advised to visit the first temple and the herostone that I described above. It is too dangerous to walk into the jungle and climb the mound.
Those interested, can collect the photographs of the hero stones / dilapidated temples & their geographic locations by private emails.
In the three figures why the left figure alone is taller and huge one, what its holding in the left hand? Axe? But the holding position of its hand is something odd. The big hair, gundalam...is it a king or a poojaari?
The sitting figure also have gundalams and small jada mudi.
Is there any chance of punishing someone by a king?
Hi all, Many such sculptures are available. I remember seeing few at:
-Vaidyanatha swamy temple at Poovirundavalli (Poonamallee) - Chola period (one of the Thondai Mandala Navagraha sthala) -Natham Parameswari Mangalam - at ECR road - Pallava period/ Chola period renovation -Thiruvaleeswaram - Near Alwar Kurichi -Kanchipuram Vaikunda Perumal Temple (kalumaram etrudhal)
Many more which immediately does not come in my mind... :(
VK, can you pass on the dilapidated temples photos/location details to reach.foundation.india@gmail.com Chandra
Since the locations are near Ooty, is there any possibility that this happened during / after the war of Rajaraja-1 against Cheranadu? The Kondai (Headdress) reminds me the namboothiri's!
I have seen a similar picture in Mayan civilization, where there was a human sacrifice potrayal. There is a theory that the sacrifice is a symbolic representation. I am not sure how that statement is comparison with this sculpture.
Interesting fact is Mayan civilization (2nd generation) was during the fading ages of the Chola reign.
I would be back in August, may be we can meet then again.
On the beheading topic, as you had mentioned the ruthless act may have been committed at Chichen also.
My earlier post, I had mentioned the same,
" People looking at the person whose head was cut were in a mode of praying and respect and the person whose head was cut had 7 streams of blood gushing out (potraying 7 layers of worlds above earth - something I co-related to be 7 astral planes) and 5 streams of blood flowing from the cut head (held by the high priest) fertilizing the soil and answering to the 5 worlds below earth. "
The question now is the similarities in civilizations worlds apart.
Time lines, constructions, behavioral patterns, location and even their symbol (the jaguar).