Exodus from Irawatheswram to New Nemam

Kaveri:    Giver of bountiful wealth and a destroyer when in fury

“That you were present at the birth of time when Shiva as a golden peacock roamed the ocean of the void”              Adi  Shankaracharya,   800 C.E about the antiquity of Kaveri.

 Origin of Kaveri : Legends   

  

 An Apsara was sent to Mohini ( the female avatar of the Hindu Goddess Vishnu) to help  her  in a battle  between the Devas and the Asuras.  After Mohini won the battle, the apsara was adopted by   sage Kavera, and hence she became Kaveri. ( Kavresaya apatyam stri Kaveri).  Kaveri prayed to Brahma, to transform her into a river so that she could run through her father’s lands and make them fertile.  When her request had just been granted, sage Agastya spotted her and asked for her hand.  Kaveri agreed to his proposal on a condition that he was never to leave her alone.   The sage accidentally left her alone for too long and she  leapt out turned into a river as originally given as boon by Brahma.

 Manimekalai, the first epic in Tamil literature, written about 1,800 years ago, opens with a beautiful legend. When the Chola king Kanthaman wanted to improve the water sources of his country, he prayed to sage Agasthya and the sage Agasthya tilted his water pot and the Kaveri streamed out. As per another legend, Lord Ganapathi listening to the prayers of people to make the lands downstream fertile,  took  the form of a crow and  tilted the Kamandalam where Sage Agasthya had kept Kaveri confined. Kaveri flowed out of it!  

From Kodagu in Karnataka to Puhar (Kaverippoompattinam) in Tamil Nadu, the Kaveri  flows along 765 km.  Shimsha,  Hemavati,   Arkavati, Honnuhole, Lakshmana Tirtha, Kabini, Bhavani. Lokapavani,  Noyyal and   Amaravati River are it s major tributaries before enters the Chozhamandalam. With huge catchment areas comprising the hilly regions of the Western Ghats lashed by monsoon rains Kaveri roars through the delta region of Tamil Nadu bringing both immense prosperity and at times untold misery as well. She is referred as Ponni meaning a golden girl in Tamil!

 Staring with Karikalan Chozhan all the kings of Chozha dynasty wanted to ensure that maximum utilization of the waters of Kaveri by building dams, barrages, creating temple ponds and   enormous lakes. The water channeling and diversions were so effective that the water bodies got filled up from the western end to eastern end. They ensured that even if the monsoon failed, there was enough water for the people and cattle to survive. The bountiful crops during normal years were greatly managed to have enough buffer stock to feed the people during drought years.  

  The raising of the banks of the river Kaveri by Karikalan is mentioned by the Malepadu plates (seventh century CE)] of the Telugu Chola sovereign of Renadu Erigal-Mutturaju Punyakumara, who claims descent from Karikalan. Quote “ karuna – saroruha vihita – vilochana – pallava – trilochana pramukha kilapritvisvara karita kaveri tira (he who caused the banks of the Kaveri to be constructed by all the subordinate kings led by the Pallava Trilochana whose third eye was blinded by his lotus foot)“ Unquote.  .

The Grand Anicut, also known as the Kallanai was built by Karikalan and is considered as one of the oldest water-diversion or water-regulator structures in the world still in use. The Kallanai is a massive dam of undressed  stone, 329 metres (1,080 ft) long and 20 metres (60 ft) wide, across the main stream of the Kaveri. A later Chola record from Tiruvaduturai refers to this event that is raising the banks of the Kaveri by Parakesari Karikala Chola.

The dam was re-modeled by the British during the 19th century. In 1804, Captain Caldwell, a military engineer, proposed a solution by raising the dam and hence raised the dam stones to a height of 69 centimeters (27 in), thus increasing the capacity of the dam. Following this, Major Sim proposed the idea of under sluices across the river with outlets leading to the Kollidam River (thus preventing formation of silt. The dam is in excellent condition even today , and supplied a model to later engineers, including Sir Arthur Cotton's 19th-century dam across the Kollidam. This proves beyond doubt the foresight Karikalan’s engineers more than a thousand years before! 

There is even an ancient barrage across Vennar near Mahadevapuram (about five miles from Kallanai) called old Kallanai. There are more than a dozen tributaries branching off from Kaveri in  the Chozhamandalam. Kollidaam in those days was called Vada Kaveri (North Kaveri) and was equally auspicious. Many temples were built on the banks of Vada Kaveri too and festivals like Thula Snanam were also conducted like in original Kaveri.  Tributeries of Kaveri enriching the delta region include, Vada Kaveri ( modern day Kollidam), Vennar, Vettar, Kudamurutti, Arasalar, Koriyar, Vanjiyar, Nattar, Nandalar, Agniyar, Manikarnigai,  Maniaar. While all these tributeries branch of to the south of kaveri only Maniyar flows north and is between kaveri and Kollidam!

 Near present day Puducherry was once a village   called Tirubhuvana Mahadevi Caturvedi Mangalam. During the reign of Parantaka Chola (AD 920), a great lake, named after his queen Tribuvana Mahadevi was created. Veeranam Lake was built by Rajaditya Chola. He named it after his father Parantaka I Chola, who had the title "Veeranarayanan". Veeranarayanapuram was a residential town  created by him.  It got modified into Veeranam over time. Veeranam Lake gets water from Kollidam via Vadavaru River. Originally the lake when built was one and half  Kaadha Dooram long and  half Kaadha Dooram wide ( 25 km X 8.5 km). But its length  shrunk to 16 km.

In 1023CE, Rajendra Chola-I built a new city 'Gangaikonda Cholapuram'  to commemorate his victorious march to Ganges. For 250 years this city remained as the Capital of Chola empire which extended from Tungabhadra in the North to SriLanka in the South and was celebrated in the literature of 'Moovar Ula' of Ottakutthar  and 'Kalingattuparani' of Jayankondar. From his triumphant journey, he brought back holy waters of the sacred river to sanctify Chola land and poured the Ganges water into the newly commissioned Chola Gangam  lake (now called 'Ponneri' and in a neglected state) for drinking and irrigation purposes. This lake spreads over a periphery of 22 km and is considered one of the largest man-made lakes still in use in India.

 Madhurantaka Vadavaru, now called the Vadavaru, running about six kilometers east of the ruined capital is named after one of the titles of Rajendra I, was a source of irrigation to a vast stretch of land bordering the capital. An irrigation channel called Anaivettuvan is also mentioned. "Anaivettuvan" - Anai means irrigation (step irrigation) vettuvan means labour or engineer.

In all their endevour starting from building of Kallani from the time of Karikalan till the end of their dynasty and even beyond, the contribution of Palamarneri Brahacharnam clan had been invaluable. For their service in the selection of location, design  of embankments, design of water courses for irrigation and filling  up of lakes and ponds from Kaveri and its tributaries, they were regarded as great assets to the Chozha empire. It was during this time, proper land records were created and maintained for collection of revenue from the land owners and chieftains. It was left to this community for maintenance of land records, accounting and book keeping of revenue and its deposits into royal treasury. The accountants were made as hereditary holders of this job and it was passed on from generation to generation. Even when the Chozha kingdom fell and others like Nayakars, Marathas and British ruled over the region, the land revenue records continued to be maintained by these hereditary holders who knew every inch of land and its ownership. People may be wondering as to how they would recognise the land holding in the absence of maps! Each piece of land was recognized by a name! I have some of the old stamp papers dealing in sale of our ancestral lands which gives the survey number, the ownership in four cardinal directions, the extent and even the name of that piece of land. Giving name to the land ensured that the farmers who work in the fields could recognise them in the vast landscape without confusion!

During the reign of Chola Empire, the Brahmmarayars were granted extensive acreage of lands for their services. The copper plates unearthed at Anbil tells about grant of Ten Velis of land ( more than 60 acres of land) to Aniruddha Brahmmarayar. Likewise almost a thousand acres of land were held by Neman family in Mahadevapuram ( Kachchamangalam) just a hundred years ago.  Similarly when the irrigations were improved , many of the clan took up jobs for maintaining not only land records but also other royal duties over the entire length and breadth of the Chola empire. Though they were granted lands, they had to depend on others to do physical farming as Brahmins are expressly prohibited from farm labour.

While the clerical, spiritual and administrative, jobs were entrusted to Brahmmarayar clans may of whom were natives of Northern areas of the empire like Teluga, Kodagu, Malaya and even Kalinga Desam, the other jobs were entrusted   sa per Varnasrama.  They all had  their  clan names and titles  like Velalar, Varaiyar, Pazhuvettriyar, Muthhthariyar, Kalaththil Venrar,  Kilakku Udayar, Kaikkola Padayar, Mazhavaryar etc. Some of them are so high in social status and had the privilege to give their sons or daughters in marriage to the royalty. Some  of the minor Chieftains were permitted to fly their own flags too! All of them are give huge villages for agriculture production  as well as provide trained soldiers in times  of war. While the empire has its own standing Army of Chariot force , Elephant force , Cavalry and Foot soldiers, the bulk of the force would be gleamed from these Chieftains for any campaign or defence. Almost every Brahmmarayar who owned the gifted land would give away on lease to one of the farming families of the other clans and claim part of the produce for their sustenance. On their part, they were advisors for everyone for the start of various agricultural operations based on astrology, astronomy and experience. Everyone would consult them for start of ploughing, watering, sowing and reaping of not only paddy or sugarcane but also short term crops and vegetables!

Though the water management by the Chozha kings was superb, Kaveri used to change its course during heavy monsoon years as there were no dams upstream of Kallanai across Kaveri or any of its major tributaries like Bhavani or Amaravati. Sometimes the floods used to leave a vast track of water body almost like a mini lake. These areas will take a name of Eri. There is one Maraneri near the present day Kachchamangalam (Actually Chaturvedi Mangalam denoting that the  village was a grant from the kingdom to the practitioners  of the four Vedas namely the Brahmins)! Pazhamaraneri of which Mummudi Brahmmarayar belonged might have been ravaged by floods a long long time ago!       

Apart from Pazhamarneri Brahacharnams, there were many Vadama Brahachrnams in the service of the empire. The term Vadama may have originated from the Tamil term 'Vadakku' meaning North, indicating their Northern origin. This claim is supported by the fact that, unlike other sub sects of Iyers, some Vadama pay oblations in their daily Sandhyavandanam to the river Narmada. However, what is not certain is whether 'North' refers to northern Tamil Nadu or regions farther north. Some  scholars are of the opinion that rather than the superficial indication of a northern origin for the people, the term "Vadama" might  rather refer to their proficiency in Sanskrit and Vedic ritual, generally associated with the North. Like other Iyer communities, they follow the Advaita philosophy propounded by Adi Shankara. A significant proportion of the Vadama community adopted Vaishnavism, and are thus believed to have given rise to the Vadagalai Iyengar community. The oldest historical references to Vadamas date from the first millennium AD. Vadamas have a martial tradition unlike most other Iyer communities. They are believed to have been the protectors of Brahmin villages or agraharam and served as administrators and advisors to Tamil and Telugu kings during the medieval and early modern period.

It is to be appreciated that the administrative jobs were not exclusive to Brahmmarayar clans alone, but Vadmas also occupied good positions in the village and higher administrative echelons of the empire. Also in the empire there were migrants from as far as Kashmir, Kalingam and Vengi. The discendants  of Palamarneri Brahmmarayar clan also took up job all over the empire where they were greatly sought after for their proficiency in administrative jobs. Mummadi Brahmmarayar’s son  Maraiyan Arulmoli, also known as Uttamachola Brahmarayan, served as Senapathi in the Chola army of  King Rajendra Chozhan! .

The great flood of Irawatheswaram

Around later half of the Eighteenth Century Muthu Iyer, belonging to the clan of Brahmmarayar migrated from Kumbakonam to Anbil where he exchanged his lands of around a thousand acres and got them on the southern side of Kaveri. Thanjavur was becoming a prosperous town with English education and it was becoming increasingly difficult to oversee the agricultural operations from far way Kumbakonam. In Anbil, he built the Satyavakeeswara Vinayakar temple which was to become the Kuladeivatam of a sect of Nemam clan. He established his family at Irawatheswaram, the present day old Nemam. The agraharam was on the southern side of the Irawatheswarar temple extending from West to East. There was only street and all the houses were facing North.  Here the Kaveri takes a right turn around the temple briefly North West to South East as a mirror image of the crest moon on the Jadamudi of Easan. Unlike these days, there was no embankment for roadway and the road level was the same as the level of the bank of the river. Kaveri was flowing just about fifty yards from the temple and a hundred yards from the agraharam. Kollidam was still known as Vada Kaveri and it was  still sixty odd years away from Caldwell  raising the height of Kallanai and another hundred years before Arthur Cotton was to build a barrage at Mukkombu to regulate the flow to the newly named Kollidam!

Around 1800 or so Kaveri was in great fury and breached the banks behind the Irawatheswarar temple, changed its course through it and the agraharam demolishing almost the entire agraharam leaving only a few houses. Sensing danger, the people had let off their cattle the previous evening itself moved farther west into open areas.  Because many of them kept watch keeping awake, many lives were saved though their houses and possessions were washed away. The when the flood waters receded and the Kaveri water level went down, it was found the temple was also greatly damaged and the idol of Alankari  Amman  was also washed away in the flood waters. Greatly disappointed, the people collected and plugged the breech and cleared the debris of the fallen temple. The Irawatheswarar and Nandi were however intact. A frantic search around the area to locate the Amman did not yield any result.

Rattled by the fury of the floods   and having lost their dwellings, they inhabitants decided to move to a much safer places to rebuild their houses . The agraharam residents comprising both Vadamas and Brahacharnam decided to relocate themselves at the present day Nemam which is about three furlongs     west of the temple.  They also decided to construct their agraharam at least four furlongs from the river bank West to East. They also   constructed a Venugoplaswamy temple on the Western end facing East overlooking the agraharam as the agraharam otherwise would be bereft of any temple. A Pillayar kovil was constructed close to the bank of Kaveri as a protector from future floods ravishing their new dwellings.  Another batch of the residents of the Agraharam decided to move two furlongs further east and almost a mile from the  river bank  where the present day Mullakkudi village  is located. Later they shifted to present day Palamarneri after getting a grant of land from Raja Sarfoji. That is another story.  To my mind even Mullaikkudi may be a corruption of Munnorkudi! (Residents of our elders!)  

 That is why the present day Nemam village is far away from the Sivan Kovil. The Nemam village Ccremation ground as well as of Palamarneri village is further west to the Irawatheswarar temple on the right side of the road leading to Ilangadu. This reinforces the theory that the ancestors of both the inhabitants of present day Nemam and present day Palamarneri were residents of Irawatheswaram located south of the Sivan Kovil. The crematoriums are more than four furlongs away from both villages as they did not construct new ones close to their respective villages after their exodus.   

 Regarding the inhabitants of Irawatheswaram belonging to Velalars and others, a few stay put braving the uncertainty of future floods while many of them shifted to Ilangadu further south west and away from the river. It is to be noted that while the settlement in New Nemam had no quarters for Velalars, the settlement in Ilangadu has no Agraharam. The temples in these two villages and the Sundareswarar and Venugoplaswamy temples in Palamarneri are later day additions.

  In due course of time, the Irawatheswarar temple was reconstructed and a new idol of Alankari Amman    was consecrated. After a few decades, Alankarai Amman appeared in a dream of some person directing him to locate Her statue buried in the sands of Kaveri. It was traced and reinstalled in the Artha mantapam of the temple. So there are two idols of Alankarai Amman in the temple today!

Muthu Iyer’s descendants

He had three sons namely Narayanaswamy, Suryanarayanaswamy and Subba Iyer.  Subba Iyer had no issues. Narayanaswamy had two sons one named after his grandfather as Muthu and the other Vaidhyanathan. Suryanarayanaswamy had one son Rangu Iyer and three daughters. We will concentrate on the descendants of Vaidhyanathan and Rangu Iyer whom are first cousins.

 Vaidhyanathan had two sons and a daughter. The eldest was Narayana Iyer (2), named after his grandfather, the second Subbier and the third Kalyani. Kalyani was married to Sir PS Sivaswamy Iyer and they had no issues. Narayana Iyer had five sons and two daughters the eldest being N N Vaidhyanathan Iyer taking the name of his grandfather.

Rangu Iyer had three daughters and a son named Ramaswamy Iyer. Ramaswamy Iyer had five sons including a twin, the eldest being Ranganatha Iyer, taking the name of his grandfather. 

 Subbier had three sons and three daughters, the eldest being Kalyanasundaram and the youngest Natesan.  The detailed family Tree of Muthu Iyer is given elsewhere in the blog.

Vaidhyanathan built a huge mansion of almost 3000 sft of floor space in the newly established Agraharam in Nemam after the deluge on the Western side facing south. (It is still well, maintained and a Veda Patashala is being run by Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam presently. His great grandson

NV Narayanaswamy is the custodian of that property. It is now referred as NVN mansion). At that time it was the residence of the  joint family of his great grandfather !

Rangu Iyer also built a huge mansion on the eastern side of the village of more or less the same dimensions. It was built on a high plinth of almost six feet from the street level to ensure no flood water could ever enter the house! Ramaswamy Iyer, being his only son acquired the property. But thois mansion is in a dilapidated condition now. 

When the property was partitioned among the two sons of Vaidhyanathan, the mansion was willed to the elder son Narayanan. A slightly diagonally opposite house facing North of about 2000 Sqft was given to Subbier.  

The descendants of Muthu also built houses for themselves in the new Agraharam to the right of Rangu Iyers’s mansion of huge size but less in  grandeur on the eastern side.  Side by side the construction of Venugoplaswamy Temple on the western end of the Agraharam and the Pillayar Kovil at the entrance to the village on the eastern side were consecrated. The clan used to visit the Irawatheswarar Kovil trekking almost five furlongs every day!

They still  had their agricultural fields in Mahadevapuram but the individual family holdings had come down to one tenth  of  original undivided holding of the patriarch Muthu Iyer  due to partitions over the four generations, building constructions, conduct of lavish marriages  and other ceremonies, education of children in towns and cities.  

Chozha dynasty and its Nemam connection

Chozha dynasty and its Nemam connection

The Chozha Dynasty ruled southern India until the thirteenth century. The dynasty originated in the fertile valley of the Cauvery and its delta region.  Karikala Chozha stands as the most famous among the early Chozha kings, while Rajaraja Chozha, Rajendra Chozha and Kulothunga Chozha I ruled as notable emperors of the medieval Chozhas.

Vijayalaya ( 850–870 CE) began the occupation of the territory of the Pallavas, which was extended under Aditya I (870–907). Parantaka I (907–953), known as the destroyer of Madurai (the capital city of the Pandyas), defeated Sinhalese invaders and united the lands of the Chozhas and the Pandyas between 926 and 942.  Rajaraja I (reigned 985–1014), an able administrator, protected Vengi (the Godavari districts) and occupied the Gangavadi territory (in present-day Karnataka state), annihilating the western Gangas. Marital and political alliances between the Eastern Chalukya kings based around Vengi located on the south banks of the River Godavari began during the reign of Rajaraja following his invasion of Vengi. Also Raja Raja I selected many able administrators and able Army Chiefs of the fallen kingdom and gave them responsible positions in the administrative set up and in his own Army.

  By 996 he had conquered the Chera country and acquired northern Sri Lanka. With the booty thus acquired, he built the great Brihadishvwra temple at Thanjavur. By 1014 Rajaraja had acquired the Lakshadweep and Maldive islands.

His son Rajendrachozha Deva I (1014–44) outdid Rajaraja’s achievements. He placed a son on the throne at Madurai, completed the conquest of Sri Lanka, overran the Deccan (1021), and in 1023 sent an expedition to the north that crossed  the Ganga River and brought Ganga water to the new capital, Gangaikonda Chozhapuram. He conquered portions of the Malay Peninsula and the Malay Archipelago.

 Thanjavur and later Gangaikonda Chozhapuram served as the imperial capitals, while both Kanchipuram and Madurai constituted regional capitals where courts occasionally convened. The king presided as the supreme commander and a benevolent dictator. His administrative role consisted of issuing oral commands to responsible officers when receiving representations. A powerful bureaucracy assisted the king in the tasks of administration and in executing his orders.  

Every village made a self-governing unit. A number of villages constituted a larger entity known as a Kurram, Nadu, or Kottram,, depending on the area. A number of Kurrams constituted a valanadu. Those structures underwent constant change and refinement throughout the Chozha period.

Under the Chozhas, the Tamil country reached new heights of excellence in art, religion and literature.

They built numerous temples throughout their kingdom such as the Brihadeshvara Temple. Aditya I built a number of Siva temples along the banks of the river Cauvery .The teemple building activities received great impetus from the conquests and the genius of Rajaraja Chozha and Rajendra Chozha I . The magnificent Siva temple of Thanjavur, completed around 1009, stands as a fitting memorial to the material achievements of the time of Rajaraja. The largest and tallest of all Indian temples of its time, the temple sits at the apex of South Indian architecture.

The temple of GangaikondaChozhapuram, the creation of Rajendra Chozha, sought to exceed its predecessor in every way. Completed around 1030, only two decades after the temple at Thanjavur and in much the same style, the greater elaboration in its appearance attests the more affluent state of the Chozha Empire under Rajendra. The temple complex is designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The temples are part of multipurpose projects executed by the far sighted Chozha Kings. Apart from satisfying the religious needs of the subjects, they served as a meeting place for major congregations, as a refuge for the women, children, elderly and infirm during war, as a warehouse to store the agricultural produce of the kingdom. In addition, it put into productive use the population which remained idle during the break in their agricultural occupation. Most of the troops, barring those on permanent employment of the Kingdom are drawn from various clusters of villages to take part in campaigns.

The Chozhas excelled in maritime activity in both military and the mercantile fields. Their conquest of Kadaram (Kedah) and the Srivijaya, and their continued commercial contacts with the Chinese Empire, enabled them to influence the local cultures. Many of the surviving examples of the Hindu cultural influence found today throughout the Southeast Asia owe much to the legacy of the Chozhas.

Throughout their reign Chozhas followed a version of the classical Hindu faith.  Purananuru points to Karikala Chozha’s faith in the Vedic Hinduism.  Kochchengannan, another early Chozha, had been celebrated in both Sangam literature and in the Saiva canon as a saint.  Later Chozhas also stood staunchly as Saivites, although they displayed a sense of toleration towards other sects and religions. Parantaka I and Sundara Chozha endowed and built temples for both Siva and Vishnu. Rajaraja Chozha I even patronised Buddhists, and built the Chudamani Vihara (a Buddhist monastery) in Nagapattinam at the request of the Srivijaya Sailendra king.

The age of the Imperial Chozhas (850–1200) represented the golden age of Tamil culture, marked by the importance of literature. Jain and Buddhist authors flourished as well.  Jivaka-chintamani by Tirutakkadevar and Sulamani by Tolamoli numbered among notable by non-Hindu authors. The art of Tirutakkadevar embodies the qualities of great poetry.

Kamban flourished during the reign of Kulothunga Chozha III.  His Ramavatharam represents the greatest epic in Tamil Literature, and although Kamban states that he followed Valmiki, he imports into his narration the color and landscape of his own time; his description of Kosala presents an idealized account of the features of the Chozha country.

But one of the greatest contributions the Chozhas given to the Tamil country is in water conservation and water supply to harness the fertile delta region for cultivation of bountiful crops throughout the year for millennium to follow by their farsightedness. Cauvery as of now was their lifeline. It was christened as Ponni (Goldie) for giving bountiful crops of paddy harvest after every harvest. The Chozha mandalam was called the “Granary of the South”. Chozha Nadu was hailed as the one “Where its soil yields gold”.

 The major revenue for the kingdom was from agriculture by way taxes to maintain a huge Army and a resplendent kingdom. At the same time the untamed Cauvery and its tributaries were also a source of misery.  All the Chozha Kings from the time of Karikalan paid great attention to harness and tame the river and to utilize its water by building dams, water channels, ponds, temple tanks, huge lakes to ensure no water went wasted to the sea.

In this endevour the Nemam ancestors played very big role right from the time of Karikalan in advising the Kings. For their services, the kings granted them villages   under the general name of Chaturvedi mangalams.  These village clusters generally had about 100 to 300 Velis (250 to 750 hectares). Out of this 40 to 100 hectares were residential areas and the rest agricultural fields and orchards.  

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The Mannar and Maharaniyar reach the village Irawatheswaram along with the Raja guru. He is received with full temple honours by the elders of the village, Veda pundits and others. They are lead to the temple. The Mannar appears highly pleased and tells Raja guru that he has felt refreshed as never before as soon as he set foot there. He also notices that the pathway to the moat, the bridge over it, the forts and its embellishments are spic and span and lauds the upkeep of the area openly.

Gurukkal (who is following the Mannar on hearing the compliments)

This is all due the capable administration of Brahmmarayar who is the Puravalar (care taker/ in charge of administration) of the temple.

Mannar

Who is he? Is he present here? Why has not come to receive me and introduced to me as the Puravalar of the temple?

The Gurukkal is taken aback and noticing his discomfiture, the Mannar asks the Gurukkal not to feel inhibited and tell him whatever the reason.

Gurukkal

He is conducting a class for the students in the temple Mandapam. He does not like to be disturbed by any one when he is teaching.

The Mannar is surprised to hear this.

Mannar 

We have come here without prior notice. Let us first have darisanam of Easan and then go to the Mandapam to meet the Puravalar there.

All of them reach the sannadhi. The Gurukkal conducts the Deeparadhanai and distributes Thiruneeru. They come out of the Sannadhi.

Mannar

Raja Guruve! Generally, whenever I visit any temple, the Puravalar is the first one to offer the temple honours to me and tie the parivattam to honour me! Discarding that as trivial and showing primacy to teaching his students is very odd! I am therefore very eager to meet him. Let us go there.

The Mannar and the Rajaguru reach the Mandapam assuming that the teacher will be an old and infirm person and the students will be boys. Finding a youth of about sixteen years of age conducting the classes for students who are youth and middle aged, the Mannar is even more surprised. The Mannar and the Rajaguru stand there and listen to the teacher.  Unaware of the presence of the Mannar and the Rajaguru, Brahmmarayar carries on with his teaching. The students listen to him as if they are bound by some magical force.

Brahmmarayar (to students)

I have spoken about the administration of the kingdom. I will narrate now a sequence of events. You must listen carefully and answer my questions at the end.

On the day the king takes a tour of his capital city as his routine, he goes on his chariot followed by his appointed retinue for the trip. Next to the palace and surrounding it are the streets where Anthanars are quartered. Appreciating the pleasant smell emanating from the Yagakundam in their houses, he drives to the area where the Vaisyars reside. Seeing the king and his retinue, the people who have come to buy goods, give way for them to proceed. The Vaisyars come out and praise and hail the king. Accepting their greetings with a pleasing face, the king proceeds further to the locale where Kshatriyas are housed. As his chariot reaches there, the soldiers who are engaged in training stop their fight and bow to the Mannar. The king then goes around the areas where farmers, metal smiths, potters, washer men , medics and other working classes who reside in their respective allotted areas. After crossing these areas, he reaches the outer limit of the city where the forest areas start where people of hunter class live. As the Mannar reaches there, the youths among them rush to greet the Mannar as he alights from his chariot. Their Chief of hunter clan restrains them and tells the elders among them to receive the king first.  Two of the elders hand over two mud pots to the kings which are filled three fourths. The Mannar accepts them happily and looks inside to see their contents. One contains ghee and the other honey. He hands over the pots to his personal guard and asks him to bring to the palace securely. He walks around conversing with the elders. As he nears their Chief who is bowing to him, he enquires about the welfare of his people. He then enters the forest and looks at the number of neem trees grown there. Recollecting his playful childhood days there, he sees a vine plant creeping around a tree and enquires about it. The chief replies that it is a sturdy wine which is used as a rope to pull even the heavy chariots of the temples. He goes near that plant and examines it and walks back speaking to them. He then returns to the palace in his chariot. His routine tour of the city comes to an end.

Brahmmarayar concludes his narrative and looks at the students. There is absolute silence. The king and the Rajaguru are standing there curious to know what he is going to say next.

Brahmmarayar

What I have narrated now is the information derived from the Dharmasastram.  Can you tell me what do you learn about Dharmasastram from this narrative?

Youth 1

People are leading their lives based on their castes.

Youth2 (angrily)

Is it acceptable to segregate the people based on their castes and make them live in separate areas? Does the Dharmasastram promote divisive tendencies among the people and discourage their unity?

Youth3

The say that the future of the kingdom is in the hands of the youth! How is it justified to relegate the youth and promote the old people to receive and interact with the king?

Youth 4 (mockingly)

The Mannar has enormous wealth at his disposal. Still he not only accepts the ghee and honey from the poor hunters but also asks his personal guard to take it carefully to the palace! This shows that the king is greedy to accept whatever is offered to him!

The other students laugh at this comment.

Brahmmarayar does not react to any of the comments and asks whether there are any more views from any of the students. Getting no reply, he continues…

Brahmmarayar

If you take the narrative superficially, these questions are likely to arise. But I will explain how Dharmasastram justifies all the actions described in the narrative.

A king must not remain confined to his palace all the time to run his kingdom. He must go around the city and have personal interaction with people and see things on the ground for himself. Next, to segregate the living areas of the people based on their castes is not to promote division based on Varnasramam. It is only to ensure that there are no complications caused  because of the routine and life style of one group of people to other groups of people. The Anthanars are learned people whose advice, guidance and intelligence will be available to the kingdom’s administrators and others. That is why they are located close to the palace. The Vaisyars are located between of the Palace staff and Anthanars on one side and Kshatriyas on the other side centrally for the sake of convenience as they are dealing with goods and services for everyone. The Kshatriyas who are physically strong are the soldiers and their residence is on the outer side as any intruder will have to overcome them before they hope to reach the weaklings of Vaisyars and Anthanars. Also they will be engaged most of the time in training for war which will disturb others if they are residing among them. The others are located on the periphery as they have to gather the waste and dispose them off in the forest area. More importantly, the agricultural fields will not be in the centre of the city. They will be around the periphery only. It is more convenient for them if they stay nearby. The shepherds and cowherds are located near the forest area as they have to take the cattle and goats to the jungle area for foraging their food. The hunters are located in the forest so that they can ensure that the wild animals do not enter the populated areas of the city. They also double up as intelligence gatherers to report any suspect movement of outsiders or enemy spies who cannot enter the city bypassing the forest areas.  So they also do a very crucial job for the security of the kingdom. You also note that the king has gone around the areas not in a hurry but slowly so that he can observe things for himself. The youth in their exuberance may commit some blunder while receiving the king and incur his displeasure. The elderly people because of their experience are less likely to commit such mistakes. Even if they do, the king is likely to brush aside such mistakes considering their age. It is a custom to offer to a visitor some kind of a gift. The hunters offered ghee and honey as these are easily available with them and in plenty.  Still they gave only partly filled pot! Why? If the pots are filled to the brim, the contents will spill out when carried in the fast moving chariot of the king! Why the king received these gifts happily is only to acknowledge the welcome he received from his subjects and not because of the intrinsic value of the gift. To show that he cares for the gifts and their usefulness, he orders that they be taken carefully to the palace. He walked along with the people in the forest area only to impress upon his subjects that he is also one among them so that they can freely interact with him without any inhibition. By enquiring about a creeper, he exhibits that he has no false pretense that as a king he knows about everything.

So every incidence narrated here only reinforces the rules of Dharmasastram. This is what is defined as Dharmaparipalanam (just administration )!

Not only his students but also the king, the queen and the Rajaguru are impressed beyond words by his erudite explanation.

As Brahmmarayar announces the closure of the session, the students leave bowing to him in silence. The Gurukkal informs him about the arrival of the king. Brahmmarayar rushes there and bows to him.

Mannar

Brahmmarayare! I gauged you expertise in administration from observing the way the temple and its surroundings are kept. Your proficiency in knowledge, I have come to know from the way you discussed about Dharmaparipalanam with your students. If you become a minister for me, our kingdom will progress in all fields and be benefited greatly. Do you agree to come with us?

Brahmmarayar accepts the same as King’s offer is considered as divine order! Observing all these events Irawatheswarar, smiles benignly!     

 *****

 His descendant Krishnan Raman (c 11th century AD) joined the service of Raja Raja Chola at an early age and rose to be the Commander-in-chief of the Chola forces under Rajendra Chola. He held the title Mummadi Brahmarayar Niyomanam. The Leyden Copper plates are an important source of information about him.  Krishnan Raman's achievements as an officer won him administrative roles and he was made a Tirumandira Olainayagam, the highest post  in the bureaucratic setup.

Krishnan Raman is known for the religious endowments he made. He was one of the main donors to the Peruvudaiyar temple at Thanjavur. Inscriptions in the Rajarajeswaram temple indicate that Krishnan Raman constructed the fortifications around the temple. This wall is known as Krishnan Raman Tiruchurrumaligai. This is one of the oldest surviving defensive walls around any Chola temple. A metal image of Ardhanariswara was donated by him in 1014 AD.

 Krishnan Raman's son , Maraiyan Arumoli, also known as Uttamachola Brahmarayan, also served as Senapathi in the Chola army. He assisted Rajendra Chola in building a temple for Pidari near Kolar in 1033. The descendants of their family were then called as Pazhamarneri Brahmarayas and commonly constitute the Palamaneri Brahatcharanam of the Iyer community.

Originally Vaishnavite , the followed the footsteps of their emperors and became Saivites  true to the saying of “ Yatha Raja Thatha Praja” but mostly retained their names only after Vishnu. The naming of males  as  Sundaram, Vaidhyanathan, Subramaniayam, Viswanathan  are just about three hundred years ago. Still it will be a rarity to find a Ganesan or Ganapathi among them even today!  

Irawatheswram aka Nemam

Nemam 

Nemam is a nondescript village in the Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu India on the southern bank of river Cauvery.  But it has its glory in all the four Yugas.  Known as Parijata Vanam in the Satya Yugam it was known as Brahmeswaram in Treta Yugam and Indrapuri in Dwapara Yugam.  In the present Kali Yugam it is glorified as Pushpa Vanam and Irawatheswaram.

Creation of Parijata Vanam.

In the Satya Yugam, as per Vishnu Puranam, the Devas weakened by the curse of sage Durvasasa, invited the Asuras to help them recover the elixir of immortality, the amrita, from the depths of the cosmic milky ocean by churning it.  Mount Mandara—a spur of Mount Meru, the world axis—was torn out to use as a churning stick and was steadied at the bottom of the ocean by Vishnu in his avatar (incarnation) as   Kurma.  Vasuki, the great Naga   was used as the churning rope. As the churning progressed, a number of things from the Ocean of Milk were released. One of them was the lethal poison known as Halahala. The Devas approached Shiva for to save the three worlds from certain destruction from this poison.  Siva picked up the poison in has palms and put it in his mouth. Alarmed that if the poison descended to his stomach, still all the three worlds would be destroyed Parvati gripped His throat stopping the poison to flow down his throat.  As a result, his throat turned blue and he got referred to as Neelakantan. Finally, Dhanvantri, the heavenly physician, emerged with a pot containing the amrita, the heavenly nectar of immortality. Fierce fighting ensued between the Devas and the Asuras for it. To protect it from the Asuras, Garuda took the pot and flew away from the battlefield. A few drops from this pot fell at various places on earth. The Parijata Vanam emerged from one the drops fell on earth and Easan decided to make it as one of his abodes in Bhoolokam.

Emergence of Brahmeswaram.

In Treta Yugam, Brahma became very vain that He was the greatest of all, being the Creator.  This started affecting His work seriously.    To subdue His vanity, Siva plucked one of His heads out of His original five and removed his power of creation. Brahma realised His folly and prayed to Sivan to restore His power of creation. Mahesan asked him to do penance on the banks of Cauvery. Brahma reached a spot and as directed by Rishi Kashyapar, moulded a Lingam out of sand from Cauvery and installed under a Parijata tree and did puja and penance. He was cured of the curse and regained his powers. As ordered by Brahma, Vishwakarma, the heavenly architect created a great temple for Mahesan with a Brahma Kundam in front and a Vishwakarma Thirtham on the southern side. This place got the name of Brahmeswaram and flourished as a great city.

Creation of   Indrapuri.

In the Dwapara Yugam, a great Asura by the name of Vriddhan was terrorizing the Devas and put them in untold misery. The Pujas and yagams got stopped. The Devas approached Brahma and prayed to Him to help them destroy this demon. He gave His Brahmastram to Indiran and motivated them to fight the demon. Indra fought a fierce battle and killed Vriddhan. In the process, he got afflicted with Brahmahatti Dhosham. To get rid of it, he came to the bank of Cauvery and prayed to Easan with great devotion. He brought with him Amritam to perform Abhishekam for Easan. The place where he kept the kalasam of Amritam came to be called as Sutha Koopam (well).  Pleased, Easan absolved him of his Dhosham. Since Indiran did puja and penance here, this place became popular as Indrapuri. Easan came to be called as Indrapuri vasan!

The legend behind Pushpa Vanam and Irawatheswaram

A long time ago in this Kali Yugam, there was a congregation in Indira’s palace. There was performance of singing and dancing by the divine damsels.  While Ramba was performing, her upper garment got displaced due to a sudden gust of wind. Narada muni, who was in the audience got upset and cursed her to lose her residence in the Swargalokam.  When she pleaded that it was an inadvertent act, he guided her to do puja and penance for Mahesan to get rid of his curse as it could not be evoked.  She was guided by sage Durvasar when she descended to earth to reach this Kshetram on the banks of Cauvery do her penance.  When she was deeply engrossed in her meditation `on Easan, Indiran sent his royal elephant Iravatham to pick her up and bring her back to Indralokam forcibly. When Iravatham was trying to grab her, she caught the feet of Easan. Iravatham unable to lift her fell unconscious. Indiran coming to know of these events rushed here and composed forty five great names glorifying Easan and prayed for His pardon. Easan appeared along with His consort Alankara Nayaki, Vinayakar and Shanmukhar. Iravatham installed the Lingam and created this Kshetram as   Kandaa Moorthiswaram.   Later it became prominent as Irawatheswaram and Pushpa Vanam.

 Greatness of this Kshetram

 If someone stays here for a few days and prays to Easan, he is absolved of his sins and is granted peace and harmony in his life. Cauvery, Brahma Kundam, Vishwakarma Thirtham, Sutha Koopam are the sacred Thirthams. Taking a bath in these and worshipping Irawatheswarar, Alankarai Amman, Vinayakar and Murugan will bring prosperity. If one chants panchaksharam at any time of the day here even once he will rid of all difficulties and lead a peaceful life.      

(Source   Srimad Brahmanda Puranam)