On my second trip to Madurai, the brothers MP took me on a temple drive north of the Sivaganga. It was like discovering an ancient (and still living!) world that I never knew existed.
Karpaka Vinayakar Temple
Karpaka Vinayaka Temple or Pillaiyarpatti Pillaiyar Temple is a 7th-century CE rock-cut cave shrine, significantly expanded over the later centuries. It is located in Pillayarpatti village in Tiruppathur Taluk, Sivaganga district in Tamil Nadu, India.
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The temple is one of the nine ancestral Hindu temples of the Chettiars, its importance established in their tradition in Kali year 3815 (714 CE). The temple has a large colorful gopuram, with large mandapams elaborately decorated with frescoes, many shrines inside, salas originally added for dance and hymns singing, temple kitchen, an architecture that follows the Agamic texts and Shilpa Sastras, and a large temple tank to its north.
(Wikipedia)
Lord Murugan Temple
This temple's doors were old and huge. It was the first place that let us roam around inside freely (many temple interiors are off-limits to non-Hindus). Unfortunately, "Lord Murugan" temple in Tamil Nadu is a ubiquitous name. I am not sure exactly which temple this was. Really quite the shame, since it was so pleasant to walk around and feel "welcome".
Thirukoshtiyur Temple
Sowmyanarayana Perumal Temple in Thirukoshtiyur, a village in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, is dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu. Constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture, the temple is glorified in the Nalayira Divya Prabandham, the early medieval Tamil canon of the Alvar saints from the 6th–9th centuries CE.
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Hiranyakshipu, the asura king, got arrogant after he got boons from Brahma, which nearly made him invincible. He troubled the devas (celestial deities) and they prayed to Vishnu for rescue. Vishnu was ready to take the form of the Narasimha avatar to slay the asura king. The devas pleaded with Vishnu to assume the form before carrying out the task. Vishnu showed them the avatar, but not satisfied merely one vision, the devas and sages pleaded with him to show it again. Vishnu appeared in three forms of himself standing, sitting, and resting posture at Thirukoshtiur. Since, Vishnu showed his form after hardship (called Thirukkai in Tamil) of Devas, the place came to be known as Thirukoshtiur.
(Wikipedia)
Thirupuvanam Shrine
Pushpavaneswarar temple in Thirupuvanam, a town in Sivaganga district in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, is dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. Constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture, the temple is believed to have been built during the Chola period in the 7th century. Shiva is worshipped as Pushpavaneswarar and his consort Parvathi as Soundaranayagi.
The presiding deity is revered in the 7th century Tamil Saiva canonical work, the Tevaram, written by Tamil saint-poets known as the Nayanmars and classified as Paadal Petra Sthalam. A granite wall surrounds the temple, enclosing all its shrines. The temple has a seven-tiered Rajagopuram, the gateway tower. The temple is located on the banks of Vaigai river.
(Wikipedia)
Thiruvathavur Temple. January 2015
Manikkavacakar is said to have born in Vadhavoor (known today as Thiruvathavur, near Melur seven miles from Madurai in modern day Tamilnadu state in South India).
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Manikkavacakar (Tamil: "One whose words are like gems"), was a 9th-century Tamil saint and poet who wrote Tiruvasakam, a book of Shaiva hymns. Speculated to have been a minister to the Pandya king Varagunavarman II (c. 862 CE–885 CE), he lived in Madurai.
(Wikipedia)
Tamil Nadu is ancient (its cultural capital Madurai is one of the oldest cities on earth) hence the temples spread around the southern tip of India are very old, too. Just driving around with brothers MP and stopping at temple after temple that were founded in the 8th or 9th centuries was an awe-inspiring experience. Even more surprising was that none of these temples were more than locally well-known. There are other "well-known" temples all over the region that are visited by worshippers and visitors alike. The temples we visited were still very much in use, but literally unknown to tourism. They only served the surrounding communities even if their foundation stories were old and grand.
One big north-south divide issue in India is temple visitation. South Indians overall are more restrictive about who can enter their temples. Some temples are totally off limits, some have certain parts for "Hindus only", and yet others are open to all - even the "inner sanctum" where the deity is enshrined. I wondered who decided it all? Was it the local congregation, the priests who cared for the temple, or some long-standing rule? I must admit to some extreme disappointment at times when I was NOT allowed inside a certain part of a temple, but overall I enjoyed the experience of seeing ancient temples with my two devout Tamil-Hindu friends even if language was often a barrier.
What was most interesting was that virtually all the temples had a creation story of why they existed where they did (like Thirukoshtiyur Temple and Vishnu's incarnation). For churches that is, in fact, rarely the case. A church is mostly built out of necessity not because any divine event had taken place there. I thought it was interesting how the temples had to somehow "justify" their location and existence in a way that was foreign to me. Also, the idea of a temple being devoted to a poet/saint was also intriguing. Churches devoted to saints are the norm in Christianity, but to poets? Apparently, the writings Manikkavacakar were so evocative that he was later declared a saint.
To muddy my understanding even more, Tamils have different names for the "somewhat-familiar-to-me" Hindu pantheon. My Tamil ex-roommate in Chittagong was certain that Tamils had, in fact, created their own religion that was later co-opted by the "Brahmin conspirators" from the North. I was never sure I bought into his theory, but it was of great interest to me that South Indian Hinduism ran in parallel to the north Indian variety. All explanations of Gods used local names that were explained (in brackets) to non-Tamils as to which deities were being represented. For me that was hard to get my head around. "Vishnu" up north, "Perumal" down south. Was my roommate right? I didn't see any linguistic connection between the two sets of names - why would a name not have been borrowed and modified? Islamic and Christian holy figures are recognizable worldwide by name.
The trip around Sivaganga's temples was one of the best days in Tamil Nadu because I was seeing a part of the country untouched by modernism for centuries. It made me understand how little I knew about India and how totally different the south of that country was from other regions. Tamil Nadu is a country unto itself - ask any Tamil and they will proudly tell you that they are Tamil first and Indian second.