Monday, June 22, 2020

Rajarajeshwaram - The Pinnacle of Chozha Architecture - 4

We have seen a lot of surprising facts about the magnum opus of Raja Raja Chozan and at the same time, many myths and the truth have also been disclosed in a post. As I completely read the ‘Rajarajecharam’ of Dr. Kudavayil Balasubramaniyan, I got to know much more astounding facts about the temple. Thanjavur temple is not only the epitome of Dravidian architecture, this temple is also well-known for its inscription, which has every minute details and every single contributions for the temple was etched in. We all know many kings have patronised the priceless art forms understanding their value. Raja Raja Chozhan did no less than others. In fact he did more than anyone could do at their time.

As we all know that among the other dynasties in Tamil Nadu, Chozha era was considered the golden period of the Tamils. Chozhas contribution towards the arts, architecture and other professions are still standing strong even after a millennium. Chozhas were economically strong and transparent as well. The economic transparency can be understood by going through and deciphering the inscriptions in the temple. Every little contributions was accounted for and acknowledged in the inscriptions.

There was also a monopoly in pricing. The king is the one who fixes the prices for the products. The money from the treasury was lent for interest in the markets. The shopkeepers/owners have to give back to the temple in the form of any items which were required for Pooja. For example, Bananas, coconuts, flowers and many other things. This way, the king fixed the price for the products that the shopkeepers gave for the Poojas. This method ensured the availability of capital for the business and the temple functioned well with the flow of Pooja materials. They had 2 different treasuries, one for the temple and other for the country. Accounts for the both were maintained separately. The wages for the employees of temple was paid from the treasury of the temple and for the government workers, from the government’s treasury.

Other than this, one fascinating fact we all know about the temple is the traditional dancers who were dedicated to the temple. Dance was an integral part of the temple ritual traditions along with music and other art forms. There were 400 dancers, brought to the Rajarajecharam from various part of the Chozha countryside. There were more than 100 different artistes offering their artistic services to Lord Peruvudaiyar. They were given houses, grains and pulses and were assigned with many responsibilities for their service to the Lord. The inscriptions were so precise that, it had enough information about the salaries given to the artistes, their previous work place, their native villages and their names were mentioned.

These detailed inscription in the Rajarajecharam also gives the exact details and the measurements of the bronze statues offered by Raja Raja Chozhan, his queens, his commander and his Rajaguru Eesana Shiva Pandithar etc. The descriptions given in the inscriptions helps one to visualise those bronze art works of the Chozha era, ninety percent of which were looted by the Malik Kafur forces in the 13th Century. Bronze statues of Natarajar, Ardhanarishwarar, Lingodbhavar, Bhogasakthi Amman, Mahavishnu, Ganapathy, Tripurantakar, Bhikshadanar etc. were described with exact measurements in the inscriptions. The most notable bronze statue was of Dakshinamoorthy’s, which had the Banyan tree and the Shishyas. Bringing out such detail in a bronze statue is only possible by the artisans of Chozhas. Unfortunately, most of the bronze statues were looted and we have only Natarajar, Raja Raja Chozhan and his queen Lokamadevi’s bronze statue in the temple.

There are many such surprising information engraved in the inscriptions of the Rajarajecharam. One should learn a lot from Raja Raja Chozhan that despite of such reputation as a king, he always kept himself grounded when it comes to deal with his people, his service to the temples and to the Lord. That’s what make him an immortal even after a millennium. Raja Raja Chozhan inscribed his name as ‘Shivapadasekaran’, meaning worshipping Lord Shiva’s feet. More such inspiring facts and innovative techniques of our ancestors is what making our Big Rajarajecharam stand strong.

Inscription Image: instagram/thanjavur_official

Yours East Gaterr