It is matter of interest to note that one of the Five Epics of Tamils, Silappadikaram speaks about the dance of Sri Krishna in detail. The Epic was written by Ilango Adigal,A Jain Monk, younger brother of Chera King Chetan Senguttuvan,a famous Tamil.
Krishna Dances with Gopikas
The epic narrates the story of Kannagi and Kovalan.In the epic, in one of the Cantos called Pujaar Kaandam,Ilango Adigal describes the dance of Krishna thus.
‘Krishna danced with His elder brother Balarama and His younger sister ( Subhadra),along with children’
What is unique is that this description of Krishna along with his brother and sister was described in Brihad Samhita ,while laying down the rules for making idols of Krishna, Balarama and Shubhadra.Bruhad Samhita lays down rules so strictly to describe how Krishna’s hands’ position is to be in the idol.
That a Jain monk describes what is essentially a Hindu God and the brother of the author of the Epic is a Hindu King.
This also nails the canard that Tamil and Tamils are against Sanatana Dharma.
மாயவனும் அவன் முன்னோன் பலராமனும் பார்த்துக்கொண்டிருக்க, நப்பின்னையோடு சேர்ந்து சிறுமியர் கூந்தல் பின்புறம் அசைந்தாடக் குரவை ஆடுகின்றனர். தாதெரு மன்றத்தில் (பூக்கள் கொட்டிக் கிடக்கும் மன்றத்தில்) இவர்கள் ஆடும் ஆட்டம் தகைமை சான்று விளங்கியது.
And the description of this nature is found in Balacharitha by Bhasa in Sanskrit in a Drama form.This description is found in Harivamsa too.Following are the relevant lines in Silappadikaram.
I have been exploring the history of India,with the help of Archeology, Astronomy, Linguistics, Etymology, Sanskriti and Tamil literature (because I am familiar with these languages),Temple history,Rock writings, Cultures,local legends and folklore.
There are also researched material from abroad from historians of Greece,Modern researches.
I have been at this for the past ten years and I am convinced that Sanatana Dharma and Tamil culture are quite ancient and that they are interwoven.
In our efforts to follow British education,we normaly fail to take into account History as found in our literature,both in Sanskrit and regional languages.
The reason is that we are taught that indians do not record history and every thing is a story.
Far from it.
Our texts are a mine of information and one can find historical facts which can be verified by modern findings.
We also,thanks to now discredited Aryan invasion theory,tend to dismiss Tamil culture and it’s antiquity .
This is incorrect.
There are over 239 sites in the Vaigai River that speaks volumes of ancient Tamil culture and Sanatana Dharma.
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Dating of these artifacts recovered from the sites is a challenge to C14,Carbon Dating, as C 14 is useleless in dating beyond 50,000 years.
This,coupled with the systematic misinformation about Indian history by the Agenda filled western scholars(?) Straight from Max Mueller to present day pseudo researchers from the West,the self styled Secularists and Anglophiles,who try to muddle history of India and our general reluctance to study our regional and Sanskrit texts and our labelling them as myth ,without bothering to read them, has to led us to be unaware of our history.’
One of the five great Tamil epics ,Silappadikaram,narrates the story of Kovalam,Kannagi and Chera,Pandya kings.
The Pandyan king unjustly had Kovalan killed by hanging.
This is because he erroneously concluded the Anklet which Kovalan sold was that of Pandya Queen’s.
(And his wife Kannagi burnt Madurai as a revenge.)
Before going out to sell the Anklet,Kovalan was seen off by his wife Kannagi from their home in Madurai.
The description of the place is found in Silappadikaram by Ilango Adigal.
The name given to the place is Kadaichanendal, Madurai.
The home where they lived is found here alone with the hermitage of the Buddhist monk,a lady named Kavundhi Adigal,who guided the pair of Kovalan and Kannagi.
The original name of the place was Kadai+Chilambu+Endhal, meaning ‘the place where the Anklet was held in Hands for the last time’
I am unable to find the photo of the house.
People from Madurai may contribute.
I have provided the map of the town and the referral Facebook post.
Kadaichanendal. Village Name : Kadachanendhal ( கடச்சனேந்தல் ) City Name : Madurai West District : Madurai State : Tamil Nadu Language : Tamil and Telegu, Sourashtra, English, Hindi
மதுரைக்கு மிக அருகில் உள்ள கிராமம் கடச்சனேந்தல். இங்கு விவசாயிகளை அமைப்பாகத் திரட்டும் ஒரு முயற்சிக்காக நான் சென்றிருந்தேன். அந்த ஊரைச் சேர்ந்த விவசாயச் சங்கத்தினர் உடன் இருந்தனர். அந்தச் சின்னஞ்சிறிய கிராமத்தின் குறுகிய வீதிகளின் வழியே, வயல் வேலைகள் முடித்துத் திரும்பும் விவசாயிகளைப் பார்த்துப் பேசிக்கொண்டிருந்தோம்.
சடசடவென மழை பெய்ய ஆரம்பித்தது.
எங்கு ஒதுங்குவது எனச் சுற்றும்முற்றும் பார்த்து, மூலையில் இருக்கும் ஒரு தாவாரத்தில் ஒதுங்கினோம். காற்றும் மழையுமாகக் கொட்டித் தீர்த்தது. ஒதுங்கி நிற்கிறோம் என்பதற்கான எந்த அடையாளத்தையும் மழை விட்டுவைக்கவில்லை. மேலெல்லாம் நனைந்து சற்றே நடுக்கம் எடுக்கத் தொடங்கியது. நான் எதையோ யோசித்தபடி அங்கு சிறு பலகை ஒன்றில் எழுதியிருந்ததைப் பார்த்தேன். ‘கவுந்தியடிகள் ஆசிரமம்’ என எழுதியிருந்தது. என் கண்களையே நம்பாமல், ஆச்சர்யத்தோடு மீண்டும் ஒருமுறை படித்து உறுதிப்படுத்தினேன்.
கோவலனும் கண்ணகியும் மதுரைக்கு வருவதற்கு, உறுதுணையாக இருந்து ஆற்றுப்படுத்திய சமணத் துறவி கவுந்தியடிகளுக்கு இங்கு எதற்கு ஆசிரமம் என யோசித்தபடி நின்றேன்.
மழை குறையத் தொடங்கியது.
தாவாரத்துக்கு அடுத்து இருந்தவரிடம், ‘கவுந்தியடிகள் ஆசிரமம் என்ற பெயர் எதற்காக வைத்திருக்கிறீர்கள்?’ எனக் கேட்டேன். அவர் சொன்னார், ‘இந்த அம்மாதானே கோவலன் – கண்ணகியை எங்க ஊருக்குக் கூட்டிவந்துச்சு’ என்றார்.
அவரின் பதில், மேலும் ஆச்சர்யத்தை ஊட்டியது. ‘கோவலன் – கண்ணகி மதுரைக்குத்தானே வந்தார்கள்? உங்கள் ஊருக்கு எங்கு வந்தார்கள்?’ எனக் கேட்டேன். ‘என்ன தம்பி… மதுரைக்குள்ள போறதுக்கு மொத நாளு அவங்க ரெண்டு பேரையும், எங்க ஊர்லதான அந்த அம்மா தங்கவெச்சுச்சு’ என்றார். எனக்கு என்ன சொல்வது எனப் புரியவில்லை. ஆனால், அவருக்கு என்னிடம் சொல்ல நிறைய விஷயங்கள் இருக்கின்றன என்பது மட்டும் புரிந்தது.
நான் பேச்சைத் தொடர்ந்தேன். அவர் மேலும், ‘கோவலன் – கண்ணகி தங்கி இருந்த வீடு அருகில்தான் இருக்கிறது’ என்றார். நான் ஏறக்குறைய உறைந்துபோய் நின்றேன். அதற்கு மழை மட்டும் காரணம் அல்ல! தொடர்ந்து, ‘கண்ணகி வீடுதானே… அது எனக்குத் தெரியும். நான் கூட்டிப்போய் காட்டுறேன்’ என உடன் இருந்தவர் பதில் சொன்னார்.
சிலப்பதிகாரத்தை வெளியில் இருந்து படித்த நான், முதன்முறையாக அதற்குள்ளே இருக்கும் மனிதர்களைச் சந்தித்தேன். அவர், ‘வாருங்கள் போகலாம்’ எனச் சொல்லி என்னை அழைத்துப்போனார். மழை நின்ற அந்த இரவில் நான் காலத்துக்குள் நடந்துபோய்க்கொண்டிருந்தேன்.
இரண்டு தெரு தள்ளி ஓர் இடத்தைக் காட்டினார். ‘இந்த இடத்தில்தான் கண்ணகியின் வீடு இருந்தது’ என்றார். நான் விழித்த கண் இமைக்காமல் பார்த்துக்கொண்டிருந்தேன். அந்த இடம் எதுவும் இல்லாத வெளியா… அல்லது காலவெளியா என்பது புரியாத திகைப்பில் நின்றிருந்தேன்.
வயதான ஒரு மூதாட்டி, ‘என்னப்பா, இந்த ராத்திரியில வந்து கண்ணகி வீட்டைப் பார்த்துக்கிட்டிருக்கீங்க?’ எனக் கேட்டபடி எங்களைக் கடந்துபோனாள். இப்போதுதான் கண்ணகியை வீட்டில் விட்டுவிட்டுப் போகும் கவுந்தியடிகளைப்போல இருந்தது அவளது வார்த்தைக்குள் இருந்த உரிமை.
என்னை அழைத்துப்போனவர் தொடர்ந்து சொன்னார்… ‘கண்ணகி – கோவலன் கடைசியா இருந்தது இந்த வீட்டில்தான். இங்கிருந்துதான் சிலம்பை விற்க கோவலன் மதுரைக்குப் புறப்பட்டுப் போனான். புதுவாழ்வு தொடங்க ஆசையோடு காத்திருந்த கண்ணகிக்கு, போனவன் கொலையுண்ட செய்திதான் வந்து சேர்ந்தது. செய்தி கேள்விப்பட்டதும் ஆத்திரம் பொங்க தனது காலில் இருந்த இன்னொரு சிலம்பை கையில் ஏந்தியபடி இங்கிருந்துதான் புறப்பட்டாள். அதனால்தான் எங்கள் ஊருக்கு ‘கடை சிலம்பு ஏந்தல்’ எனப் பெயர்.
20 வருடங்களுக்கு முன்புவரைகூட ஊரின் பெயர்ப்பலகை எல்லாமே ‘கடை சிலம்பு ஏந்தல்’ என்றுதான் இருந்தது. அதன் பிறகுதான் பேச்சுவழக்கில் எல்லோரும் ‘கடச்சனேந்தல்’ என்றே அழைக்க ஆரம்பித்துவிட்டனர்’ என்றார்.
நான் மறுபடியும் ஊரின் பெயரில் இருந்து எல்லாவற்றையும் யோசிக்க ஆரம்பித்தேன். அவர் பேச்சைத் தொடர்ந்தார். ‘கோவலன் – கண்ணகியை அவமதித்துப் பேசிய இருவரை, கவுந்தியடிகள் நரியாகப் போகுமாறு சபித்துவிட்டார் இல்லையா?’ எனக் கேட்டார், சிலப்பதிகாரத்தின் காட்சியை நினைவுபடுத்தி. ‘ஆம்… ஓராண்டு காலம் நரியாகப் போகுமாறு சபித்தார்’ என்றேன். ‘அதுதான் அந்த நரி’ என்றார்.
அவர் கைகாட்டும் திசையை மிரட்சியோடு பார்த்தேன். கும்மிருட்டாக இருந்த அந்தத் திசையில் இருந்து அடுத்து வெளிவரப்போவது என்னவோ என்ற திகைப்பு குறையாமல் அவரை நோக்கித் திரும்பினேன். அவர் சொன்னார், ‘கவுந்தியடிகளால் சபிக்கப்பட்ட அந்த நரிகள் இரண்டும் ஓராண்டு காலமும் அந்தப் பக்கம் உள்ள காட்டில்தான் இருந்ததாம். அதனால்தான் அந்த இடத்துக்கு ‘அந்தநேரி’ எனப் பெயர்’ என்றார். அடுத்து இருக்கும் ஊரின் பெயர் ‘அந்தநேரி’ என்பது அப்புறம்தான் நினைவுக்கு வந்தது (அதுவே ‘அந்தனேரி’ ஆகிவிட்டது).
நிகழ்காலத்துக்கும் கடந்தகாலத்துக்கும் இடையில் இடைவெளியற்ற ஒரு நிலத்தில், நின்றுகொண்டிருப்பதுபோல் உணர்ந்தேன். ஒருவகையில் மதுரையே இப்படி ஒரு நிலம்தான். காலத்தின் எந்தப் புள்ளியில் நாம் நின்றுகொண்டிருக்கிறோம் என்பது பல நேரங்களில் ஒரு புகைமூட்டமாகத்தான் தென்படும்.
அந்த வீடுதான் சிலப்பதிகாரத்தில் கொந்தளிக்கும் உணர்ச்சிகள் மையம் இட்டிருந்த இடம். கோவலன் – கண்ணகி இருவரும் இங்குதான் ஒரு புது வாழ்வைத் தொடங்கினர். கண்ணகியின் களங்கம் இல்லாத அன்பின் முன்பாக கோவலன் ஒரு தூசுபோல கிடந்தான். ஆண் எனும் அகங்காரம் முற்றிலும் அழிந்து, கண்ணகியின் கால் பற்றி நின்றான். 12 ஆண்டுகள் நெஞ்சம் முழுவதும் பெருகிக்கிடந்த துயரக் கடலை அன்பு எனும் மிதவைகொண்டு எளிதாகக் கடந்தாள் கண்ணகி. கால் சிலம்பைக் கழட்டிக் கொடுத்து புதுவாழ்வின் வாசல் நோக்கி அனுப்பினாள். நற்செய்தியோடு வருவான் என எதிர்பார்த்திருந்த கண்ணகிக்கு, அவன் கொலையுண்ட செய்தியே வந்து சேர்கிறது. அவள் வெகுண்டெழுந்தாள்.
சிலப்பதிகாரத்தில் உணர்ச்சிகளினால் உச்சம் பெற்ற காட்சி இங்குதான் அரங்கேறியது. பெருக்கெடுத்த அன்பும், புதுவாழ்வின் கனவும், கொடுங்கொலையும் வந்துசேர்ந்த இடமாக, இந்தச் சிறு குடிலே இருக்கிறது. கோவலனின் மனைவியாக மட்டுமே இருந்த ஓர் அபலைப் பெண், கண்ணகியாக உருமாற்றம்கொள்வது இந்த இடத்தில் இருந்துதான். ஒரு காப்பியத்தில் எந்த இடத்தை சமூகம் பற்றி நிற்கவேண்டுமோ, அந்த இடத்தை இறுகப் பற்றி நிற்கிறது இந்த ஊர்.
கதைகளின் பலம், பெருந்துக்கத்தை மறந்துவிடாமல் மீண்டும் மீண்டும் நினைவூட்டிக் கொண்டே இருப்பதுதான். ‘எங்கள் ஊருக்கு வந்த பெண்ணுக்கு இப்படி ஆகிவிட்டதே’ என்ற துக்கம், இத்தனை ஆயிரம் ஆண்டுகளுக்குப் பிறகும் அந்தக் கதையைச் சொல்பவரின் தொண்டைக் குழியில் தேங்கி நிற்கிறது. அந்தத் துக்கம் மறக்காமல் இருந்தால்தான் மனிதன் அறம்சார்ந்த வாழ்வை வாழத் தொடர்ந்து தூண்டப்பட்டுக் கொண்டிருப்பான். மனிதனை நியாயவானாக மாற்றவேண்டிய செயல், மனிதன் இருக்கும் வரை நடத்தப்பட்டுக்கொண்டே இருக்க வேண்டிய செயல்.
அதற்கான கருவியை தனது அனைத்து அங்கங்களிலும் வைத்திருக்கும் பண்பாட்டையே சிறந்த பண்பாடாக நாம் கருதுகிறோம். அத்தகைய பண்பாட்டு விழுமியங்கள் செழிப்புற்று இருப்பதே நாகரிகச் சமூகத்துக்கான சான்று. கண்ணகியின் கண்ணீர்த் துளியைக் கைகளில் ஏந்தி, கவுந்திக்கு மரியாதை செய்துகொண்டிருக்கும் இந்தச் செயல்கூட அத்தகைய நாகரிகத்தின் அடையாளமே.
தார்ச்சாலையின் ஓரத்தில் இருக்கும் பெயர்ப்பலகையில் எனாமல் பெயின்டால் எழுதப்பட்ட எழுத்துக்குப் பின்னால் இவ்வளவு நெடிய கதையும் காலமும் மறைந்திருக்குமானால்… பல்லாயிரம் ஆண்டுகளுக்கு முன்னால் எழுதப்பட்ட எழுத்துக்களுக்குப் பின்னால் மறைந்திருக்கும் கதைகளை யார் அறிவார்?
அப்படிப்பட்ட எழுத்தைத் தாங்கிநிற்கும் கருங்கல் ஒன்று, வைகையின் தென்கரை கிராமம் ஒன்றில் நிமிர்ந்து நிற்கிறது. சுமார் 2,400 ஆண்டுகளாக…
Dates assigned to Events,persona and literature of India are undergoing a thorough overall ,thanks to new findings in Archaeology Anthropological research,new advanced technics and simulated software of ancient events.
The dates of the following have been pushed back and Indian Ithihasas,Ramayana and Mahabharatha have been found to be recorded History.
Rig Veda ,by 50,000 years,
Ramayana placed at 5114 BC,
Mahabharatha, at 3000 BC.
* for the anomalies of dates in Ramayana,which the Puranas say had happened about a million years ago and Mahabharatha did happen thousands of years later to Ramayana,Ramayana had taken place in Tretha Yuga and Mahabharatha during Dwapara Yuga,please check my article Rama’s Death precedes Krishna’s by 200 years?
And many more arbitrarily assigned dates have been revised.
Now to another ancient Culture and Language ofcIndia,Tamil.
Tamils have a hoary past and they have been referred to in the Vedas,Puranas ,Ramayana and Mahabharatha.
They were a powerful maritime power and references are made by Ancient Greek Historians including Periplus and Roman records the presence of Tamils in Roman Empire and the Romans had a colony of their own in Musiri,Tamil Nadu.
The ancient grammar book available,Tholkappiyam speaks of land extending up to 7000 miles from Kanya Kumari to The South,which is somewhere near New Zealand.
Sage Agastya,the co founder of Tamil along with Lord Shiva is found in New Zealand and Micronesia.
Shiva, the Primary Deity of the Tamils is worshipped by the Aborigines of Australia.
Sage Agastya’s date is confirmed by Astronomy,Star Canopus.
Tamil records speak of Three Conclaves of Poets in Tami Land.
These were called Tamizh Sangam..
‘Nakkīrar describes three “Sangams” (caṅkam) spanning thousands of years. The first Sangam (mutaṟcaṅkam)mudharchangam is described as having been held at “the Madurai which was submerged by the sea”, lasted a total of 4400 years, and had 549 members, which supposedly included some gods of the Hindu pantheon such as Siva, Kubera and Murugan. A total of 4449 poets are described as having composed songs for this Sangam. There were 89 Pandiya kings starting from Kaysina valudi to Kadungon were decedents and rulers of that period..The grammar followed in the first sangam was agattiyam. The poems composed were Paripaadal, mudunarai, mudukurugu, kalariyavirai. If credence is given to the commentary of Irayanar Ahapporul, the beginning of sangam should be placed somewhere in 9000 BC.’
Silappadikaram,one of the Five Epics ,which came later to Sangam period is dated at 1 AD.
Recent excavations of Poompuhar,which was called Kaverippoompattinam date pushes it back by 11,000 years.
‘The date of Poompuhar artifact was arrived at and verified by Glenn Milne Sea Level changes.
The place is called Poompuhar. It lies on southeast India’s Coromandel coast facing the Bay of Bengal between modern Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka. Its immediate offshore area has been the subject of marine archaeological investigations by India’s National Institute of Oceanography since the 1980’s — and numerous non-controversial finds of man-made structures dated between the third century AD and the third century BC have been made in the “inter-tidal zone” close to shore at depths down to 6 feet (approximately 2 metres).
These finds of structures in shallow water (some so shallow that they are exposed at low tide) have been quite widely written-up in the archaeological literature. But for some reason other discoveries that the NIO has made in deeper water off Poompuhar have attracted no attention at all. Most notably these other discoveries include a second completely separate group of structures fully three miles from the Poompuhar shore in water that is more than 70 feet (23 metres) deep. The lack of interest is surprising because to anyone with even minimal knowledge of post-glacial sea-level rise their depth of submergence is – or should be – highly anomalous. Indeed according to Glenn Milne’s sea-level data the land on which these structures were built last stood above water at the end of the Ice Age more than 11,000 years ago.
Is it a coincidence that there are ancient Tamil flood myths that speak of a great kingdom that once existed in this area called Kumari Kandam that was swallowed up by the sea? Amazingly the myths put a date of 11,600 years ago on these events — the same timeframe given by Plato for the end of Atlantis in another ocean.
Like the cities in the Gulf of Cambay the underwater structures three miles offshore of Poompuhar were first identified by an instrument called sidescan sonar that profiles the seabed. One structure in particular was singled out for investigation and was explored by divers from India’s National Institute of Oceanography in 1991 and 1993. Although they were not at that time aware of the implications of its depth of submergence — i.e. that it is at least 11,500 years old — the 1991 study confirms that it is man-made and describes it as:
a horse-shoe-shaped object, its height being one to two metres. A few stone blocks were found in the one-metre wide arm. The distance between the two arms in 20 metres. Whether the object is a shrine or some other man-made structure now at 23 metres [70 feet] depth remains to be examined in the next field season.
The 1993 study refines the measurements:
The structure of U-shape was located at a water depth of 23 metres which is about 5 kilometres off shore. The total peripheral length of the object is 85 metres while the distance between the two arms is 13 metres and the maximum height is 2 metres Divers observed growth of thick marine organism on the structure, but in some sections a few courses of masonry were noted.
Graham Hancock is an advocate of this theory and I subscribe to this as this has more science to back it up.
The Glenn Milne Theory of Sea Level Change places a landmass Sundaland.
Sundaland was a cluster of islands in South consisted of Malay peninsula, Java, Sumatra, Borneo and other surrounding areas.’
‘So it is logical to arrive at the conclusion that the Silappadikaram Town was in existence around 11000 CE and for a rich language as Tamil to develop, from a dialect, colloquial form and then to literary ,it requires minimum 5000 Years.
And Tamil quotes Ithihasas ,Ramayana and Mahabharata and the Vedas.
That should place these Ithihasas earlier .
Hence based on this evidence available now, Tamil should be at least 16000 years old and the Sanskrit Puranas earlier.
Please read my Post Million Year Old Tamil quotes Vedas and they quote Tamil.
But we are assigning Tamil Sangam at 5 BC and Rig veda at 5000 BC!’
Silappadikaram and its sister Epic Manimekalai speaks of the Tsunami that devoured the Tamil land.
And this is the Third Tsunami,the earlier two having swallowed Tamil land .
Assuming ,at the most conservative level ,that the Tsunami struck immediately before Silappadikaram period,which is unlikely as to reconstruct the Land and take the language to classical level of Silappadikaram would have required at least five thousand years,we can assign the last Tsunami at 14,000 BC.
And taking the account of Tamil classics for the duration of each Sangam at ( there is novreason to doubt this as their version about Third Tsunami is validated,
‘First Sangam.-It was said to be located in Then Madurai (now part of Madurai) under the patronage of 89 Pandya kings,during this period. It is said to have lasted for 4,440 years,
Second Sangam-The second Sangam was convened in Kapatapuram. This Sangam lasted for 3700 years and had 59 members, with 3700 poets participating. There were 59 Pandiya kings starting from Vendercceliyan to Mudattirumaran were decedents and rulers of that period. This city was also submerged in sea. Ramayana and Arthashastra of Kautalya corroborates the existence of a city named Kavatapuram.
Third Sangam-The Third Sangam (Tamil: மூன்றாம் சங்கம், Moondram Sangam) was a historical assembly and the last of the three Tamil Sangams. Established under the aegis of 49 Pandyan kings, it ran for 1850 years, ending around the time that Christianity emerged’
There are quite a few ancient temples of India which are in good shape.
Some of them have been assigned dates before Christ,BC,though reluctantly despite strong evidence that they belong to much earlier times.
Please check my articles on 5000 years old temples of India.
The Thiruvannamalai temple,Tamil Nadu is dated 3.94 Billion years,Tirupati 2100 million years and Jwalapuram, Cuddapah,Telengana, India is 74,000 years old……….
There are some more ancient temples like the Pundarikaksha Temple,Thiruvellarai, near Sriranagam and Srirangamtemple Tamil Nadu.
There are many more and I shall be writing about them.
The Ananta Padmanabhaswamy temple at Thiruvananthapuram,Kerala is one such ancient temple where the presiding deity is Lord Vishnu in his form as the Infinite one in yoga Nidra.
The temple has also been one of the richest temple in India, where billions worth of gold and ornaments have been found sealed in an underground vault and the court had appointed a committee to evaluate the riches.
This temple is referred to in the Puranas and Tamil Classics of the Sangam era.
What is now Kerala was a part of Tamil Chera Kingdom.
Chera kings also enriches the temple and this dynasty goes back to thousands of years.
However the temple and the city has been dated to around late first century BC.
This is way off the mark.
The Tamil epic Silappadikarama, written by Ilangao Adigal, brother of the Chera king mentions this temple and also details the Thiruvananthapuram temple .
Silappadikaram describes the city as golden city and the temple as one which was made of gold.
Same description is found in the Puranas.
Poompuhar,Tamil Nadu where most of the action of Silappadikaram takes place has been found off the sea and it has been proved that the people of Poompuhar had extensive trade with the Greeks, among others.
And now Poompuhar has been dated some 20,000 years back!
As Silappadikaram speaks of Thiruvananthapuram and Anantha Padmanabhaswamy temple, these two should have existed before the events narrated in Silapadikaram.
As Poompuhar is dated 20,000 years ago, it is reasonable to state that Thiruvananthapuram and Padmanabhaswamy temple date back to 20,000 years.
‘
Silappadikaram has been dated to likely belong to the beginning of Common era.
The incidence of Kovalan Madhavi and Kannagi took place in the same period as the poet who wrote the Tamil Epic was the brother of the Chera King Cheran Senguttuvan.
However the recent finding placed these dates to 11000 years back!
Padmanabha in ananthasayanam,Thiruvanathapuram temple
So it is logical to arrive at the conclusion that the Silappadikaram Town was in existence around 11000 CE and for a rich language as Tamil to develop, from a dialect, colloquial form and then to literary ,it requires minimum 5000 Years.
And Tamil quotes Ithihasas ,Ramayana and Mahabharata and the Vedas.
That should place these Ithihasas earlier .
Hence based on this evidence available now, Tamil should be at least 16000 years old and the Sanskrit Puranas earlier.
Please read my Post Million Year Old Tamil quotes Vedas and they quote Tamil.
But we are assigning Tamil Sangam at 5 BC and Rig veda at 5000 BC!…
..
The date of Poompuhar artifact was arrived at and verified by Glenn Milne Sea Level changes.
The place is called Poompuhar. It lies on southeast India’s Coromandel coast facing the Bay of Bengal between modern Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka. Its immediate offshore area has been the subject of marine archaeological investigations by India’s National Institute of Oceanography since the 1980’s — and numerous non-controversial finds of man-made structures dated between the third century AD and the third century BC have been made in the “inter-tidal zone” close to shore at depths down to 6 feet (approximately 2 metres).
These finds of structures in shallow water (some so shallow that they are exposed at low tide) have been quite widely written-up in the archaeological literature. But for some reason other discoveries that the NIO has made in deeper water off Poompuhar have attracted no attention at all. Most notably these other discoveries include a second completely separate group of structures fully three miles from the Poompuhar shore in water that is more than 70 feet (23 metres) deep. The lack of interest is surprising because to anyone with even minimal knowledge of post-glacial sea-level rise their depth of submergence is – or should be – highly anomalous. Indeed according to Glenn Milne’s sea-level data the land on which these structures were built last stood above water at the end of the Ice Age more than 11,000 years ago.
Is it a coincidence that there are ancient Tamil flood myths that speak of a great kingdom that once existed in this area called Kumari Kandam that was swallowed up by the sea? Amazingly the myths put a date of 11,600 years ago on these events — the same timeframe given by Plato for the end of Atlantis in another ocean.
Like the cities in the Gulf of Cambay the underwater structures three miles offshore of Poompuhar were first identified by an instrument called sidescan sonar that profiles the seabed. One structure in particular was singled out for investigation and was explored by divers from India’s National Institute of Oceanography in 1991 and 1993. Although they were not at that time aware of the implications of its depth of submergence — i.e. that it is at least 11,500 years old — the 1991 study confirms that it is man-made and describes it as:
a horse-shoe-shaped object, its height being one to two metres. A few stone blocks were found in the one-metre wide arm. The distance between the two arms in 20 metres. Whether the object is a shrine or some other man-made structure now at 23 metres [70 feet] depth remains to be examined in the next field season.
The 1993 study refines the measurements:
The structure of U-shape was located at a water depth of 23 metres which is about 5 kilometres off shore. The total peripheral length of the object is 85 metres while the distance between the two arms is 13 metres and the maximum height is 2 metres Divers observed growth of thick marine organism on the structure, but in some sections a few courses of masonry were noted.
Graham Hancock is an advocate of this theory and I subscribe to this as this has more science to back it up.
Padmanabhaswamy temple is located in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. The temple is built in an intricate fusion of the indigenous Kerala style and the Dravidian style (kovil) of architecture associated with the temples located in the neighboring state of Tamil Nadu, featuring high walls, and a 16th-century Gopuram. While the Moolasthanam of the temple is the Ananthapuram Temple in Kasargod, architecturally to some extent, the temple is a replica of the Adikesava Perumal temple located in Kanyakumari District. It is the richest Hindu temple in the world.In terms of gold assets and precious stones, it is by far the wealthiest institution and place of worship of any kind in the recorded history of the world, with an estimated $22 billion worth of gold and jewels stored in underground vaults (not accounting for historical value). At the time of writing, only 5 of the 8 underground vaults had been opened and explored.
The principal deity Vishnu is enshrined in the “Anantha Shayanam” posture, the eternal yogic sleep on the serpent Adisheshan……
Several extant Hindu Texts like the Brahma Purana, Matsya Purana, Varaha Purana, Skanda Purana, Padma Purana, Vayu Purana, Bhagavata Purana and the Mahabharata mention this shrine. The Temple has been referred to in the (only recorded) Sangam Period of literature between 500 B.C and 300 A.D several times. Many conventional historians and scholars are of the opinion that one of the names that the Temple had – “The Golden Temple” – literally was in cognizance of the fact that the Temple was already unimaginably wealthy by that point. Many extant pieces of Sangam Tamil literature and poetry, and even the later works of Ninth Century poet-saints like Nammalwar, refer to the Temple and even the city as having walls of pure gold. At some places, both the Temple and the entire city are often eulogized even as being made of gold, and the Temple as Heaven.
The temple is one of the 108 principal Divya Desams (“Holy Abodes”) in Vaishnavism, and is glorified in the Divya Prabandha,. The Divya Prabandha glorifies this shrine as being among the 13 Divya Desam in Malai Nadu (corresponding to present-day Kerala and some adjoining areas). The 8th century Alvar Nammalvar sang the glories of Padmanabha. The Ananthapuram Temple in Kasargod is believed to be the ‘Moolasthanam’ of the Temple.
The sage Vilvamangalathu Swamiyar, who resided near Ananthapuram Temple in Kasargod District, prayed to Lord Vishnu for his darshan or “auspicious sight”. The Lord is believed to have come in the guise of a little boy who was mischievous. The boy defiled the Idol which was kept for Puja. The sage became enraged at this and chased away the boy, who disappeared. After a long search, when he was walking on the banks of Arabian Sea, he heard a pulaya lady threatening her child that she would throw him in Ananthankadu. The moment the Swami heard the word Ananthankadu he was delighted. He proceeded to Ananthankadu based on the directions of the lady of whom he enquired. The Sage reached Ananthankadu searching for the boy. There he saw the boy merging into an Iluppa tree (Indian Butter Tree). The tree fell down and became Anantha Sayana Moorti (Vishnu reclining on the celestial snake Anantha). But the edifice that the Lord assumed was of an extraordinarily large size, with His head at Thiruvallom, navel at Thiruvananthapuram, and lotus-feet at Thrippadapuram (Thrippappur), making him some eight miles in length. The Sage requested the Lord to shrink to a smaller proportion that would be thrice the length of his staff. Immediately the Lord shrank to the form of the Idol that is seen at present in the Temple. But even then many Iluppa trees obstructed a complete vision of the Lord. The Sage saw the Lord in three parts – thirumukham, thiruvudal and thrippadam. Swami prayed to Padmanabha to be forgiven. The Swami offered Rice Kanji and Uppumanga (salted mango pieces) in a coconut shell to the Perumal which he obtained from the pulaya woman. The spot where the Sage had darsan of the Lord belonged to Koopakkara Potti and Karuva Potti. With the assistance of the reigning King and some Brahmin households a Temple was constructed. Koopakkara Potti was made the Tantri of the Temple. The Ananthankadu Nagaraja Temple still exists to the north west of the Padmanabhaswamy Temple. The Samadhi (final resting place) of the Swamiyar exists to the west of the Padmanabha Temple. A Krishna Temple was built over the Samadhi. This Temple, known as Vilvamangalam Sri Krishna Swami Temple, belongs to Thrissur Naduvil Madhom’..
‘A treasure trove of gold and silver jewelry, coins and precious stones said to be worth billions of dollars has been found in a Hindu temple in southern India, officials said.
The valuables have an estimated preliminary worth of over 500 billion rupees ($11.2 billion), said Kerala Chief Secretary K. Jayakumar, catapulting the temple into the league of India’s richest temples.
The thousands of necklaces, coins and precious stones have been kept in at least five underground vaults at the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple which is renowned for its intricate sculptures.
“We are yet to open one more secret chamber which has not been opened for nearly 140 years,” Jayakumar told AFP.
The actual value of the treasure haul can be ascertained only after it is examined by the archaeological department, said Jayakumar.
The temple, dedicated to Hindu lord Vishnu, was built hundreds of years ago by the king of Travancore and donations by devotees have been kept in the temple’s vaults since.
A necklace found on Thursday was 18 feet (six metres) long. Thousands of gold coins have also been found.
Since India achieved independence from Britain in 1947, a trust managed by descendants of the Travancore royal family has controlled the temple.
But India’s Supreme Court recently ordered that the temple be managed by the state to ensure the security of valuables at the shrine.
Until now, the Thirupathy temple in southern Andhra Pradesh state was believed to be India’s richest temple with offerings from devotees worth 320 billion rupees.
The revelation about the huge riches in the Padmanabhaswamy temple has forced police to sharply step install security cameras and alarms.
Indians , contrary to what is being projected,, gave importance to finer emotions of Life.
Chitar FestivalMadurai
Hinduism is not all about asceticism and renunciation..
Yena Festival Nepal,Chariot procession
They have formulated the stages of Life one goes through based on his physical and emotional development.
Indras flag adopted
At the same time they also took into account the social structure into account.
The Stages of Life.
Brahmacharya,The stage of Studies, celibacy and inculcation of self discipline.
Gruhastha, Married Life, with duties laid down towards each other and to society.
Vanprastha,The stage when one reaches a stage in Life where one has discharged his family and social obligations and children are settled.One leaves the running of the family to his sons, and pursues the spiritual path.If one’s wife is willing to travel in this journey she is welcome.Otherwise she is in the care of her sons.One may retire to forests to contemplate.
Sanyas, the stage when one relinquishes everything and is totally engaged in self enquiry.
Each stage is provided with necessary structure to develop that stage .
Sanatana Dharma understood the human feeling ,emotions and imitations of Human Mind and human nature.
So it has provided alternate paths to realize God.One can choose what suits one the best.
Opportunities are provided for Love and marrigae.
Not all marriages , during Sanatana Dharma, were arranged one.
There are many type of marriages. set forth by Santna Dharma, one of them being Gandharva Vivaha, Love marriage.
However another ancient people of India Tamils, intricately connected with Sanatana Dharma, went a step further. Their marriage types are more detailed. Please my articles on these.
The Tamils have devoted n entire chapter for Love and the attendant issues in theier first Grammatical work, Tholkaapiyam.
It is called Kalavozhukkam,it details procedure to be followed, activities during courting.
It my of interest to note that women re given equal right in this process.
To facilitate Courtship and Love, the Tamils have dedicated a day of the Year.
This day is dedicated to Lord Indra, chief of Devas and also known for Love and enjoyment.
He is Bhogi, one who revels in pleasure .
Bhogi festival which precedes Tamil New Year is dedicated to him.
Tamils also fixed a day for revelry and courtship, when one finds his or her love,
This was called Indira Vizha, the festival for for Indra.
This was celebrated to bring in rains as Indra is the God of Thunder.
Failure to propitiate him by Yadavas resulted in a deluge and Lord Krishna had to lift the Govardhan Mountain to save the Yadavas.
When a Choza king stopped it, the harbour city of Kaveripumpattinam in Tamil Nadu was devoured by the sea..
This Festival the Indian Valentines Day was held on the Chitra Pournmi Day.
That is on the day the Nakshatra Chitra( Spica) and a Full Moon fall on the same day.
This is around May 10 of the Gregorian Calendar.
To allow for climate changes this is celebrated around is September 27 in Nepal
This is also the day of Buddha Pournima and Kurma Jayanthi
Unlike the west where Lovers’ day has been named after an individual( which again is open to doubt), the Tamils fixed it on a Celestial event!
Tamil Epics Silappadikaram and Manimekalai detail this festival.
Sangam Tamil literature refers to Indra (Pura Nanuru 182 and 241, Ainkuru. 62, Tirumurugu. 155-59 ) and Amruta (ambrosia of Indraloka) in a lot of places. Didactic books including Tirukkural also refer to Indra and Amruta.
‘
ainkuirunuru 62
இந்திர விழவில் பூவின் அன்ன
புன் தலைப் பேடை வரி நிழல் அகவும்
இவ் ஊர் மங்கையர்த் தொகுத்து, இனி
எவ் ஊர் நின்றன்று மகிழ்ந! நின் தேரே?
Like the cock with its small head
which called for the hens from shady place,
you gathered women of this town
in festival of Indra.
Now towards which town
is your chariot proceeding,
so that you can have more pleasure?
Poet:Orampoki
Translated by me
This poem is uttered by the wife to her husband. This show that Indra Vizha was a popular hunting ground for men to covet lovely young maidens and courtesans.
We will now proceed to best discription of Indra Vizha in Tamil Literature.
The following are excerpts from Indra Vizha chapter from Puhar Kandam in Silapathikaram.
“இளவேனிலும் மலயத் தென்றலும் உலவும் வீதி”
காதல் கொழுநனைப் பிரிந்து அலர் எய்தா
மாதர்க் கொடுங் குழை மாதவி-தன்னோடு
இல் வளர் முல்லை, மல்லிகை, மயிலை,
தாழிக் குவளை, சூழ் செங்கழுநீர்,
பயில் பூங் கோதைப் பிணையலின் பொலிந்து,
காமக் களி மகிழ்வு எய்தி, காமர்
பூம் பொதி நறு விரைப் பொழில் ஆட்டு அமர்ந்து,
நாள் மகிழ் இருக்கை நாள்-அங்காடியில்
பூ மலி கானத்துப் புது மணம் புக்கு,
புகையும் சாந்தும் புலராது சிறந்து,
நகை ஆடு ஆயத்து நல் மொழி திளைத்து,
குரல் வாய்ப் பாணரொடு, நகரப் பரத்தரொடு,
திரிதரு மரபின் கோவலன் போல,
இளி வாய் வண்டினொடு, இன் இளவேனிலொடு,
மலய மாருதம் திரிதரு மறுகில்-
Charmed by the sight of lover’s rapture, the breeze wandered through gardens of delight faintly scented by tender buds too shy to open yet; it roamed through the market noisy with frolic, where it gathered the perfumes of incense and sandal paste and entwining itself with laughter of lovers, it scattered their secrets as it passed. Gently warmed by the young summer, it kept company with wandering bees, whose murmur resemble the illi, the fifth note of the harp. And like the breeze, singers, oboe players, and companions expert seeking adventure.
“வீதியில் உலவும் பரத்தையரை ஆடவர் புகழ்தல்”
கரு முகில் சுமந்து, குறு முயல் ஒழித்து-ஆங்கு,
இரு கருங் கயலொடு இடைக் குமிழ் எழுதி,
அம் கண் வானத்து அரவுப் பகை அஞ்சி,
திங்களும் ஈண்டுத் திரிதலும் உண்டுகொல்!-
One of the young men thus celebrated his beloved lady:
“ The Moon, in fear of Rahu, monster who
devours her on the days of her eclipse,
fled from the sky in search of shelter.
framed in the dark clouds of you hair,
she reappeared then as your pallid face.
she chased away the hairs from your fair cheeks,
painted two soot- black fish- shaped eyes,
and in the middle placed kumil flower,
that since then passes for your pretty nose.”
நீர் வாய் திங்கள் நீள் நிலத்து அமுதின்
சீர் வாய் துவலைத் திரு நீர் மாந்தி,
மீன் ஏற்றுக் கொடியோன், மெய் பெற, வளர்த்த,
வான-வல்லி வருதலும் உண்டுகொல்!
Another lover sang to his love:
“You are a lighting-flash, born in the sky,
that Eros, a fish upon his pennant, hurled
when he descended on this earth in search
of his annihilated body, drinking all the nectar
that the pale Moon distills us drop by drop.”
‘Chitra Pournami – was supposed to have been the Valentine’s day as
per Ancient Tamil Culture – followed with Indira Vizha!
It was rather Valentine’s month till next Pounrnami! Greeks
present in such functions carried this custom to their country and
then spread to France and thus Feb 14th.. !
‘The festival usually commenced with a group beating drums and
announcing to the people the start of the celebrations. The citizens of
the town then cleaned the streets and roads and redecorate the city,
with each house being adorned with many decorations. The officials of
the kingdom would pay their respects to the king and wish him and the
kingdom well. Musical performances would be held and the fire oblations
offered in many temples for Siva, Vishnu and other deities. The festival
ended with people bathing in the sea with the members of the family. It
was generally believed that this festival was actually a prayer to
Indra, and would remove the difficulties and dangers to those who
celebrate it. “
Who Started the Indira Vizha.
‘
Mahabharata says it was started by Uparichara Vasu. The life story of Uparichara Vasu itself is interesting. He was given an aeroplane and a garland of never fading lotus flowers by Indra. He married Girika but he was asked to go to a forest where his seed (semen) fell at the thought of his wife. It was devoured by a fish and Matsya (satyavati) was born to the fish. Each one of his sons started a separate dynasty in India. He was credited with some engineering feats such as breaking down a hill to create a new river (Please read my post GREAT ENGINEERS OF ANCIENT INDIA).
Jain scriptures link Indra festival with Rishabadeva, the first Thirthankara. Tamil epic Silappadikaram (Kathai 5) says that one choza king Thungeyil Erintha Thodithot Sembiyan started this festival. Both may be correct if we take one started it in the north and another started in the south of India. Interestingly Chozas themselves claimed that their ancestors ruled north India. All their ancestors were mythological characters mentioned in Mahabharata and Ramayana. The very word Sembiyan came from Sibi Chakravarthy of the famous pigeon story (Sibi=Saibya=Sembiya). The story of Sibi is in Sangam Tamil literature, Pancha Tantra and Tamil epic Silappadikaram.
The details of the celebrations were given in Silappadikaram (5: 141-4) and Manimekalai (1:27-72, 2:1-3, 1:1-9, 24: 62-69, 25: 175-200). The drummer will announce that the festival began and then people will assemble to hoist the Indra Dwaja (Banner). The whole town wore a festive look with lot of decorations. Indra was bathed with holy water. It started on a full moon day in Chitra month (coinciding with April). Other deities were also decorated. Dance and Music were the highlights.
According to Maimekalai, Agastya asked the Sembian (Choza) king to start this festval. In Nepal, it is celebrated in September. In Tamil Nadu, the festival Bogi, celebrated on the eve of Makarasanranti/ Pongal also linked with Indra. Bogi itself means Indra.
Indira Vizha in Nepal.
The rare coincidence between the Tamils and the Nepalese is that both of them install a pole and hoist the Indra flag. In Nepal it is celebrated for 8 days but in Tamil Nadu it was celebrated for 28 days.
Yenya, Nepl Indir vizha.
Indra Jātrā as it is most commonly known or Yenyā (Nepal Bhasa: येँयाः) is the biggest religious street festival in Kathmandu, Nepal. Yenya means “Kathmandu festival” in Nepal Bhasa. The celebrations consist of two events. Indra Jātrā is marked by masked dances of deities and demons, displays of sacred images and tableaus in honor of the deity Indra, the king of heaven. The other event isKumāri Jātrā, the chariot procession of the living goddess Kumari.
Family members deceased in the past year are also remembered during the festival. The main venue of the festivities is Kathmandu Durbar Square. The celebrations last for eight days from the 12th day of the bright fortnight to the 4th day of the dark fortnight ofYanlā (ञला), the eleventh month in the lunar Nepal Era calendar.
Indra Jatra was started by King Gunakamadeva(गुणकामदेव) to commemorate the founding of the city of Kathmandu in the 10th century. Kumari Jatra began in the mid-18th century. The celebrations are held according to the lunar calendar, so the dates are changeable. The 2016 date is September 27.
Krishna Dances with Gopikas
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