KASI VISHWANATHAR TEMPLE - THENKASI

 

Kasi Vishwanathar Temple – Thenkasi – Thenkasi

 

 

HISTORY

 

The Pandya dynasty was at its last ebb, the rulers were always under constant threat from the Sultanate, Vijayanagar and finally the Nayakas, who put an end to their glory by dividing the Pandyan territory into 72 independent districts thereby blocking the Pandya resurgence from Madurai, forever.

 

The invasion from the north by the infidel, Mallik Kafur the eunuch, who was a slave general of Allauddin Khilji – (the Homosexual tyrant of the turco – afghan clan) who was enamoured by Malik Kafur, led to the spread of the sultanate in South, which was destabilized by the Vijayanagara or karnata Kingdom and the Nayakas of Madurai.

 

This constant bickering forced the pandyans to move further down south and establish the town of Thenkasi or South kashi as their capital, with a branch in Thirunelveli. This Thenkasi pandyan’s ruled for almost 200 years from 1422 to 1618 current era with the founding King being Sadaavarman Parakrama pandyan ( 1401 – 1463) and his prominent son Kulasekara Pandyan lll who was also known as Arikesari Parakrama Pandian ruled . They ruled from the fortress of Ukkirankottai (34kms away), however all the kings starting from Sadaavarman were were coronated in the aadhinam mutt inside the Kasi Vishwanathar Temple – Thenkasi.  They were the patrons of the town Tenkasi which they developed keeping the Kasi Viswanthar Temple at the heart of the city. The city itself is located near the Thirukoodamalai in Western Ghats, with the popular destination of Courtralam falls & Kutraleeshwar Temple just about 3 kms away 

 

LEGEND

King Arikesari Parakrama Pandian was a great Shiva devotee. He used to go regularly to Varanasi to worship Mahadev Vishwanath. He desired to bring Kasi Vishwanath to his home town Tenkasi. He wanted to bring a Lingam and consecrate the same in Thenkasi, in order to help people (those who were unable to travel to Varanasi) to see Mahadev Kasinath,. He carried a lingam from Varanasi and was bringing it, when the vehicle on which the lingam was being brought stopped suddenly. The vehicle would not budge even an inch after that. Parakrama Pandian understood that the great Mahadev wishes to Stay at the same spot and hence he built a temple in the very spot now known as SIVAKASI about 92 kms from Tenkasi.

 

Mahadev appeared in his dream and advised him that in the banks of Chitaru River in Shenbagapozhil or the forest of the Champaka Tree is a Lingam prayed to by the ancestors of Parakrama pandian. In order to find it, the king needs to follow an army of ants from the fort and build the temple at the nesting site or colony of the ants. The king followed the ants and found the lingam (prayed to by his Ancestors), and built the Temple at the exact location of the anthill where he found Mahadev as the Swayambhu Lingam. He built the Tenkasi town in squares surrounding the Temple.

 

TEMPLE

 

King Arikesari Parakrama Pandian also known as Kulasekara Pandyan lll performed the Karshana (ploughing & tilling) or Karsanai ceremony for the construction of this magnificent temple, which is known as Varanasi of the south or Thenkasi, on 6^th May 1446 CE. The foundation stone of the temple was laid by him on 15^th November 1446, and the constuction of the temple was finished on 10^th June 1467 almost 21 years later. The King consecrated the Lingam representating the Great Mahadev in the Garbhagriha in 1447, by which time the Mukhamandapam and Ardhamandapam were also completed. In 1456 CE the work on the nine tiered Gopuram or Temple Tower started and was completed by 1463 CE.

 

About 10 steps with two stone elephants leading to a flat rectangular elevated pedestal represents the foyer on the entrance to the majestic Rajagopuram of about 178 ft . The Rajagopuram in itself is a marvel with 9 tiers constructed in 1990. The earlier gopuram is supposed to have been struct by lightning and completely destroyed around the 17^th century CE, known as the Nazhigai Vattil Vaasal which means (time – residence – entrance) literally in Tamil, denoting the fact that the Gopuram showed the time of the day and was equivalent to a Sundial.  The gopuram is full of idols made out of Stuccos upto the top and The Mukhadwaram has many beautifully chiseled idols of Sukhasanamurthy, Gajasamharamurthy, Mahavishnu, Bhikshatana, Ardhanaareesha, Umamaheshwara, and Subramanya and so on. The gale of breeze that carasses you when you enter the temple is a fantastic experience, unexplainable. The ninth floor of the Tower also has a balcony, which gives a breath taking view of the Town.

 

Entering through the Gopuram one comes into a high walled rectangular open compound spread across 4.05 acres (554 ft length, in east-west and 318 ft in north-north south direction). The three primary sanctums in the temple are designed like the iconography of SOMASKANDA, with Shiva as  Vishwanathar’s sanctum in the centre of the plot, Parvati as Ulagamman’s sanctum in south & Skanda, Balamurugan or karthikeya’s sanctum in between the snactum of his parents, all facing east in a unique fusion. The sanctum of Mahadev Shiva is linear or in parallel line to the Rajagopuram.        

 

Passing through the open compound, one comes into the first or Mukha mandapam which contains the Bali peedham and towards the south east corner the Navagraha which in all probability is a later addition to the temple. This Mandapam has beautifully carved monolithic Life size statues of Agni Veerabhadra, Aghora Veerabhadra, Rathi & kamadeva or Manmatha, two Urdhwatandava murthy, Bhadrakali, Venugopala & two beautifull Madanikas one holding a mirror and the other engaged in maake up. The entrance has Vinayak and Subramanya flanked on both sides.

Moving forward is the Kodimaram or Dhwajasthambam along with a Nandi in the Nandi mandapam then the Mani mandapam, Mahamandapam, Ardhamandapam and the Garbhagriha of Shiva as kasi Vishwanathar in the form of the Swayambhu Lingam. Apart from these mandapam there are other mandapam in the precinct of Balamurugan and Ulagamman like the Go mandapam,Arattu mandapam, thirmalaipathi mandapam. Coming out of the Garbhagriha crossing all the mandapams you take a right turn and move to the Sanctum of Muruga or Karthikeya. Again the 1^st Mandapam has beautifully carved lifesize statues of the Pancha Pandavas.  

 

The praharams have sculpture of Ramayana, Periya Purana, beautiful yalis and idols of all the sects including Shaivite, Vaishanavite and Saktha Traditions.

The Sapta Matrikas, 63 Nayanaars or Shaivite Saints, Jwarahareshwara, Ayyanaar, Mahalakshmi, Vinayaka & Subramania, Gajalakshmi, Sanishwara,Chandikeshwara are beautifully etched in images of Stone in sub shrines and the Bronze Nataraja sanctum in the corridors around all the three primary Garbhagrihas.

The outer Prakaram has the shrines of Vinayaka, Subramanya, Parasakthi Peetham, Sahasra Lingam, Bhairava and the sanctum of Meenakshi Sokkanathar.