Temple and Songs Links

TEMPLE AND SONGS LINKS This is a modest attempt to explore the famous temples of India and post songs composed in praise of each of them culled out form many sites . I've never come across a site that provides such information. Of course, there are close to 30000 temples in Tamil Nadu alone and it would take a long time to even cover 1% of these but it never hurts to start! I hope this information will be useful to carnatic music lovers of our group . I for one is a buffllo when it comes to carantic music ragas . but documented information is power hence this documentation . Meenakshi Sundareshwarar Temple (Madurai) The Meenakshi Amman Temple at Madurai is one of the most famous temples in South India as this is where, according to Hindu legends, Lord Shiva appeared on Earth in the form of Sundareshwarar to marry Pandya King Malayadwaja Pandya's daughter, Meenakshi (believed to be an incarnation of Hindu Goddess Parvati). A detailed article on this divine marriage can be found here http://templenet.com/Tamilnadu/Madurai/legend3.html. As mentioned in the article, the legend of Meenakshi Kalyanam brings together four of the six main streams in popular Hinduism - Shaiva, Shaktha, Vaishnava, and Skanda faiths. Before describing this beautiful temple in detail, I' d like to share a recording of a wonderful song composed by Sri Papanasam Sivan, in praise of the Goddess Meenakshi at Madurai. The song is 'Devi Neeye', rendered by the late M.S.Subbulakshmi. According to legend, Lord Sundareshwara (as Sundara Pandya) and his consort Goddess Meenakshi ruled over Madurai for a long period of time. In due course of time, they had a son called Ugra Pandya who is none other than Lord Muruga (also known as Subramanya). The Meenakshi Amman temple here in Madurai has been mentioned in Tamil literature (Thirugnanasambandar) as early as the 7th century. I t is believed to have been sacked later by a Muslim invader and then rebuilt with the efforts of Arya Natha Mudaliyar (Prime Minister of first Nayak of Madurai, 1559-1600AD) and Thirumalai Nayak (1623- 1659AD) Shiva (as Sundareshwarar) and his fish-eyed spouse, Meenakshi, are enshrined in this twin temple. There are in all eleven towers to this temple, the largest and most beautiful being the one on the southern doorway. Rising to a height of about 70 metres, this impressive 'gopuram' is by far the most ornate and florid of the Dravidian towers. To the south of the main shrine dedicated to Shiva, is the temple of Goddess Meenakshi. The high point of Meenakshi temple is its celebrated "Court of Thousand Pillars". Built around the year 1560A.D. by Arya Natha Mudaliyar, it is a great work of structural engineering as well as sculpture and art. Every one of its thousand pillars is subjected to an amazing variety of ornate carvings. Here is another song on Goddess Meenakshi, composed by Sri Muthuswami Dikshitar and rendered here by Sri D.K.Pattammal in the rAga gamakakriya. It is believed that on Deepavali, the day of narakachaturdashi, Dikshithar performed puja as usual and asked his students to sing this song. As his students sang the lines "Meena lochani paasa mochani" he raised his hands and saying "sive paahi" left his mortal coil. Song: mInAkSi mEmudam rAgA: gamakakriyA tALA: Adi Composer: Sri Muthuswami Dikshitar Pallavi mInAkSi mE mudam dEhi mEcakAngi rAjamAtangi Address to Goddess Parvathi at Madurai as Meenakshi, who wears Mechaka and is called as Raaja Maathangi, gives me joy. Anupallavi mAnamAtrumE mAyE marakata chAyE shivajAyE mInalOcani pAshamOcani mAnini kadamba vanavAsini Controller of Individual self, Supreme Self and the relation between two. Greenish in color like emerald. Eyes are like fish. Liberator from worldly bondage. Lives in kadamba vanam. Charanam madurApuri nilayE maNivalayE malayadhvaja pANDya rAja tanayE vidhuviDambana vadanE vijayE vINAgAna dasha gamakakriyE madhu mada mOdita hrdayE sadayE mahAdEva sundarEshapriyE madhu mura ripu sOdari SAtOdari vidhi guruguha vaSankari Sankari Abodes in Madurai. Daughter of great king Malayadwaja Paandiyan, who ruled Madurai. Face dazzles like full moon. Creator of Ten nuances which are used in veena and vocal music. Lives in the heart of people who relinquished wine and anger. Consort of Lord Siva, who is known as Sundareswara at Madurai. Sister of Lord Vishnu, who is a destroyer of demons Madhu and Mura. Adored by Lord Brahma and Lord Shanmukha. There is a festival during every month in the year at the Meenakshi Amman Temple. The most auspicious of these is the Meenakshi Thirukalyanam (the divine marriage of Meenakshi) which happens every year in the month of Chitrai (April). Other majors festivals like Mahashivarathri and Navarathri are also celebrated in a grand manner. A detailed description of all the festivals celebrated in this temple is here. Here are some more songs on Lord Sundareshwara and Goddess Meenakshi by past and current musicians. Akhilandeshwari-Jambukeshwara Temple (Thiruvanaikaval) Akhilandeshwari in the ragam Dwijavanti is omposed by Sri Muthuswami Dikshitar (though several musicians, including scholars like T.L.Venkatarama Iyer have insisted that this is NOT by this composer). Thanks to my cousin who makes me hear it constantly in my car, the song has been running in my head for few days now and I thought I'd start this whole project of linking temples with songs (also suggested by him!) with this song. Many great artists have rendered this beautiful song over the years. It is one of Sri Semmangudi's popular songs, especially for his fantastic kalpana swarams. There is a rendition by Sri T.N.Seshagopalan, which is also very nice and easier to learn from. Song: akhilaaNDEshvari Ragam: dvijaavanti 28 harikaambhOji janya Aa: S R2 M1 G3 M1 P D2 S Av: S N2 D2 P M1 G3 M1 R2 G2 R2 S N2 D2 N2 S Thalam: Adi Composer: Muthuswami Dikshitar Pallavi akhilANDEshvari rakSamAm Agama sampradAya nipuNE shrI Oh Akhilandeshwari! The one who is adept in the traditions of the Agamas (Vedas), please protect me. Anupallavi nikhila lOka nityAtmikE vimalE nirmalE shyAmaLE sakala kalE Her inherent nature pervades all the worlds, is pure, sublime. She is the dark- complexioned one and is the repository of all arts. CharaNam lambOdara guruguha pUjitE lambAlakOdbhAsitEhasitE vAgdEvatArAdhitE varadE varashailarAjanutE shAradE jambhAri sambhAvitE janArddananutE jujAvanti rAganutE jallI maddaLa jhar jhara vAdya nAdamuditE jHnAnapradE She is worshipped by Lambodara (Ganesha) and Guruguha (Murugan). She possesses shining long tresses and always sports a graceful smile. She is the supreme one worshipped by Saraswati. She is the bestower of boons and the daughter of Himavan (King of Mountains), the honorable one. She is Sharada, venerated by Indra and Vishnu. She is extolled through raga jujavanti (dvijaavanti) and takes delight in music of the instruments like jhalli, maddala, and jarjhara. She is the conferrer of supreme knowledge. This is the famous Akhilandeshwari-Jambukeshwarar temple situated in Thiruvanaikaval (Thiru Aanaikka) near Trichy. It was built by Kocengannan, one of the early Cholas, around 1800 years ago. This temple is one of the five major Shiva temples representing five major elements - Fire, Earth, Water, Sky and Wind. The presiding deity here, Jambukeshwara (represents Water), sits under a Jambu tree over a small stream that engulfs the deity during the rainy season, as shown in the picture below. Legend has it that Lord Shiva appeared here under a Jambu tree in the form of a Shiva lingam. Also, two devotees of Shiva were born here under the influence of a curse as a white elephant and a spider. The elephant worshipped Shiva with flowers and water brought in its trunk (hence the name Tiru Aanaikka). Sri Muthuswami Dikshitar has composed a song in praise of Jambukeshwarar in his magnificent Panchalinga krithis that are dedicated to the five forms of Lord Shiva. There is a recording of Sri M.L.Vasanthakumari rendering this song, Jambupate, in the ragam Yamunakalyani. Also in this temple is Sri Akhilandeshwari, one of the most famed forms of Parvati along with Meenakshi and Kamakshi. The sannidhi of this goddess in this temple along with the sannidhi of Prasanna Vinayaka is in the shape of 'OM'. It is believed that people who go around the sannidhi 12 times and for one full mandala (48 days), will get the blessings of the goddess and have a good, healthy and wealthy life. Also, according to tradition, Sri Akhilandeshwari was originally an Ugra Devata of great fury, and Adi Shankaracharya is said to have converted the fiery energy of the deity into a manifestation of peace. He is said to have adorned her with ear-rings bearing the symbol of the chakram. There is also a shrine to Adi Shankara in this temple. Song: jambUpatE Ragam: yamunA kalyANi Thalam: tishra Ekam (Rupakam) Composer: Muthuswami Dikshitar Pallavi jambUpatE mAm pAhi nijAnandAmRta bOdham dEhi Oh Jambupati, protect me and give me the knowledge of the nectar of true bliss. Anupallavi ambujAsanAdi sakala dEva namana tumburunuta hRdaya tApOpashamana ambudhi gaHNgA kAvErI yamunA kambu kaNDyakhilANDEshvarI ramaNa He is honored by Brahma and other celestials. He mitigates the affliction of the heart of Tumburu. He is of the form of water, the great ocean and the rivers such as Ganga, Kaveri, Yamuna. He is the beloved one of Akhilandeshvari, whose neck is as beautiful as a conch. Charanam parvatajAprArtthitApaliHNgavibhO paHnca bhUta maya prapaHncaprabhO sarvajIva dayAkara shambhO sAmajATavi nilaya svayambhO sarva karuNA sudhAsindhO sharaNAgata vatsalArttha bandhO nirvacanIya nAda bindO nitya mauLi vidhRta gaHNgEndO nirvikalpaka samAdhi niSTha shiva kalpatarO nirvishESacaitanya niraHnjanaguruguhagurO In deference to the prayers of goddess Parvati, the Lord manifested in the form of the Linga representing the element water. He is the Lord of the universe, which is made of five elements.

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