– V.R.Ramachandra Dikshitar [Proceedings of the Indian History Congress (1946)] …2/2
“Tradition avers that Adi Sankara in the course of his digvijaya established mutts at different places and one such place was Kanchi, the modern Conjeevaram.
At Kanchi. Sankara founded what is known as Kamakotipitha. This Pitha of Kamakoti was flourishing here till at least A. D. 1686, and in this connection the temple of Kamakshi in Conjeevaram is said to be the one erected or renovated by Sankara and his disciples.
Even to-day a figure of Sankara is to be seen in this temple, evidently a figure of the first acharya. And Kamakoti is written in inscriptions as Kamakottam.
Kamakottam means the shrine dedicated to the goddess Kamakshi. The cult of Kamakshi must have become popular after Sankara and shrines in her honour were erected and dedicated by kings and pious devotees.
As time went on, the Kamakshi amman koil became generally known as Amman koil. For Parvati or Uma, Minakshi and other names are the names of one and the same goddess. So whatever be the name of the goddess enshrined in a temple, the common people call it even to this day Amman koil.
The revival of Devi worship as Kamakshi must be therefore due to Sankara who founded the Kamakoti pitha in Conjeevaram for the first time. Hence the Kamakottam which we find in the inscriptions. If Kamakottam is the same as Kamakoti, then the institution of Kamakottam must at least go back to the age of Sankara.”
BY V. R. RAMACHANDRA DIKSHITAR, University of Madras. (Part-I)
In a paper contributed to the All India Oriental Conference Nagpur (1946) Mr. K. R. Srinivasan said: ‘In the South Indian temples, Tirukkamakkottam is the name given in inscriptions to the separate shrine dedicated to Parvati or Devi installed and consecrated as the consort of Lord Siva, the presiding deity in a South Indian temple unit’ He further proceeded and remarked that only in the period of the Imperial Cholas the Tirukkamakottam was introduced as a new member and later on grew in importance.
The conclusion arrived at, is based on mere references in the inscriptions, and perhaps also from a study of the temple architecture, and the tentative definition of a temple unit.
According to him till about the eleventh century A. D. there was no place for a separate Amman shrine or shrine for the goddess.
We are afraid that this theory of a separate Amman shrine as a later addition and that from about the eleventh century cannot be readily admitted. This is to ignore all tradition, literary and oral.
We must first examine the term Tirukkamak-kottam or simply Kamakkottam, tiru meaning sacred. The origin of this expression will be indeed significant for our investigation. It may be a very ancient one but it became very much popular certainly after the Adi Sankaracharya. (1/2)
“Since the date (of Sri Sankara Bhagavadpada) arrived at independently from internal evidence agrees, with remarkable exactness, with the date preserved in three of the Mutts, and since the Hultzsch list totally disagrees with the Sringeri list we are led to surmise that there must exist some records within the archives of the Mutt which have not been properly and carefully scrutinised or has seen the light of day. It is hoped that the authorities of the Mutt would afford facilities for real workers with true historical instinct to obtain a peep into them.”
(Extracted from the Article Sri Samkaracharya By Vaidyavisarada K.G.Natesa Sastri, B.A., M.R.A.S. published in Jignasa, Vol.1-4, 1927)
Rajah Pratapsingh (1740-1763 C.E) came to know that the Jagadguru Sankaracharya had to abdandon their main Matha at Kanchi, travelled upto Travancore and returned to the forests of Odayarpalayam zamin, which was on the borders of Thanjavur territories where Golden idol Sri Bangaru Kamakshi was safely placed.
He sent his brother-in-law and commander-in- Chief Mallari Gade Rao and one of his ministers Dabir Panth requesting the Acharya to come over to his territory for His residence. Later, the Sankaracharya Swami reached Thanjavur. The Raja assured Him full security and requested the Acharya to make Thanjavur his abode. The Achaya after a brief stay in the fort preferred to shift to the banks of Cauvery in Kumbakonam.
The Rajah built a grand matha for him and a temple for his deities. 36 villages were endowed for its maintenance. Since then the Kanchi Acharya came to live permanently in Tanjore kingdom.
King Pratap Singh also made several endowments for performing nitya puja to the Adhishtanam of Sri Paramasivendra Saraswati Swamy, the 57th Acharya of Sri Kamakoti Peetha, the Preceptor of Sri Sadasiva Brahmendra.
The modi records of Tanjore kingdom contain details about monetary contributions and other offerings during Vyasa pooja and special occasions to Sri Kanchi Peetha from 1768 C.E.
A permanent ‘madhyasta’ seat had been held in the Royal Darbar by a representative of the Srimatha. The annual tribute and special offerings from the Tanjore palace were submitted through the madhyasta of Srimatha.
Arrangements were also made for the regular collection of “Sankaracharya Sambhavana” from all communities of the Tanjore country. This alongwith the land revenue and paddy collection from almost all villages of the country was remitted to the Matha directly by the revenue officials of the respective Taluk.
Apart from these, Mohini and Tasdik allowances were also given to the Matha in respect of the imams resumed during the occupation of Arcot Nawab.
The 1817 C.E records of Col.Mackinzie contain a direct reference about the said usurption of inam villages granted to the Matha, by the earlier kings, by the foreign powers who occupied Tanjore kingdom later. All these would show that the Matha was always revered and held in high esteem by all the Kings of Tanjore Mahratta Raje.
The modi records also mention about frequent exchange of rare manuscripts and books between the Sankaracharya Matha and Tanjore Saraswati Mahal Libraries.
Many old palm leaf manuscripts of the Vyasachala, Anandagiri and Govindanatha Sankaravijayams, Sivarahasyam (procured from Varanasi) etc. were also carefully preserved in the Tanjore palace library by the Kings.
King Tulaja’s relations with Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Srimatha
After Rajah Pratapsingh, his Son Tulaja and after him Serfoji extended all facilities to Mutt. He arranged for shifting of Sri Swarna Kamakshi image to Tanjore fort, from Tiruvarur. He also made several endorsements for the nitya naimittika puja of the deity.
Anandagiri”s Sankaravijayam was translated in Telugu by Andhra Kalidasa, Tulaja’s Court Poet. Govindanatha yati’s Sankaracharya Charita was written on the request made by Deepambika, King Sahaji’s mother.
Serfoji Raja and Kanchi Sankara Mutt
Serfoji attended the Mahamagam festival at Kumbhakonam with all his family members in royal splendour. After holy bath in the Mahamaga Tank, the Rajah visited the Kamakoti pitam Jagadguru Shankaracharya, residing at Kumbakonam and performed padapuja and offered serveral valuable presents to Sri Chandramouleeswara Swamy.
During his visit to the Mutt on the Mahamagam day King Serfoji performed ‘Kanakabhishekam’ (showering of gold coins) to the Sankaracharya. This was the third Kanakabhishekam performed to the Jagadguru Acharyas of Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetha, by Their principal disciples, the Mahratta Rajas of Tanjore.
The Swami blessed the King with Holy mantrakshata, valuable shawl and one Gowri Shankar Rudrakshamala studded with rare gems and the most mertitorious title of ‘Siva Puja Dhurandhara’. Serfoji’s son Sivaji II also performed Kanakabhishekams to the Kanchi Acharyas in 1832, 1842 and 1850 C.E.
SOURCES
1. The modi documents translated in to tamil and preserved in the Saraswati Mahal Library, Tanjore. (11 bound volumes )
2. Modi Palakani – Articles published the Journals of the Saraswati Mahal Library, Tanjore.
3. Note Books (48 nos.) containing hints in Tamil pertaining to Modi documents.
4.Administration and Social Life under the Mahratta Rulers of Tanjore by K.M.Venkataramaiah (1984)
5. Mahratti Modi manuscript compilations published by the Tamil University, Tanjore.
6.Inscriptions of the Tanjore Mahrattas by Mr.Rasu.
“One of the records is 31/C Item 60 subsection 5 from the Modi records from the Sarasvati Mahal Library, Tanjavur. There is a petition where a number of people had made a complaint to the then king of Tanjavur about the alleged misdeeds of some Karyastha of the Matha. This interesting document belongs to the time of Sri Mahadevendra Sarasvati who ascended the Kamakoti Pitha in the year 1851 during the time of the last king Sivaji of Tanjavur; and in this the petitioners in their introductory paragraphs give a brief but interesting account of the Matha. It is stated in the petition as follows:
“The Mutt of Sri Sankaracharya Svamy at Kumbhakonam was a small mutt6 when it was at Kanchipuram. Raja Prataph Singh brought the Sankaracharya from Kanchi and built a Mutt at Dabir Agraharam, granted Mohini lands, offered him his first honour and respect, etc., etc.
This clearly shows that the Matha was shifted from Kanchipuram to Tanjavur during the time of the reign of Raja Pratap Simha of Tanjavur. We have fortunately enough of original documentary evidence of the Tanjavur Maratha rulers themselves to substantiate the above.
There is an order issued by King Pratap Simha of the Tanjavur Maratha Rulers preserved in the Madras Central Record office as Record No. C-37/38-43 of the Tanjavur Palace Records.
This is in Hemadipant Modi script. In this order the king had stipulated that the sambhavana to the Acharya of the Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Pitha should be paid at some uniform specified rates. The Acharya is mentioned as-
Padacharyanam Adhishthane Simhasane Abhishiktanam Sri Chandrasekhara Sarasvatinam Pujyayoh Sripadayoh.”
In describing the Birudavali of the Acharya the king used the following phrases:
“Srimad Sakala Bhumandalalankara Trayastrimsat Kotidevata Sevita Sri Kamakshi Devisanata Sakshatkara Paramadhisthana, Satyavrata Namankita, Kanchi Divyakshetre Saradamatha Sthitanam”, …
From the above, it will be very clearly seen that the Birudavali of the Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Pitha which is existing today was used in full in 1748 A.D. by King Pratap Simha of Tanjavur. There are a number of other Modi records of the same king and his successors, which go to reveal the great esteem and regard in which the Acharyas were held by Maratha Rulers of Tanjavur.
The question as to why the Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Pitha shifted its headquarters from Kanchipuram to Kumbhakonam arises for consideration.
That the Pitha was established by Adi Sankara at Kanchipuram and that it has been continuing in an unbroken line of great Acharyas is clear from the other evidence already shown here. As to why and when the Pitha shifted its headquarters to Kumbhakonam, we have clear evidence in another important public record.
This is about a court case belonging to the times of 64th Acharya of the Pitha. In the year 1844 A.D., the authorities of Sri Sringeri Matha filed a civil suit in the Trichi District Sadar Amin Court that the right for the Tatanka Pratishtha of Goddess Akhilandesvari belonged only to that Matha. Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Pitha was made the first defendant in the above civil suit.
The plaint of the plaintiff, the answer of the first defendant, the reply of the plaintiff for this and the defendant’s rejoinder, the evidence presented by both sides and the judgment, are all now available to us in print. Ultimately the court decided that the documents submitted on behalf of the Sringeri Matha were not reliable and that the oral evidence adduced on their behalf was self-contradictory and the suit was dismissed with costs.
This suit bears the number O. S. 95/1844. This was taken in appeal No. 109/1846 and in special appeal petition No. 106/1848 to higher courts and in both the appeals the Sringeri Matha’s claims were disallowed with costs to this defendant. This one record is more than enough to give us a graphic insight into the affairs of Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Pitha about 120 years ago.
This record contains an important point of reference. In this rejoinder of the Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Pitha, para 20, the reasons for the shift of the Matha from Kanchipuram to Kumbhakonam are clearly given.
The following is a free translation of the relevant passage:
“The plaintiff in column 20 of his reply states that if it is true that the Kamakoti Pitha was established at Kanchipuram by Sankara and if Sankara’s disciple was installed there, the first defendant should still be residing there only and the reason for his residence at Kumbhakonam has not been stated in the defendant’s answer. It is not stated in any authoritative text that the Kamakoti Pithadhipati must necessarily live only at Kanchipuram and should not take up his residence in any other place.
The first defendant’s disciples and other staff of the Matha are still living in the Kanchipuram Matha and are still carrying on the daily Puja to the Sarvajna Pitha there. The first defendant’s Parama guru (that is Guru’s Guru) wanted to reside on the banks of the river Cauvery and hence came to reside in Kumbhakonam. He brought along with him the Yogalinga Chandramaulisvara Svami, consecrated by Suresvaracharya. The local Rajahs and other disciples afforded every facility and convenience to him and hence he used to alternate his residence between Kumbhakonam and Kanchipuram, etc., etc”.
The above clearly gives the reason as to why Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Pitha was shifted to Kumbhakonam.
This record belongs to the time of the 64th Acharya, Sri Chandrasekharendra Sarasvati V. He was the head of the Pitha from 1814 to 1851 A.D. His Parama Guru was the 62nd Acharya, Sri Chandrasekharendra Sarasvati IV who adorned the Pitha from 1746 to 1783 A.D.
It was this Acharya, who shifted his headquarters from Kanchipuram to Kumbhakonam in order to carry out his meditation and worship on the peaceful banks of the river Cauvery. He attained Siddhi in 1783 A.D. in Kumbhakonam itself.
The traditional accounts of the shift of the Matha from Kanchipuram to Kumbhakonam assign it to the period of King Pratapa Simha, one of the Tanjavur Maratha Rulers who was a great devotee of the Acharya.
This has been clearly corroborated by the Modi document of 1750 A.D. mentioned above. This king ruled between 1740 and 1768 A.D. This traditional account of the shift of the Matha, is fully borne out by the statement made in the court documents mentioned above. It is thus clear that in the latter half of the 18th century, the Matha was shifted from Kanchipuram to Kumbhakonam.”
King Pratap Singh (1740-1763) of invited the Jagadguru Sankaracharya of Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetha to Tanjore Mahratta kingdom during the invasion and occupation of Tondaimandalam.
“During the muslim invasion and occupation of Conjeepuram and the sorroundings, Pratapsingh brought JagadGuru Shankarachariya swamigal of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam to Thanjavur and provided him a Mutt at Kumbakonam endowing it with 27 villages for its maintenance.” [Page 36]
(Rajah Serfoji II – Short History of Tanjore Mahrattas By Prince Thulajendra Raja P. Bhosale, Tanjore.)
” He (Manoji) and Pratap welcomed to Kumbakonam, the Sankaracharya of Kamakoti Pita from Udayarpalaiyam whither the latter had shifted from Kanchi on account of the increasing Muhammadan influences in that city.”
[The Maratha Rajas of Tanjore By
K. R. SUBRAMANIAN, M.A. With A Foreword By P.T.SRINIVASA IYENGAR., M.A., L.T., Reader in Indian History, University of Madras, (1928).]
It is believed that Parasurama after his surrender to Rama, prince of Ayodhya, came down to the South and was instrumental in colonising the Kerala region with Tamilians.
It seems quite probable that another migration of Tamilians to Kerala did take place in the middle of the first millenium before Christ. Even now there are some villages around Tiruchur and Kaladi with names similar to those of certain villages near Sivapuram. Some of these are:- Mathur, Sedinipuram, Chandrasekharapuram, Karukkudy (Marudanallur-called in Kerala ‘Karukkurry’.”). Names of places such as Alathur, Tiruvaloor ( Tiruvarur), Tiruvangad (Tiruvenkadu) are also found in the Chera country. There as is also a place called ‘Kandiyur’ in Kerala. Kandiyur is the name of a village about 20 miles west of Kumbhakonam.
It is evident that the very name ‘Kaladi’ given to Sankara’s birth place is a Tamil name. Perhaps the place got the name ‘Kaladi’ after the advent of Sankara. Sankara is also known by the epithet ‘Bhagavatpada’. ‘Pada’ signifies ‘foot’ and ‘Kaladi’ means ‘footstep’.
Ancient literary works like the ‘Sivarahasya’ indicate that Sankara was born in a village known as ‘Sasalagrama’.
Hence it can be concluded that ‘Kaladi’ is a Tamil name and a later name. Sivaguru, Sankara’s father was a native of Kaladi. Perhaps Sivaguru’s parents gave their only child the name ‘Sivaguru’ after the name of the Lord of Sivapuram (near Kumbhakonam) which might have been the ancestral home of their forebears.
That settlers in new lands generally named their new colonies after their original native places is borne out by history. Protestant emigrants to the coasts of North America from the time of Elizabeth Tudor till the time of George III, named their new settlements in America, after their original homes in England, with a prefix ‘New’ in certain cases. There is a city ‘York’ in England and one ‘New York’ in America, as also a ‘Plymouth’ in England and a ‘New Plymouth’ in America. In both England and America there are towns called Ports mouth, Halifax etc. And one can find names of certain villages with almost identical names in Tamilnadu and Andhra Pradesh.
Alwaye and Alavai
There is a river flowing near Kaladi called ‘Alwaye’ (called ‘Choorna’ or ‘Poorna’ in olden times). On her bank there is a town also ‘Alwaye’. There is a river flowing through the city of Madurai (in Tamil Nadu), known by the name ‘Vaikai’ (pro- bably a later nickname as per Tiruvilayadal Puranam), having its source very near that of the river Alwaye.
It may be mentioned that the city of Madurai is known in Tamil classics as ‘Tiru Alavay” (“Tiru’ being only a prefix denoting sacredness). And we have a Sanskrit name for Madurai in an almost similar sounding- word-“Halasya”.
Similarity of the name of a town in Kerala with the classical name of a town in Tamil Nadu provides another indication of the migration of Tamilians to Kerala.
Sage Vyasa reduced the essence of the Upanishads into aphorisms, known as Brahmasutras. Sankara Bhagavatpada was the first to produce a superb gloss on the Vyasa-sutras.
It is quite common knowledge that Sankara was born at Kaladi, in Kerala. All biographical sketches about Sankara state that his father, Sivaguru, performed penance at the sacred Tiruchivaperur (modern Tiruchur) for an offspring.
About two miles and a half to the south east of Kumbhakonam there is a village called ‘Tiru- chivapuram’. Puranas as also Tevaram hymns record Sivapuram as a sacred spot where Vishnu in the form of a white boar (Varaha) has worshipped Siva. Tirunavukkarasar”, Jnanasambandar¹ and Arunagiri- nathar have extolled the shrine at Sivapuram.
A small sculptural representation of Varaha (boar) worshipping a Siva Lingam is seen on the Sivapuram southern wall (outside) of the sanctum sanctorum of the Sivapuram temple.
The outer Gopuram (tower on gateway) of this temple seems to be pretty old. There is an old Champaka tree in the front part of the temple, in accordance with one of the below mentioned lines (2), about this shrine, in Tevaram.
A stone plaque on the left side of the main entrance gives the name of the temple as “The Temple of Sivagurunathar.” And the name of the presiding Sivalingam in the temple is ‘Sivagurunatha’ according to the Sthalapurana and ancient tradition.
It is notable that the name of ‘Sivagurunatha’ and its curtailed form ‘Sivaguru’, are quite common and widespread among saivites in and around Kumbakonam.
And it is to be remembered that Sankaracharya’s father too bore the name ‘Sivaguru’. But this name is not quite so common around Tiruchur or Kaladi as in the Kumbhakonam area of the Kaveri Delta region.
1935-ஆம் ஆண்டு ஸெப்டம்பர் மாதம், 23-ஆம் நாள் மாலையில் ஸ்ரீ மஹா ஸ்வாமிகள் கல்கத்தா மாநகரிலுள்ள வங்காள ப்ராம்மண ஸபைக்கு விஜயம் செய்தார்கள்.
வங்கம் ப்ராம்மண ஸமூஹத்தினர் மட்டுமல்லாது, ஹிந்துஸ்தானி, மஹாராஷ்ட்ர, ஆந்த்ர, குஜராத்தி, தமிழ் ப்ராம்மணர்களுமாக சுமார் ஆயிரம் பேர்கள் அங்கு கூடி ஸ்ரீஸ்வாமிகளுக்கு மிக விமர்சையான வரவேற்பை அளித்தனர்.
ஸபையின் தலைவரான பட்டாசார்யர், ஸ்ரீமஹாஸ்வாமிகளுக்கு, ஸம்ஸ்க்ருத மொழியில் அச்சிடப்பட்ட நீண்டதோர் வரவேற்பு இதழை, வாசித்தளித்தார். அவ்விதழின் சில பகுதிகளின் தமிழாக்கம் கீழே கொடுக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது:-
“ஸ்ரீமத் ஆதி சங்கர பகவத்பாதரின் பரம்பரையின் ஜோதியாக ஸ்ரீகாமகோடி பீடத்தை அலங்கரிக்கின்றவர்களும், பரமேச்வரனின் மனித உருவமோ என ப்ரமிக்கும்படி, துறவிகளின் அரசராகத் திகழ்ந்து வரும் தங்கள் வரவு நல்வரவாகுக!”
“நமது தர்மம் யாதென அறியாது, துன்பக்கடலில் சிக்குண்டு தவிக்கும் மக்களை, தங்களது நல் உபதேசங் களாலும், கருணை மிகுந்த அருளாலும் கைகொடுத்துக் கரை ஏற்றி, நல்வழியில் நடத்திச் செல்லும். தங்கள் விஜயம், இக் காசி மாநகரத்திற்கு, இப்போது கிடைத்துள்ளது, நாங்கள் செய்துள்ள புண்யத்தின் பயனன்றி வேறில்லை. சிவபிரான் போன்று எங்கள் முன் ப்ரகாசிக்கும் தங்கள் திருவடித் தாமரைகளை வணங்கி, சில வார்த்தைகளைச் செப்ப விரும்புகின்றோம்”.
“ஸ்ரீஆதிசங்கரரது காமகோடி பீடத்தின் 68-ஆவது ஆசார்யாளாகவும், ஜகத்குருவாகவும் திகழும் தாங்கள். கருணையுடன் இங்கு விஜயம் செய்து, இப்பகுதியைப் புனிதமாக்கியது எங்கள் பெரும் பாக்யம்.’
“மேலும் புண்ய தீர்த்தங்களில் நீராடல், க்ஷேத்ரங் களிலும், ஆலயங்களிலும் ஸேவிப்பது, பின்னர் வரக்கூடிய ஒரு காலத்தில்தான் பயனை அளிக்கும். ஆனால் மஹான் களைத் தரிசிப்பதனாலேயே ஒரு மனிதனின் பிறவி கடைத்தேறுகின்றது, என பாகவதம் உணர்த்துகின்றது.”
“இத்தகைய மேன்மைகளையுடைய தங்களை எப்படிப் போற்றுவதென தெரியவில்லை; எனது வாக்குத் தழுதழுக்கின்றது, சரீரம் ஆனந்த பரவசத்தால் மயிர்கூச்சலடைகின்றது, கண்கள் ஆனந்தக் கண்ணீர் சொரிகின்றன.
மிக்க மங்களகரமான இந்த நன்னாளில், ஸனாதனமான நமது தர்மத்தைப் பிரதிஷ்டை செய்வதில் தீவிரமாக முயற்சித்து வரும் ஆசார்யமூர்த்திகளான தங்களுக்கு, எங்களது தழுதழுத்த குரலில், ஜயகோஷத்துடன் நல்வரவு கூறுகின்றோம்”.
(ஸ்ரீ அ.குப்புஸ்வாமி ஐயர் உள்ளிட்டோரின் குறிப்புகளிலிருந்து தொகுத்து வழங்கப்படும் தொடரின் மூன்றாம் பகுதி நிறைவுற்றது.)
