Rajim to Ramanathapuram what are we missing on the antiquity of Rama worship?
ध्यात्वा नीलोत्पलश्यामं रामं राजीवलोचनम्।
जानकीलक्ष्मणोपेतं जटामुकुटमण्डितम्॥२॥
'Dhyātvā nilotpalashyāmam Rāmam rājīvalochanam''।
''Jānakīlakshmanopetam jatāmukutamanditam''॥
Let us meditate on the
dark-complexioned, blue lotus-eyed Rama।
Who is accompanied by Sita and Lakshmana, and is
well-adorned with crown of matted hairs
Ramam
Rajivalochanam, the description of Rama as a Rajivalochana is familiar to all
of us who have either followed the Rama Raksha Stotra of Rishi Budhakaushika or
simply the most repeated Mangalam, benedictory song at the Carnatic music
concerts “rajiva nayana Tyagrajadi vinutamaina”, a Tyagaraja Swami composition.
Going by
this when one heard of a Rama temple of antiquity, Rajivalochan temple at
Rajim, one included it in the itinerary as the must see on a short trip to
Chhattisgarh. There was no room for doubt about Rajivalochan being a Rama
temple.
It was past
noon when we reached the temple and the post-Holi heat of central India was
showing up. Neatly white washed gopurams, and a clean granite floored paths invited
us, and we had to literally run to the sanctum as the path was burning hot.
Rajivalochana was getting ready for his afternoon siesta (sayana) as we entered
and we were lucky to just get a glimpse of him. He did not have the attributes
of a Rama icon we are used to from many, many temples around the country. He
doesn’t wield a bow, not accompanied by Lakshmana, Sita and Hanuman. So,
Rajivalochana is Rama or not?
One thing
was clear, even without trying to get to the details of the inscriptions seen
at the temple that it is a temple of great antiquity. Was the deity now installed
at the sanctum sanctorum called Rajivalochana or the temple was called
Rajivalochan temple? Undoubtedly it was a Vishnu temple going by the detailed
iconography of the Vishnu avatars inside the temple and also sculpted in the
subsidiary shrines, notable among them, the Vamana and Narasimha.
The main
inscription that denotes it is a Rama temple is dated 1145 AD, and that prasasti
of Kalachuri king Jagapala says “he has caused this beautiful temple to be
constructed for manifesting the splendor of Rama”. Important point to note is
that inscription is prominently seen on the wall inside the temple and no one
can miss it.
To quote
form the inscription which is available online on epigraphy site - http://inscriptions.whatisindia.com/kalachuri-chedi/kalachuri-chedi-part2/incriptionsofthekalachurisofratanpur52.html
“Just
as the Kshatriya Rāma, (the
best) of the warriors destroyed the families (of the demons), even so did
this (Jagapāla) kill
the forces of his enemies with multitudes of arrows.
Bearing the splendor of
Rāma in the absence of Rāmadēva(?)¹ (he) established Jagapālapura in
the new country.
(V. 19) Resembling the son
of Kuntī (i. e., Yudhishṭhira) in religious merit in
the Kali age, Jīmūtavāhana in (adherence to) truth, Rāma in
valour, and the son of the Sun (i. e., Karṇa) in
liberality;
Conversant with the duty of
a Kshatriya, truthful, reverent to Brāhmaṇas, god
and fire, listening to (the recitations of) the Purāṇas, Āgamas and Śāstras such as the Bhārata and others ;
(V. 21) Reading all (works) such
as the Rāmāyaṇa, (being) the
support of living beings, self-respecting, conferring gifts on Brāhmaṇa families for their learning ;
(V. 22) Such is Jagapāla.
He has caused this beautiful temple to be constructed for manifesting the
splendor of Rāma.”
Dr.Meenakshi
Jain in her ‘The Battle for Rama’ states by 12th century Rama
temples got to be built in the country, the first one being at Ayodhya and next
the Rajim temple, quoting the Jagapala inscription. She does it to refute the
claims of left historians who while arguing against the Ram temple at Ayodhya
had claimed that Rama worship was 18-19th century phenomenon.
Wonder how
such a blatant misstatement could be possible when the Rajim inscription had
come to light by early 19th century dealt with by the veterans – “The present record was
first brought to notice in 1825 when Sir Richard Jenkins presented to the
Asiatic Society of Bengal a copy of it, together with a translation prepared
with the assistance of the Pandits, from which Prof. H.H. Wilson published a
Dēvanāgarī transcript and a kind of translation, in the Asiatic Researches, Vol. XV,
page 512 ff.² It was subsequently referred to by Sir A.
Cunningham in this Archæological
Survey of India Reports, Vol. VII, p. 152 and Vol. XVII, p. 18. It
was finally edited, without any translation or lithograph, by Dr. Kielhorn in
the Indian Antiquary, Vol.
XVII, pp.135 ff.”
The footnote
at the end of the above quoted page in the website also makes things
interesting.
“Dr.Kielhorn's
statement that it is on a wall of the temple of Rāmachandra is somewhat
misleading; for this temple is now different from that of Rājīvalōchana. It
must, however, be added that the present inscription speaks in 1. 14 of a
temple of Rāma. Rāma was, therefore, the name of the deity in the time of
Jagapāla. An older record in the same temple speaks of it as dedicated to Vishṇu.”
Are the
Ramachandra and Rajivalochana temples different? Or can it be simply calling
Rama as the Rajivalochana? Was it a Vishnu temple before the Kalachuri period
and later Jagapala reconstruct it as a Rama temple? Whatever confusions might
be there, the fact remains that it was at some point a Rama temple, and some
point a Rajivalochana temple, the Rajivalochana may be the name of the temple
and not referring to Rama.
But, even
going by the reference, a legend Jenkins had narrated the association of the
site to Rama denotes antiquity even if exact date and validity of the legend is
questioned. The story is about a king Raju-lochana who Rama encounters during
Ashwamedha when Shatrughna was burnt to ashes and the Ashwamedha horse
captured. Rama ordains the king to install his image as Raju-lochana. Rama as
Raju-lochana would be worshipper of Shiva as there was already a Utpaleshvar
Mahadev and Nilakanteshvar there. Was it a coincidence that Rama encountered a
Raju-lochana and asked for the deity to be Raju-lochana? Should that take away
the validity of “Rajivalochana” that would still be Rama even if Raju-lochana
at a later date transformed into Rajivalochana?
The temple
as one of Vishnu prior to it being called Rama temple by the time of Jagapala comes from two earlier
inscriptions, of 7th century Tivradeva of Panduvamshi family about a
grant issued from Sirpur, and a 8th century inscription mentioning
construction of a Vishnu temple by King Vilastunga.
Confusing
right, as to how we can identify with clarity the antiquity, name and reasoning
for some of our ancient temples. That is when it becomes all the more
surprising when convincing dates, information is given like that there were no
Rama temples before 18th - 19th century. In fact I
remember a conversation with a very senior archaeologist on Rama temples. It
may be so that first of the Rama temples could have come up in the south,
Kerala by 12th century during the time of Kulasekara he said. I was
taken aback for a minute – did he say Kulasekara Azhwar? I asked him sir, if
you think it was during Kulasekara Azhwar’s time the first Rama temples could
have come up, isn’t the date then wrong? I do not know history or archaeology,
but at that time as we were preparing to celebrate Swami Ramanjua’s 1000th
anniversary in 2017, was clear that Kulasekara can’t be later than Ramanuja.
All the Azhwar’s pre-dated Ramanuja for sure because the compilation of
Nalayira Divya Prabandham, the 4000 verses of Azhwars were done two generations
before Ramanuja by the Vaishnava Acharaya Nathamunigal.
From
Periyazhwar to Nammazhwar five of them have sung directly about Ayodhya and
Periyazhwar and Kulasekhara extensively on Rama including a famous lullaby to
Rama by the latter. Their reverence, their reference to worship of Rama is
unmistakable, but when did the iconography, the first temples come up either in
the south or north before the Azhwar’s times, during their time or the
post-Azhwar period? Again to take Swami Ramanjua’s life and times, there is an
interesting episode. It was at Madurantakam in north Tamil Nadu that he has
Pancha Samskaram by his guru Periya Nambigal and interestingly that is a temple
of Rama. Even today the temple commemorates that event every year. Was the Madurantakam
temple a Rama temple at the time of Ramanuja?
“The Lord is
referred to as Lord of Ayodhya (Ayodhya-Perumal) in Madurantaka
Chaturvedimangalam in a Chola record. There is an inscription of Parantaka-I
(AD 914) recording his gift,” – quoting
from ‘Indian epic values: Ramayana and
its impact: Proceedings of the 8th International Ramayana
Conference’ K.V.Raman & T.Padmaja.
This book has a list of temples in Tamil Nadu associated with Rama and one is
surprised how the evidence from the time of Cholas to Nayakas is ignored.
How
and when the 12th century record be rewritten comprehensively
looking at records from Rajim to Ramanathapuram?
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