Lakkundi and Melkote: aesthetics of stepwells, celebration of water
O
waters, teem with medicine to keep
My
body safe from harm,
So
that I long may see the sun.
(Source: Speaking Tree)
Speaking about water conservation, creation of water
bodies, lakes, tanks, and the beautiful stepwells in an online conference last
week, historian Chitra Madhavan eloquently brought out the mammoth work
Pallavas, Cholas, Vijayanagara had done in the south, and also touched upon the
beautiful stepwells of Modhera, Patan, Abhaneri. Having travelled across to
almost all of the sites she mentioned, except for Abhaneri, I sat transfixed,
relishing every image and detail in her presentation. Close to my heart were
the Ayyangar Kulam, Veera Narayanapuram lake and even the unique Swastika
stepwells of Thiruvellarai. However, two places I missed in her lecture were
Lakkundi and Melkote. Actually, it is not a fault because it is impossible to
present details of the extraordinary amount of water bodies created, and
preserved in the country. As usual I have sat on the pictures and the idea of blogging about these two places ever since my visit there a couple of years ago. Since, I missed them in the lecture, thought would put them down
in this blog.
There has been no bigger delight than the discovery of
the epigraphic records, endowments made by kings, queens and even commoners in
creating water sources, or preserving them while doing the Ancient Indian
Culture course some years ago. While the knowledge of Junagarh inscription
was common knowledge, and its importance as an Ashokan rock edict, the Saka ruler
Rudradaman and his additional inscription on the rock I got to know only during the AIC epigraphy class. I was so fascinated by the subject and importance of the
Girnar rock edict. A large rock which was first inscribed on during
the Ashokan times, then again during the Rudradaman’s time in 2-nd century BCE,
and later another important inscription, of Skandagupta was added on the same monolith rock. Isn’t it fascinating that first of
the longest and chaste Sanskrit inscription, the Rudradaman Girnar inscription
is a record about a breach, destruction of a water body and a dam, Sudarshana
lake and repairs and renovation of the same.
It is a long inscription, consisting of 20 lines, but
I will quote just a few lines: “the Mahakshatrapa Rudradaman,
in order to . . . . . . . . . . . cows and Brahmans for a thousand of years,
and to increase his religious merit and fame, -without oppressing the
inhabitants of the towns and country by taxes, forced labour and acts of
affection -by (the expenditure of) a vast amount of money from his own treasury
and in not too long a time made the dam three times as strong in breadth and
length . . . . . . . . [on] all [banks] . . . . . . (and so) had (this lake)
made (even) more beautiful to look at.” (Source: Wikipedia page on Junagarh rock edict)
Look at the last line, “made even more beautiful to look at”, emphasizing not only on its size, utility, strength but also the beauty of it taken care of while renovating, restoring the water body. This care to create a life giving, sustaining element like water, and at the same celebrating it, beautifying has continued for centuries. It is in that tradition we find an Abhaneri and a Ayyangar Kulam. But, how and when did we let go of that, trampling that tradition, killing that aesthetics, destroying the water bodies? It is a case throughout the country, but this blog is confined to Lakkundi and Melkote in Karnataka.
LAKKUNDI
Lakkundi, a small village close to a sleepy town of
Gadag in Karnataka was a significant centre during the Kalyani or Later Chalukyan period, embellished with great architecture. Having flourished from their times to the Hoysalas, the village has traditionally accounted for 50 temples and 101
stepwells. Conserving water was of utmost importance because of nature of rainfall, lack of a river, water source for the village? However, we don’t see all the hundred wells, not
even a handful at present. There was one we got to see near a play ground where local boys were playing
volleyball, and another in the middle of the farmland, both in ruins. Many have been encroached upon, houses and roads have been built over them. ASI
maintains only one well, the one that we get to see when we ask for the stepwell. It is
fenced, clean, but was bone dry the year we visited, though it was in
November, and not the dry season. That is the Muskinabhavi, considered to be
the largest stepwell in Karnataka built by the Kalyani Chalukyas in the early
12th century, next to a Manikeswara
temple.
Guess how from east to west, from the Chalukyas to the Solankis,
Lakkundi and a Rani Ki Vav at Patan, Gujarat happened. If the Rani Ki Vav is credited to a lady,
Queen Udaymati, Lakkundi has a feminine connection too, if not with the
stepwells. One of the most ornate of the later Chalukyan architecture, the Brahma
Jinalaya of Lakkundi was endowed by Danachintamani Attimbe. She was a
Danachintamani, for she did a shastradana, of making 1000 copies of poet
Ponna's ‘Santi Purana’ and donated them.
MELKOTE
Melkote,
a picturesque small village near Mandya, very significant for its temples, and
their association with the life of the great Yati Swami Ramanujacharya. It is a
sacred place for every Sri Vaishnava, and every one of the pilgrims will ask
for Kalyani Pushkarini, the main tank that dominates the small village, because
of its connection with Yatiraja’s life, his discovery of the deity Cheluva
Narayana, and finding the Thiruman (the mud required to apply the religious
mark on the forehead) on its banks.
Melkote is dotted with many temple tanks, small and big, some twin tanks
with legendary folklore like the akkka tangiya kula, the Kalyani Pushkarini
near the temple that is also a feast for the eyes when one looks down on the
village from atop the hill where there is a Yoga Narasimha shrine.
Pushkarini
is where pilgrims generally come and have a sacred dip before they head to the
Cheluvanarayana temple for worship, before heading up to the Narasimha shrine.
The priests every morning can be seen walking up to the akka tangiya kula for bringing
water for the abhisheka. Apart from that there are other tanks that have fallen
into disuse and are in really bad shape. Water should be very important to
preserve in an area that is so rocky, though the village itself is situated in
the green Mandya district close to River Cauvery. Creation of water bodies, and
their importance also gets highlighted by the work our Acharyas have done. Creation
of the Thondanur lake, Thonnur Kere by Sri Ramanuja adds to the importance of
creating water bodies. Therefore, there is no place for devotees to stay
complacent about the upkeep or destruction of the tanks. In fact, the town has
a beautiful and an aesthetic and a spiritual way of remembering, appreciating,
celebrating the tanks. There is an annual Ashta Tirtha festival at Melkote, and
when I was there during Deepavali, Araiyar Sri Rama Sharma told us about
the next big festival coming up in the month of Kartigai - the Ashta
Tirtha festival. Thirunarayana, goes on procession from the temple to the
Kalyani Pushkarini, and then his Sri Satari takes the ceremonial dip in the waters
and then taken on procession to the other Tirthas. Here is the authentic version of the Utsava
from the official Mysore website.
“As said earlier, Melukote temple conducts ‘Mudi-
utsavas’ as its unique tradition. This ‘Utsava’ will be celebrated for ten
days. This ‘Jatre’ came in to celebration with the initiative of ‘Sri Raja
Wodayar’. On the fourth day ‘Rajamudi’ crown adorns the head of Lord ‘Sri Cheluvaraya
swamy’. ‘Vahanotsavas’ are conducted at night. ‘Sri Raja Wodayar’ has gifted
invaluable ornaments to temple, like ‘Gandabherunda padaka’ (dollar),
‘Padmapitha’ ‘sixteen jewels’ and as part of celebration, arranged for the
conductance of ‘Ashtatirthotsava’. Sri shathakopa(sacred sandals of the Lord)
is taken in a small palanquin to visit each holy Thirtha (pond) and
‘Sthalapurana’ is read out. (Sthalapurana – A description containing
information of the sage, sanctity, and other details of a particualar place
found in main puranas)
‘Ashtatirthotsava’ or ‘Tottilamadavu Jatre’ in local
tongue is a popular fair. The sacred sandals (Sri Shatakopam) will be carried
in a palanquin to visit sacred ponds situated in and around Melukote. The
procession begins with visit to ‘Sri Kalyani’ tank followed by other sacred
ponds. (Sri Veda Pushkarani, Sri Darbha thirtha, Sri Yadava thirtha, Sri
Palasha thirtha, Sri Padma thirtha, Sri Maitreya tirtha, Sri Narayana tirtha
and ‘Sri Vaikunta ganga’, a small brook streaming to form a small cascade. This
spot is popular among visiting people as “Tottilamaduvu”. This ‘Utsava’ will be
a dawn to dusk affair, where people from surrounding towns and villages come
and participate, following the procession. This festivity is getting popular in
recent times as the crowd has been increasing every year.”
The spiritual, puranic significance of the Tirthas, the
celebration of it in such a wonderful way perhaps preserved them all these
years. While most of the Tirthas are still in use, and much clean, many of the
water bodies as the one seen in the picture here and very close the temple
seems have fallen into disuse. Ashta Tirtha utsavas should be celebrated with
even more vigour, and before that a general upkeep of the tanks, keeping up
with the aesthetics of festivals, and water bodies taken up.
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