Khajuraho temple

The moment someone hears the name Khajuraho the bell it rings in the mind is - statues of sex poses from Kama sutra. 

But when I visited this great place what I saw was something significantly different. I have visited many places in India and to my mind this is perhaps the only place where you can see hundreds of beautiful statues in a single temple. Clusters of statues in fact!

I have never seen such beautiful statues of women in so many numbers anywhere in India. This is a collection of several master pieces in one place! Architecture cannot get bigger and more beautiful than this! Not a single square inch is left free in these temples. There are four temples which are the most important ones.

Khajuraho is much more than what it is generally known for!

Jain Statues

Till I visited Gwalior, the capital city of Madhya Pradesh, India, I did not know that this city had such a treasure of Jain Statues. These statues have been carved or cut in the natural rocky hills by Jains between 1425 and 1459 AD. There are 26 statues in different postures like standing and sitting.

Of course over time and during invasion of Muslims they have been mutilated in the name of religion! Very sad indeed! It is beyond my ken that someone with normal thinking can do this! The people who mutilated these statues saw only religion in them and not the art that these statues represented! 

There are many inscriptions in the pedestals of these statues. These inscriptions refer to the name of Tomar king, Dungar Singh.

Many of the statues are sheltered in the caves and crevices of the rocky hills. They are outstanding pieces of art and very original, the likes of which were seen in Afghanistan till they were destroyed recently by Al-Qaeda. 

There are many more such instances of little known architecture in India, and it would take a whole life time to see everything! My India is a great land of culture!

My province

My parents have told me that we belong to Thanjavur province (District). Although I have never lived in this great province or born there, we have been visiting my home village Swamimalai which is in Thanjavur province, probably once in a long while, may be once in 5 to 6 years! The result? I know no one in this place except Mr. Swaminathan, the presiding deity in Swamimalai temple! All this while I never understood the great contribution this province has made to the culture of Tamil Nadu (Tamizh Nadu as it is pronounced in Tamizh). I feel quite proud to know that my roots are from this great province!

Professionally in the recent past, I visited this place a couple of times and this made me realize the contributions of this great province to one of the ancient cultures of the world.

The first and the foremost contribution which would strike anyone who visits this place is the art of building a massive structure which stands gloriously even after one thousand years - The Big temple as it is popularly called. Everything in this temple is big, in fact the biggest – the entrance, the area around the temple, the Nandhi, the Shiva Lingam, the vimanam or the tower. The tower of this temple standing at 216 feet is the biggest granite tower in the world with thirteen floors! Magnificent temple indeed!!! (Big Temple)

The next would be Carnatic music! Thanjavur is the birth place of Saint Thyagaraja. Thyagaraja gave a new dimension to  Carnatic music. He has composed hundreds of songs and also set  them to tune. He believed in reaching God through music and practised the same throughout his life. The best among his compositions are known as ‘Five Gems” or ‘Pancharatna Krithis”. Even today all the  leading exponents  of carnatic music celebrate his birthday during the month of January by visiting his ‘samadhi’ or cemetery’ in Tiruvaiyar near Thanjavur. This is called  Thygaraja Aaradhana where all musicians sing together at his Samadhi. For those who like Carnatic music , attending this festival in January would be an unforgettable experience. 

Music is everywhere in Thanjavur district! Every Brahmin girl from this province would have learnt Carnatic music at some point in  her life! In fact, my wish is that in my next janam – life- I should be a great singer of Carnatic music probably like Balamurali Krishna?

Tanjavur has another contribution to Carnatic music to its credit.. It is  the Thavil. Thavil is a percussion instrument which has today become an integral part of Tamizh culture. Thavil is played by the artists with great enthusiasm and fervour. Any religious, social and cultural event of Tamizh Nadu is incomplete without the accompaniment of the traditional musical instrument of Thavil. The ancient city of Thanjavur has several music schools that impart training on playing the Thavil. No marriage in Tamil Nadu takes place without playing  the Nadaswarm, the major accompaniment of which is  the Thavil. 

Veena or Veenai as it is called in Tamizh is another contribution of Thanjavur. It is an ancient string instrument called earlier as ‘Yazh’. When a Veena maestro plays Veena the music is so melodious that one forgets everything and gets engrossed in the music. It is supposed to be a great stress reliever because of the melody it can produce. Goddess Saraswathis is always seen with the Veena. 

Thajnavur metal plates. This handicraft which is produced only in Thanjavur is a masterpiece. It is made in various designs and traditionally given as gift if someone is honoured for their  good work. For generations ,artisans of Thanjavur have been making these metal plates and the skill is being passed down from generations! This is an art which is over 300 years old and confined even today to Thanjavur province only.

Then the exquisite Thanjavur paintings, which, portray the rich artistic skill and creative imagination of the local artists of the ancient city. Also known as Tanjore paintings, the Thanjavur paintings were introduced by the royal patrons of art and craft under the Chola dynasty in the 16th century. The beautiful Thanjavur paintings are known for their harmonious blend of different colours.

Panchaloha or Pancha Loha idol is probably the greatest contribution by Thanjavur in my opinion. As the name indicates (Pancha means five and loha means metal) it consists of five metals. Panchaloha idols are found in many Hindu temples in India especially in South India. Panchaloha consists of Gold, Silver, Brass, Copper and Iron.

I think now anybody would agree why I feel proud of my province. . . !