Hinduism
Nakuleswaram - oldest Siva Temple in Sri Lanka
Chelvatamby Maniccavasagar
Nakuleswaram is situated north of the main town of Jaffna and is
close to the Port City of Kankesanturai. It is dedicated to main deity
in Saivism Lord Siva and is one of the five ancient Sivan temples in the
island.
In fact, it is situated near a mineral water spring called Keerimalai
reputed for its curative properties. There is also a cave complex nearby
believed to have been used for meditation by a mythical sage called
Nagula Muni.
A local myth states that a Pandiyan Princess named Maruthapura
Veeravalli built the nearby Maviddapuram Murukan temple after she was
cured by the Keerimalai Springs.
Hence, the entire temple complex seems to have been built around the
cave and the curative springs indicate a pre-historic origin for the
shrine.
In Tamil word Keeri and its sanskrit equivalent Nagulam means a
Mangoose. The antiquity in this temple can be evidence by its mention in
many Indian religions treatises such as Dakshina Kailasa Puranam and
Skanda Puranam indicating that it was a pilgrimage centre for South
Indian Hindus.
Some traditions relating to the origins of Nakuleswaram were recorded
in the Yalpana Vaipavamalai. During the 18th century when the Yalpana
Vaipavamalai was written, there was no temple at Keerimalai.
The old temple at the site had been destroyed by the Portuguese. But
memories of that temple had persisted in the minds of the people and the
site where it had stood was venerated as a sacred one. Though this
temple was destroyed in 1621, the local, Brahmin priests are said to
have hidden the main idols before fleeing the temple. After a gap of 400
years in 1894 local Hindus under the guidance of Sri La Sri
Arumuganavalar built the present temple.
At Nakuleswaram, the daily rituals and festivals are conducted
according to the prescriptions of Agamas. Activities at the temple
commence during the early hours of morning with Thirupallieli elichi and
worship accompanied with rituals are conducted six times daily.
The annual festival at this temple is conducted in the month of
February and it ends with the Water Cutting Ceremony on the day of Maha
Sivarathri. The annual festival at the Amman Shrine is celebrated in the
latter part of the month of March. Large number of pilgrims congregate
at the temple premises during the festival season.
In this temple Kandapuranam Periyapuranam and Nakulalaya Puranam are
recited. In the Nakulalaya Puranam the legends pertaining to Keerimalai
have been recorded in elaborate form.
Indeed, Nakuleswaram at Keerimalai is one of the oldest temples of
Lord Shiva in Sri Lanka. As a centre of the Hindu religious tradition it
has played a key role in the development and sustenance of the ideology
and practice of Saivism with a local flavour in the Jaffna Peninsula.
Hindu Gods - Lord Vishnu
Thilaka V. Vijayaratnam
Vishnu represents another aspect of the Supreme Reality that
preserves and sustains the universe. In His hands He carries His weapons
- the conch (sanku), mace (kathayutham) and discus (chakra). In the
fourth hand He holds a lotus. With a crown, earings (kundala), a malai
(garland) of flowers and a gem around the neck. His body is blue.
He wears yellow clothes. This is how the image of Lord Krishna is
presented in Hindu Mythology. While Parvathy is also of dark complexion,
green-like nature, Mythology refers to Lord Vishnu and Goddess Parvathy
as Brother and Sister.
The conch shell He holds in the lower right hand is the symbol of the
five elements. In the upper right hand is the discus which shines like
the sun. It is the symbol of the mind.
The lotus He carries in the upper left hand is symbolic of the casual
power of illusion from which arises the Universe. The mace held in the
lower left hand is the symbol of primeval knowledge.
Lord Vishnu is shown in the standing position or reclining on the
five headed snake (Aadishesa), with its hood open over the head of Lord
Vishnu. Deities with four or more arms indicate their omnipresence,
omnipotence, their limitless power.
The conch shell is named Panchasanya and it is the fountain that
evolves the five elements namely water, fire, air, earth and space also
known as Pancha Poothangal. The Chakra indicates that Lord Vishnu uses
this weapon to protect His devotees from evil.
The Lotus is the symbol of purity. The Kathayutham (Mace) represents
the elemental force from which all mental and physical powers are
derived. The snake depicts the mind and the five heads - the desires and
passions of an individual. The blue colour - the infinite expansion of
the sky, and the ocean. He therefore pervades the entire Universe. In
Puranic Mythology, the legend of His Avatar (incarnation) is considered
to be of great importance.
Lord Vishnu tells Arjuna in Bhagavath Geetha “Whenever, wherever
there is a decline in dharma and adharma dominates, I descend myself.”
Thus whenever, wherever atrocities are committed and Dharma suffers, the
Lord takes an Avatar in some form to protect the trusting devotee.
Lord Vishnu took ten such incarnations. First three in animal form -
the fish, the tortoise and wildboar then half man half animal (Narasimha),
the rest all in human form. Atrocities are committed due to ignorance -
ego. Lord Vishnu took these Avatars to destroy the demons of ego and
save His devotees. In a way these incarnations are evolutionary in
nature - from aquatic life to human life.
Avatar 1 - Fish (Machcha Avatar)
A puranic story tells of a king called Manu, also known as
Sathyviradan, who took a handful of water to perform some rites. Along
with the water was a tiny fish. He let go the fish into the water and
scooped up another handful of water. The fish was in it too. This even
was repeated many times and the king was surprised. The fish spoke to
him, “O! merciful king, save me and I will help you.”
He put the fish in a bowl in his home. When he returned after
performing the rites, he saw the fish has grown and has filled the
entire vessel.
It requested the king to put it in another place. He put the fish in
a tank. Again the fish grew and the tank was not enough for it. When the
fish asked him to change the place, he took it and put it in a pond. The
fish grew too big for the pond. So, the king put it in a river.
There too the fish grew to gigantic proportions, that he took it and
left it in the ocean. The fish grew to a monstrous size.
One day Manu went to see the fish. The fish told him, “Very soon
there will be a deluge. You make a boat big enough to accommodate your
family and to help further creation, take different kinds of plants -
each of a kind and animals. I’ll protect and save the boat.” Likewise
the deluge of the era took place.
Even mountains went under water. Lord Vishnu in the form of the fish
saved Manu with the plants and animals.
This legend is almost like the Biblical story of Noah’s Ark. During
the deluge Lord Brahman, God of creations kept the Vedas under His head
and was sleeping. At that time He could not perform His function of
creation.
At that time, two Asura brothers called Hayakareevan and Somagan
robbed the Vedas from Brahma and hid in the bottom of the ocean. After
the floods subsided Brahma searched for the Vedas to start his function
of creation and He complained to Lord Vishnu who was in the form of the
fish about it.
Vishnu went deep inside the ocean and after destroying the Asuras
recovered the Vedas and told Brahma to make use of the king and family
and the other beings, He saved to perform His (Brahma’s) function of
creation.
Thus ends the legend of the 1st Avatar - one of fish of Lord Vishnu.
Renovation and consecration of Sri Bala Selva Vinayaga Moorthy
Temple, CaptainGarden
Aruna Ponnambalam Kotagala Group Corr.
The present committee of the temple beseech the devotees,
well-wishers and the public to render their services for renovation of
the temple and perform the “Kumbabishekam” consecration (ceremony of
temple) expeditiously and excellently.
This temple was established in 1783 and it has historical renown and
sense of pride. The committee for administration of the temple is
selected once in every five years.
It administrates the temple with benevolent manner for four years.
The committee which was in power for the last fifteen years has not
shown their beneficial activities for the temple. The chief priest
Bremmashri P. Shanmugratne Sarma has paid his attention for 70 years for
renovation of the temple.
Finally a new committee bearing educationists, devotees and public
was elected under the chief priest. Specific granite stones from India
were brought and the renovation of sanctum was completed. The renovation
of temple was speeded by M. Thavayogarajah, one of the trustees.
The renovation is now decelerated due to the poor economical
assistance. So the present committee entreat the devotees, well-wishers
and public to provide the economical assistance to complete the
renovation and perform the “Kumbabisekam” expeditiously, contemplating
the plight of renovation of the temple.
The office-bears of
Thiruppani Sabai, Sri Bala Selva Vinayala Moorthy Maradana - Captain
Garden as follows:
Patron: Brammsri B.
Shanmugaratne Sarma - JP, President: M. Thavayogarajah
Vice President and Adviser
- Dr. A.S. Kunashingan
Secretary: K. Selvaraj
Treasurer: K.K. Maheswaran
Asst. Secretaries - Pon
Vimalendran, A.V. Sivaruban
Asst. Treasurer - S.
Chandraseker, N. Perenpanayagam
Advisors - Brammasri, S.
Radakrishna Kurukkel, K.K. Kanagasabai.
A glimpse of Hindu mythology
K.S. Sivakumaran
Mythology is linked with Religion. By itself mythology is part of
literature whether it is in Greek Civilization or any civilization. On
this page the correspondents all write and link their expositions with
Hindu mythology.
This may be of interest to non-Hindus to understand this great
religion. May I also retell some mythological stories for the
uninitiated readers to read at least fascinating stories?
Let’s take the case of Ahalya a constant referral in Thamil
literature including contemporary Thamil Short Stories.
Ahalya was a very beautiful woman who Brahma created first before any
other woman. There was a Rishi by the name Gautama. Brahma gave Ahalya
to Gautama. Those days a Rishi could have a spouse.
Who was a Rishi? He was an inspired poet or sage. The hymns of the
Vedas were revealed to these Rishis.
We must know something about Indra also. He is someone like the Greek
God Zeus. Indra was the head of the Indraloka. He liked women as Zeus.
His weapon as Zeus’ was thunderbolt. There are many other interesting
stories about him. But we shall stop with that and go back to Ahalya.
Indra wanted to have Ahalya. He succeeded in molesting her without
her knowing that it was Indra who masqueraded as Gautama. But Indra
suffered for his adultery. Zeus like Lord Siva had a third eye on his
forehead. He was cursed to have his body all filled with the female
genitals.
Gautama realizing that his wife had been seduced cursed her to be
invisible and made her a stone figure. Long years later she regained her
natural state as a result of Rama’s (of Ramayana fame) feet touching the
stoned body of Ahalya. Ahalya then went back to Gautama who accepted
her.
One of the finest early short story writers in Thamil - Puthumai
Piththan (Viruthasalam) has written a remarkable story of the mythical
character Ahalya. A Lankan dramatist the late E. Ratnam has also
interpreted the mythology from another angle.
We learn that the name Akalya means darkness.
In ‘Mahabaratha’, the other twin epic in Indian Literature, Indra is
the father of one of the five Pandavas- the warrior Arjuna. Each of the
five brothers plus Karnan were fathered by six different Devas and
mothered by one person- Kunthi Devi. Karnan fought on the side of
Duriyodanan as a gratitude to the latter for accepting him as his peer
although it was believed that Karnan was the son of charioteer. But in
fact Karnan was of royal birth brought up by the charioteer. Kunti Devi
out of fear in bearing Karnan as an unmarried young woman put the infant
in a basket and set sail on the river.
The charioteer picked up the child and looked after him is another
story.
Karnan had a powerful arrow (Nagasthra) that could kill Arjuna in the
war between the Paandavas and Duriodanan and his 100 brothers.
But Indra to save Arjuna begged Karnan at the battlefield to give his
last of his dharma when Karnan was to die. Because of the trick
initiated by Krishna (Lord Vishnu), Karnan was deceived and thus the
life of Arjuna was saved.
There we see mythology is linked with literature and implicitly
religion.
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