Annamalaiyar Temple – Fifth Prakaram – Kambatthu
Ilayanar Shrine
Kambam means pillar and Ilayanar refers to Muruga.
According to a legend, Muruga appeared in a pillar in response to a song of
saint Arunagirinathar. During that time Thiruvannamalai was ruled by Pravuda Devaraya
Maharaja.
Opposite the 1000 pillar mandapam on the bank of the
Sivagangai Teertham there is a Shrine built by Vena Odeyan. This shrine is
called Kambatthu Ilayanar and the figure of Lord Subramanya is carved on its
north-eastern pillar.
This shrine has seven steps leading upwards into the
inner chambers of the Lord Muruga Temple. At the top there is statue of Lord
Muruga seated on his Peacock.
This Shrine was probably built in 1421 A.D., by Pravuda
Deva Raya or Deva Raya II of Vijayanagar to commemorate the vision King Deva
Raya had of Lord Subramanya emerging out of the pillar (which occurred
when Saint
Arunagirinathar sang in praise of
Subramanya at that place). It is believed that Saint Arunagirinathar was the
inspiration for this construction. On the walls inside the mandapam is
transcribed the Saint’s famous Kandar Anubhuti.
Legends:
In the court of King Devaraya there was a famous
scholar, Sambandan, who had a tendency to boast both about his spiritual
attainments and his religious knowledge. When Sambandan, who was a favourite to
the King, heard of the reception accorded Arunagirinathar he felt that his
position in court to be threatened.
His jealousy motivated him to hatch a plot against
Arunagirinathar which he hoped would belittle his rival in the eyes of the
King. Sambandan’s tapas had resulted in winning a boon from the Goddess Kali,
his Ishta Devata (chosen deity). The boon was that for a period of twelve years
she would appear before him whenever he summoned her. Knowing that he could
call on Kali to appear at any time, Sambandan proposed to the King that he and
Arunagirinathar should have a competition in which each would try to make their
chosen deity manifest in a form that would be visible to everyone. The King
agreed to the contest and also that the loser of the competition should leave
the Kingdom and never return.
The competition was held in publically at
Arunachaleswarar Temple. Sambandan, full of confidence, undertook to manifest
his God first. To the accompaniment of great pomp and ceremony, he called on
Goddess Kali to appear, but for some reason she refused to manifest. In some
versions of the story it is said that the twelve-year period of the boon had
expired the previous day, so she was no longer under any obligation to appear.
Since Sambandan was still able to communicate with her, even though he could
not make her appear, he got her promise that she would hold Muruga tightly in her
arms so that He would be unable to manifest when Arunagirinathar called on him.
Arunagirinathar began his attempt by singing a song.
After praising Muruga at length in verse form, he summoned him to appear. As Muruga
was being restrained by his mother, Kali, Arunagirinathar devised a strategy to
counter Kali’s influence. He thus sang a song that was so entrancing; Kali
unconsciously began to loosen her grip on her son. When Arunagirinathar sensed
that this was happening, he sang another song to summon Lord Muruga’s vahana
(the peacock) to appear and dance before Muruga and Kali. The peacock promptly
appeared and danced in such an enticing way, Kali momentarily forgot to hold on
tightly to Muruga. At this crucial moment Muruga leapt out of her arms, mounted
his peacock and entered the physical world through one of the pillars of a
mandapam in the Arunachaleswarar Temple.
Legend has it that the Kambatthu Ilayanar Sannathi was
built around the pillar to commemorate the great event. The manifestation of
Lord Muruga was so dazzling; the light he emanated caused Pravuda Devaraya, the
King, to lose his eyesight.
Sambandan was so angry that he hatched another scheme.
By the glorious sight of Lord Muruga, the king lost his eye sight. Sambandan
requested the king to send Arunagiri to Svargaloka and bring back a Parijata
flower; a few drops of the nectar from the flower squeezed in to his eyes could
resume his sight. Arunagirinathar persuaded by the king and in order to go to
Svargaloka, had to enter in to the body of a parrot which had recently expired.
He moved his life force into the body of the parrot and left his own body
quietly in the gopura and then proceeded to collect the Parijata flower,
Sambandan showing the lifeless body to the king announced that Arunagirinathar
was dead and asked the king’s permission to cremate it according to custom.
When Arunagirinathar returned with the flower he found
that his body had been burnt and he no longer had human body. Realizing that he
had been tricked, Pravuda Deva Raya Maharaja was grief stricken knowing that it
would be impossible for the saint to resume human form again. Arunagirinathar
untroubled by these events, rested on the gopuram in the form of a parrot,
composed his famous Kandar Anubhuti as well as other famous hymns.
Architecture:
The shrine of Kambatthu Ilayanar had originally three
chambers – a square garbhagriha, a rectangular ardhamandapa and a square mukha
mandapa. A rectangular hall and a front piece supported by two pillars at the
outside were added to the main structure. There was a gap between these two
structures, but it was joined later. The adhishtana of garbagraha, ardhamandapa
and mukha mandapa exhibit the following parts from the base: upana, padmam,
kanta, pattiyal, kanta and vedhi while the latter structure has kapota between
pattials and vedhi. The exterior walls of the garbhagraha have one niche on
each side. The other parts have two niches on either side.
The front mandapa was exceptionally beautiful with a
very fine sculpture over the entrance which emulates the history of the temple.
On the extreme left the figures of Narada, Arunagirinathar, Pravudadadeva
Maharaja; on the right the sculptured figures of Sambandan and the last figure
is of Thirububar on horse face. On the walls of this chamber, there are
pictures of Murugan of Tiruparankundram, Thiruchendur, Tiruvavinankudi,
Swamimalai, Tiruthani, Alakarkoil and the court of Pravudadadeva Maharaja and
Kambatthu Ilayanar. In the mukha mandapa there is a large Shatkonam symbol of
Muruga on the south wall. On the right was a big photograph of Seshadri Swamigal,
who came to Thiruvannamalai in his early age and lived there for over forty
years. He used to sit and meditate in this shrine. In the Cella, there is the
sculpture of Kambatthu Ilayanar.
In the first chamber the two walls to the left and right
have a total of eight pictures.
Left
Wall:
1.
Tiruparankundram
Temple: Lord Muruga’s marriage to Deivanai
2. Thiruchendur Muruga:
Muruga, Chandran, Sugah Prama Rishi (parrot faced) Veerabahu and Agastya
Munivar. Centre Thiruchendur Muruga followed by Mahavishnu, Devendra, Brahma
and Narada.
3. Tiruvavinankudi; Palani
Muruga. Muruga with Lakshmi, Kamadhenu, Bhudevi, Suriya and Agni.
4.
Swamimalai Temple: Muruga
giving Upadesa to Siva
Right
Wall:
1.
Tiruthani Temple:
Muruga with Valli and Deivanai
2.
Alagar Temple near
Madurai. Muruga with Valli and Deivanai
3.
Muruga anointing
Arunagirinathar
4. Pravuda Deva Raya’s court
showing contest between Sambandan and Arunagirinathar
In the second chamber there is a symbol of Lord Muruga
on the left wall and a painting of Sri
Seshadri Swamigal.
