Thyagaraja Temple, Thiruvarur – Processional Dance
The Thyagarajar Temple at Tiruvarur is famous for the Ajapa Thanam (dance without
chanting), that is executed by the deity itself. According to
legend, there are seven temples which are part of the same
legend of Indra donating 7 lingams to Muchukunda Chakravarthy a Chola king who
obtained a boon from Lord Indra and wished to receive the
Shivalinga gifted to Indra by Vishnu. Indra tested the king he had six
other Maragatha Lingas made, and asked Muchukunda Chakravarthy to choose the
right one the king chose the right Maragatha Lingam and installed it at
Tiruvarur.
The other six Siva Lingas were installed in Thirunallar,
Thirukkuvalai, Nagapattinam, Tirukaravasal, Tiruvaimur, and Vedaranyam.
All the seven places are villages situated along the river Cauvery.
All seven Thyagaraja images are said to dance when taken in procession (it is
the bearers of the processional deity who actually dance). All the seven places
are villages situated in the river Cauvery delta.
Thyagaraja is associated with the Ajapaa Natanam (a
special kind of dance which is enacted every time the deity is taken out in
procession). Lord Thyagaraja is said to have risen from the navel of Lord
Vishnu. Lord Vishnu in his yoga stage breathes, and when Adisesha, the serpent
bed of Vishnu, also breathes, the waves that are formed in the milky ocean of Vaikunta,
(the abode of Lord Vishnu) rocks the universe.
So, Lord Thyagaraja is always visualized as performing a
rhythmic dance, the Ajapa Natanam. This dance is performed whenever the deity
moves from the Vasantha Mandapam to the chariot or to the Thousand Pillared
Mandapam to give darshan to his devotees. The temples with dance styles are
regarded as Saptha Vidangam(seven dance moves) and the related
temples are as under:
Temple
|
Vidangar Temple
|
Dance pose
|
Meaning
|
Tiruvarur Thyagarajar Temple
|
Vidhividangar
|
Ajabathaanam
|
Dance without chanting, resembling the dance of Sri
Thyagaraja resting on Lord
Vishnu's chest
|
Dharbaranyeswarar Temple
|
Nagaradangar
|
Unmathanathaanam
|
Dance of an intoxicated person
|
Kayarohanaswamy Temple
|
Sundaravidangar
|
Vilathithaanam
|
Dancing like waves of sea
|
Kannayariamudayar Temple
|
Adhividangar
|
Kukunathaanam
|
Dancing like a cock
|
Brahmapureeswarar Temple
|
Avanividangar
|
Brunganathaanam
|
Dancing like a bee that hovers over a flower
|
Vaimoornaathar Temple
|
Nallavidangar
|
Kamalanaanathaanam
|
Dance like lotus that moves in a breeze
|
Vedaranyeswarar Temple
|
Bhuvanivividangar
|
Hamsapthanathaanam
|
Dancing with the gait of a swan
|
