Vishnu Cave Temple, Malayadippatti
Vishnu Cave temple is located 45kms from Tiruchirapalli
in a remote village in the Kulattur Taluk of Pudukottai District is the largely
unknown North Facing Rock Cut Anantha Padmanabhaswamy cave temple in
Malayadippatti, one that dates back around 1200 years to the late 8th Century
AD / early 9th Century AD.
This is the shrine, which is nearer to the road. This
shrine has a marvelously carved image of Vishnu as Seshasayi (‘God-lying-on-the-serpent-Sesha’).
All the sculptures in the cave temple, including the dvarapalakas and main idol
are covered with stucco decoration and painted.
This is a cave temple. While Dwarapalakas in temples
traditionally appear with four hands, they have only two here. The temple has
shrines for Lords Vinayaka, Muruga, Narasimha, Varahamurthi and Veerabhadra,
Saptha Madhas, Vakeeswarar, Mother Kalaikambal. Mother Kamalavalli
Thayar graces from a separate shrine.
This Vishnu temple is popularly known as Olipathivishnu
Vishnugraham, located closer to the western end of hillock. The rock-cut Vishnu
temple includes numerous sculptures, painted stucco and painting on walls and
ceiling. The 15 ft Moolavar is a beautifully carved image of Lord Anantha
Padmanabha in a reclining posture. The rock-cut temple contains a mukhamandapa,
ardhamandapa and the sanctum. Almost the entire inner surface is adorned with
paintings, sculptures and stucco work.
There is sculpture of Lord Vishnu and Lakshmi. There are
figures of Shiva, Narasimha, Brahma and other gods and deities. This entire
sculpture is painted and covered with stucco. These artworks appear to be made
during 16th - 17th century AD. On the western wall of mukhamandapa Vishnu is
shown in seated position together with his consort.
Another wall is covered with large relief showing
reclining Vishnu with Brahma sitting on a lotus Accompanied by Gandharvas.
There are figures of demons inside the rock cut temple as well. There are
paintings on the ceiling that depict the incarnations of Vishnu, the
Dashavatara.
There is also a flat-roofed structure, decorated with
carvings of elephants and birds along with figures of mythological creatures.
The Vishnu temple and cave contains 10 inscriptions dating back to 960
AD.
There are 3 other caves from 3rd - 4th century that
housed Jain monks. There are several ancient sculptures found in 2 caves.
Another cave has a white painting of a human and a bird probably made out of
lime.
History
Malayadippatti temple is one as the Thirumayyam cave
temple for both Lords Shiva and Vishnu. According to epigraphic
details, the name of the place is Tiruvalathur. The two temples –
Shiva and Vishnu temples – are side by side. The Vishnu temple with
Lord Sri Ranganathar in his reclining posture is considered equal to Tirupathi.
The Shiva temple is more ancient than the Vishnu temple
according to findings of the ASI. It belongs to the Pallava
period. The temple was built in the 16th ruling year of one
Kuvavan Sathan in 730 AD. He built the Shiva temple and named the
presiding deity Vakeeswarar, according to epigraphic notes.
Greatness of Temple
The Artha Mandapam is next to the sanctum sanctorum of
Lord Vakeeswarar. The sculptures of Saptha Madhas, Ganesha,
Veerabhadra, Lords Shiva and Vishnu are carved in the hill
temple. The sculptures of group of deities as Kalaikambal,
Mahishasuramardhini are outstanding examples of the skill of temple
architecture. The Mandapam near the cave is based on the Vijaya Nagara
style. Following the Pallava style, the Dwarapalakas (Security
before the sanctum sanctorum) have only two hands against four hands
traditionally we see in temples.
Sanctum sanctorum of Lord Sri Ranganatha also has a
front mandapam. The pillars are standing on a lion looking
majestically. This belongs to Pallava style. The figures
of Lords Narasimha and Varahamurthi and Perumal with his consorts are carved
beautifully in the walls of this mandapam. Lord Sri Ranganatha in
the sanctum sanctorum graces the devotees in his reclining posture with Lord
Brahmma appearing from his naval.
Divine serpent Adisesha with its hoods appear as an
umbrella to Lord. In the wall behind, there are sculptures of both
Devas and demons. The sculpture style of Lord Sri Ranganatha in his
Anantashayana style – reclining style is very beautiful. The shrine
of Thayar appears to be too ancient. There is also am epigraphic
evidence that one Achuthappa Naicker contributed liberally for the temple in
16th century.
There are also some ancient cave temples nearby in
Kaliyappatti, Virasalur also under the administration of ASI. As
both Lords Shiva and Vishnu grace in the Malayadippatti temple, people
undertake Girivalam on Pradosha days. Festivals like Vaikunda
Ekadasi and Shivrathri are celebrated grandly in the temple. Special
pujas are dedicated to Lord Vishnu on Thiruvonam star days. As
Perumal grants eye-boon to those suffering from impaired vision, He is praised
as Kan (eye) Oli (vision) Vazhangum (giver) Perumal
– Kan Oli Vazhangum Perumal.
Temple Architecture
The shrine is surrounded by a compound wall, which seems
to be very recently renovated. The entrance gopuram has a flat roof and has
friezes of vyalis and bhuthagana. Perhaps it belongs to 13th century and was
renovated in the 15th century.
On the compound wall, on the right side of the gopuram,
is a small sculpture of Ganesa inside a niche, which is under worship by the
local people. As one enters the temple compound, on the right hand side, there
is a structural shrine of Goddess. It consists of a sanctum, with a flat roof,
measuring about 9 feet long and 8 feet wide and an ardhamandapam of the same
size.
According to Tamil inscription dated 17th - 18th
century, one Mangan Tenkondan, a devotee, built this shrine. On the northeast
corner is a structure, which might had been the kitchen.
In front of the main shrine, there is a dhvajasthambham
and sculptures of a goddess facing north and a Garuda facing south. The
sculptures are loose sculptures and seem to be recent additions.
The north facing rock-cut shrine has a structural
addition in front, which forms part of the front mandapam. There are two
inscriptions on this structural addition. They may be dated to the 10th
century. There are three entrances, of which the middle one is bigger.
The front mandapam is a kind of a hall, running east to
west, formed partly by the structural addition and partly by the rock-cut cave.
This hall measures 37 feet long and 8 feet wide. The dvarapalakas in this
mandapam are carved out of the living rock and seems to be portrait sculptures.
They are covered with stucco.
The rock cut ardhamandapam measures about 32 feet long,
6 feet wide and 8 feet high and has two pillars and two pilasters. They are
more elegant than the ones found in the Siva temple. The base is carved in the
shape of beautiful lion sitting erect and carrying the pillar on its head.
On the side walls of the ardhamandapam there are large
panels in high relief. They depict Narasimha, Varahamurthi and Vishnu in the
standing pose along with Lakshmi. The image of seated Vishnu with his Devis on
the eastern wall is a sculpture in the round.
To the right of the Narasimha sculpture is a painting of
a dancing lady. There are platforms of one to two feet height, in front of
these sculptures in the ardhamandapam. The Dasavatharam of Vishnu is
beautifully painted on the ceiling.
Excavated on the western face of the rock, this north
facing rock cut shrine is locally known as Olipathivishnu griham. However in an inscription of Sundara Pandya it is referred as
Ranganatha cave, Arankan cunai. In a later inscription
of Sadasiva maharaja the
lord is called Tiruvalathur
Perumal. In an another inscription of Achyuthappa Nayaka the lord of this cave has been referred
as Tiruvayamalai Kanniraina Perumal,
The Lord who is full in one’s eyes. Getting the lord full in one’s eye probably
reflects the merger of atman with parmatman which is a prescribed way to attain
the ultimate goal of one’s life in many Hindu religious scriptures.
This cave temple has been later extended with a mandapa and an enclosure
compound with a gopuram entrance
on the north. We find here a flat roofed gopuram instead of familiar high rising gopurams. It is not very clear
whether there was once a tower above this roof, however if it was, there is no
sign left of its existence.
On the external wall of the enclosure, proper left of
the gopuram, a Ganesha image is installed. This
Valampuri Ganesha idol has
four hands, carrying a broken tusk, ankusha (elephant
goad) and modaka in
three of his hands. Inside the complex, on north-west corner, there is an east
facing shrine, a later structure, constructed for Goddess Nachiar. Passing through Bali pitha, deepa sthambham (lamp tower), a
goddess idol and a Garuda idol,
we reach the main cave complex. A mandapa has
been attached to this cave at the entrance during later extensions.
The original cave is consisted of a rectangular sanctum
cell and a mukhamandapa (front
hall). Mukhamandapa has
three openings formed by pilasters and pillars which are supported on lion/vyala figures at the base. These
lion/vyala figures are
shown seated with their one limb raised up. This posture makes them different
from the Pallava style
where we find seated lions/vyalas with
both limbs on the ground. The tail of the animal however forms a familiar icon
of an English numeral, 8, as found in Pallava sculptures. The door openings of the mukhamandapa are marked with
lintel and door jambs which is rather unique for a cave which sole purpose is
to be used as a shrine. These kinds of jambs and lintels are seen in the caves
excavated for residential purposes.
Beyond the extreme pilasters, on either side, are
two dvarpalas (door guardians)
carved in relief. Both of them are standing in similar posture, with one leg
straight and second slightly bent at knee. They are wearing yajnopavita with other usual
ornaments like necklace, bracelets etc. In one hand they carry a flower, lotus
perhaps, and another hand is resting on their waist. They wear a charming smile
on their faces and greet the visitor with their grace.
A rather strange feature found in dvarpalas is a coiled snake near
their shoulders. As this is a Vishnu cave,
so presence of snake with dvarpalas is
very curious. On the lateral walls, east and west, of this mukhamandapa are carved two
exquisite panels in relief. Most of the reliefs of this cave are covered with
stucco and later on decorated with paint. On the eastern wall is a relief panel
showing Vishnu with
his two consorts. He is shown standing in sambhaga posture holding sankha (conch) and chakra (discus), both depicted with flames, in his two
upper hands. His one lower hand is in abhaya mudra and another one is resting at his waist (katyavalambita). Both side of his are
standing his two consorts, Lakshmi (Sridevi) and Bhudevi.
Lakshmi is standing on his right, probably, holding a
lotus flower in one of her hands while Bhudevi is standing on his left holding a nilotpala, lily flower. Lakshmi is shown wearing a
breast band but Bhudevi is
depicted without it. Other than this, most of the features are same in both the
goddesses. In the upper portion of the panel are shown two flying Devas, probably Chandra (Moon) and Surya (Sun) as evident
from prabhavalaya (halo)
behind their heads. In one hand they hold a flower and other hand are raised in
adoration for the god, Vishnu.
There are quite a few early representations of Vishnu in standing posture. In
most of the cases he is depicted as the main deity accompanied with devotees or
other devatas. In the
early icons of the Pallavas such as Adivaraha
cave, Trimurti cave temple in Mahabalipuram, Vishnu is
shown standing with devotees or flying ganas.
On the western lateral wall is a relief panel
depicting Vishnu and
his two consorts, but in seated posture. Vishnu is
seated in sukhasana with
one leg resting on a Padma pitha (lotus
base) and another bent and resting on the platform. He is holding a shankha and chakra, both with flames, in his two
upper hands. His one lower hand is in abhaya mudra and another one resting on his left thigh.
Goddess Lakshmi is
seated inutkita asana and
another one is resting on a padma
pitha. She is holding a flower in one hand and wearing a breast band. Bhudevi is shown seated on left
side of Vishnu in utkita asana. One leg of hers is
resting on padma pitha. She is
holding a flower in one hand, but depicted without a breast band. There is no
flying Devas in upper part of the panel, as shown in the previous panel.
Seated Vishnu as
an icon is absent from the Pallava cave
temples. It is present in later structural temples of the Pallavas such as in Kailasanatha and Vaikuntha Perumal temples both
in Kanchipuram. This icon
is not very frequent in Pandya caves
as well. The only other such representation is found in Tiruparankundram cave temple
near Madurai where
seated Vishnu is present
in its sanctum. There is a seated Vishnu image in
Badami also however that
image is carved on one of the lateral walls of the cave and Vishnu is shown seated on Sesha coils without any
attendant.
Southern wall of the mukha mandapa has been partitioned in three parts, middle
one is left open to go inside the sanctum. The two side partitions are adorned
with relief sculptures. Partition on the west has a sculpture of Vishnu in Narasimha form. He is shown
seated in maharajalilasana attitude
with one leg hanging down and another bent at the knee and placed on the seat.
He is holding shankha and chakra in his two upper hands.
One of the lower hands is rested on the knee of the bent leg and another lower
hand is resting on the thigh of another leg.
He is shown wearing rings in all of his fingers, even in
thumbs as well. Ring on the thumbs of the upper hands are very much clear in
the stucco. Shown with ferocious look, it appears that this posture would have
been taken after slaying the demon, Hiranyakashipu.
Behind the head of this image, there is a torana which is shown without any makara. Such toranas are known as tiruvachi in shilpa shastras.
If Narasimha image
is depicted without any attendant or companion then it is called as Kevala Narasimha. It is a rare icon
as in most of the images Narasimha is
shown slaying the demon, Hiranyakashipu or
either shown seated in yoga mudra. Narasimha images at Badami, Udayagiri, Vaikuntha Perumal Temple at Kanchipuram and Namakkal Ranganatha cave are all
in standing posture of Kevala Narasimha type.
Seated image of Narasimha is
seen in Vettuvan koil which
is a monolith temple of Pandya origin
and dated prior to Malayadippatti.
Such a seated image could be a characteristic icon of the Pandyas.
On the left pilaster of this Narasimha niche is a painting of
a lady. The upper part of the painting is almost gone. She is wearing a
checkered lower dress which goes till her ankles. She is shown wearing many
ornaments consisting of beads. There are many different color beads, red one
usually used as the central bead in the ornament. Her upper portion is devoid
of any clothes. She seems to be holding and taking support of a tree branch in
one of her hand while other hand is shown hanging parallel to her right leg.
Partition on the east carries an image of Varaha. He is shown seated on a
raised platform, one part of which is painted. In his two upper hands, he
carries shankha and chakra, both depicted with flames.
Lower right hand is in abhayamudra while
lower left hand is rested on his left thigh. He is also wearing rings in all of
his fingers, including thumbs. He is wearing a necklace, bracelets in the arms,
waist band, wrist bands & andyajno
pavita. Behind his head is a tiruvachi,
whose two ends are shown emerging from rampant vyalas.
Varaha icon is usually depicted in alidha posture where he is shown
taking Bhudevi out from
the depths of an ocean. Such representation of Varaha is seen at Udayagiri
caves near Vidisha, Varaha
cave at Mahabalipuram & at Badami. Malayadippatti,
perhaps, is the only place where Varaha is
seen seated alone without any companion.
On proper right of the above Varaha niche, there is a
painting of Hanuman. He is
shown standing with face turned to the god and holding his both hands in anjali mudra. He is wearing a
checkered lower garment. All the ornaments wore by him are made of flowers. He
is shown wearing a garland, bracelets, earrings and wristbands. He is having a
protruding tooth coming out of his mouth. This is very curious and strange
depiction as Hanuman is
usually not depicted with protruding teeth. Though he is shown with such a rare
feature, this does not result in ferocious appearance. He is standing very
gracefully with full devotion towards the God, sitting on his left.
Before moving inside the sanctum, mention of the canopy
of this hall must be made. The canopy of this hall is painted with the ten
incarnations of Vishnu.
However this painting is in very bad condition. Much of the damage has been
caused due to smoke and oil vapors. Only the starting few figures and ending
few figures are clear now, all in between these are gone. On the leftmost is
painted Vishnu as Matsya (fish incarnation). On
its right is Vishnu as Narasimha (man lion
incarnation).
This Narasimha representation
is very unique as he is shown with the body of lion and head of a human quite in
contrast where in regular representations Narasimha is shown with the body of a human and head of a
lion. On its right is all black and dark. Further right is seen Vishnu as Rama, the hero of Ramayana. Rama is shown in dark color
holding his bow. Next right to it is Balarama, brother of Krishna. Balarama is holding a plough,
his weapon. Next to Balarama is
Krishna who is depicted in
a dancing posture.
Though there is no snake seen below Krishna, but it seems that this
posture reflects the dance which he performed after subduing the snake, Kaliya. Right next to Krishna is shown Kalki, the future and last
incarnation of Vishnu.
Sanctum cell is excavated in the center of the southern
wall. This is flanked with two pillars and two pilasters in the front. The
pillars are almost spherical throughout except the top part. Corbels above the
pillars are in angular profile. Whole of the sanctum is covered by the Anantashayana icon of Vishnu which is carved out of
the mother rock. Vishnu is
shown reclining on a coil formed by the body of the serpent, Adisesha.
Adisesha’s hood is depicted with five heads and it forms a
canopy above the head of lord Vishnu. Vishnu is depicted with two
hands, one stretched on his right over the coil of Adisesha while another one is raised above in kataka-mudra. He is wearing kirita makuta and many ornaments. His
legs are stretched out of the coil bed and supported on a lotus.
There are many figures carved on lateral parts and the
back wall of this sanctum cell. On the back wall, Brahma is shown seated on a lotus which emerges from the
naval of Vishnu. He is
depicted with three heads and four arms. He is carrying akshamala and rosary in his
upper two arms. Right lower arm is inabhaya
mudra while left lower arm is resting on his thigh.
There are total of eight figures around him, two on
right and six on left. Two figures on his right seem to be musicians. The
rightmost figure is holding a musical instrument in his both hands. The musical
instrument which he is holding is not very clear. The person on his left is
depicted with moustaches. He is also holding a musical instrument however in a
rather strange manner. He is holding the instrument in his left hand but the
instrument is kept behind his arm instead of keeping it in front to take support
of the arm. The instrument resembles to ektara, single string Indian musical
instrument.
In the six figures on left of Brahma, two are females and four are
males. Next left to Brahma is
shown Tumburu, a Gandharva musician and singer.
Next left to him are shown two celestial females dancing with Tumburu. On left of these two
celestial maidens, there are three male figures. Two of the first three seem to
be ordinary gandharvas.
The last in line is a dwarf celestial deity. It looks that the two figures on
right of Brahma are
the musicians of the party whose six dancers are shown on the left side
of Brahma.
On the eastern wall of this cell are carved four
figures. The male figure at the bottom is Garuda. He is shown rising above the ground. His wings are
depicted behind his body. Above Three male figures are shown above the figure
of Garuda. Two figures are
shown with holding their hands together in anjali mudra. The last one is shown with a halo behind his head.
This could be depiction of Chandra (Moon)
or Surya (Sun).
On western wall of this cell, near the feet of Vishnu, are carved huge figures of
two demons, Madhu and
Kaitabha. One is holding a
heavy club while another is holding some unidentified object in one of his
hands. The demons are carved in attacking stated instead of retreating state
which is seen in other such Anantashayana panels.
They wear short lower garments and many ornaments on their bodies. There is a
human figure carved in between the faces of these two demons. There is halo
behind this figure and his two hands are raised in adoration. Because of this
halo, this figure could be identified with Surya or Chandra.
On the ground, near the coil of Adisesha, Bhrigu is seen on the eastern
side while Bhudevi is
seen on western side near the feet of the lord. In middle is installed a very
recent addition in form of an image of Lakshminarayana.
The earliest Anantashayana representation is seen
at Udayagiri which is dated to Gupta period. In Pallava cave temples this icon is
seen in Mahishasumardini cave and Shore Temple both
in Mahabalipuram and Ranganatha in Singavaram.
Among the caves in the Pandya region Thirumayam
has the largest such representation which measures up to 9 meters. The panel
at Malayadippatti is also
huge however it is smaller in comparison and measure up to 4.6 meters.
Garbha Griham
Above ardhamandapam is the garbhagriham, the floor of
which is about 2 feet above that of the ardhamandapam. It has got two pillars
and two pilasters, which are round and ornamented.
The principal idol in the garbhagriham is a marvelously
carved 11 – foot long image of Vishnu as Seshasayi. The five hoods of the
serpent are spread out like a canopy over the God’s head. From his navel rises
a lotus stalk crowned with a lotus flower on which Brahma is seated. The feet
of the God rest on another lotus. The theme depicted here is similar to that
of Thirumayam.
The legend that is associated with this group of
sculptures is similar to that depicted in the Vishnu
temple of Thirumayam. When the demons Madhu
and Kaithabha approached in an aggressive attitude, Brahma, Lakshmi and Bhumi Devi
were frightened. Adisesha, in his sudden wrath, spat poison, which consumed the
demons. He was immediately stung with remorse at his hasty action of acting
without his Lord’s permission. But the passionate God comforted him with an
assurance of his approval of the act.
Paintings
There are paintings on the ceiling of the reclining
Vishnu idol which are badly damaged.
The idols in the garbhagriham and the sculptures on the
ardhamandapam are all covered with stucco decoration. The paintings in this
cave temple are now considerably defaced. According to the Manual of
Pudukkottai State (1944) these paintings belong to 16th century or later. Some
point out its resemblance to the Lepakshi paintings of Andhra.
Inscriptions
There is no foundation inscription found in this shrine
hence it’s time of construction is not that easy to be determined. The
adjacent Shiva cave
has a foundation inscription from the reign of a Pallava king, Dantivarman.
There are several inscriptions that provide interesting
insights about the temple. An 8th Century AD inscription refers to Danti Varma
Pallava and the Siva temple which is just next to the Perumal temple. The
structure of this Malayadippatti cave temple and the Lord himself also has
similarities to the Sthala Sayana Perumal Divya Desam at Thiru Kadal Mallai
(Mahabalipuram).
Inscriptions also refer to the renovation undertaken in
960AD by Raja Kesari Sundara Chozhan.
An inscription of Sundara Pandya talks about a water reservoir called Arankan cunai which might be a
tank of the temple of Arankan,
i.e. Ranganatha. This
supports the local name of the cave as Ranganatha cave. An inscription of Sadasiva maharaja refers the
lord of this cave as Tiruvalathur
Perumal.
Tiruvalathur is the name of this hill as referred in the
foundation inscription of the Shiva cave.
A later record of Achyuthappa
Nayaka refers the lord of this cave as Tiruvayamalai Kannirainta Perumal, the Lord who is full in one’s
eyes. Another inscription of this cave talks about donation of land and for
daily pujas and renovations and additions.
From the inscriptions it is clear that this shrine
received a continuous patronage from its inception till the period of the Nayakas. Even during the reign of the Marathas as paintings of that period are found in this cave
temple.
Prayers
Those suffering from impaired vision pray to Perumal –
Lord Sri Ranganathar. Devotees light ghee lamps and offer Tulsi garlands to
Perumal on Saturdays.
Temple Opening Time
The temple is open from 7.00 a.m. to 11.00 a.m. and from
4.00 p.m. to 8.00 p.m.
Festivals
Aadi Pooram in July-August; Purattasi Navarathri in
September-October; Karthikai in November-December; Vaikunda Ekadasi and
Tiruvadhirai in December-January; and monthly Pradoshams are celebrated in the
temple. This is a twin temple for Both Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu.
