He was the most illustrious of his dynasty. The moment we hear his name our minds will wander to the temple city of the South- Madurai
He ruled from Madurai between 1623-59. This mighty king was not just a great ruler but also a very keen connoisseur of the various arts. It was in his court that the legendary Nilakanda Dikshita, nephew of the celebrated advaitin, Sri Appaiyya Dikshita was. He was also patron to Sri Kumara Gurupara Swamigal who wrote the beautiful Maduraikalambakam describing the various lilas (acts of playful deliverance) of Lord Sundareshwara, the presiding deity of Madurai.
According to the traveler's accounts of Taylor in the Oriental Historical Manuscripts "He was seated on a the beautiful gem studded throne placed at the natakashala where he would spend his evenings watching dancers sing, dance and perform the various dances in the light that glows from the torches that would illuminate the room"
He was a great patron to Tamil scholars, painters and sculptures. Speaking of sculptures, did you know that there are several sculptures of this famous King in the Madurai temple which depict him as a young lad (as a Prince), a youthful king in his prime and then also as a middle aged man (with a paunch) and a beard!
When you walk around the Aarukaal Pitham of the Minakshi amman temple at Madurai do not forget to see Him standing majestically with his reigning Queens in tow!!!
When I was shooting for a production of Mr.Bharathiraja called "tekkatti ponnu" I was travelling every month for several days to Madurai, Dindugal and Theni. To me that was God sent time to spend with my "heroes" I would wander around these palaces and temples for hours in between my shoots, staring at each of the stones, sculptures and paintings. In my research, when ever I would have doubts, pauses in thought process, a hiatus, I would go back to stare at these faces, places and take a waft of the atmosphere in...and there I would somehow find an answer, a solution, some what like a covenant between them and me! Will tell you more in detail
watch out for more
Dr.Swarnamalya Ganesh
Covenant with the Attic
 |
| Tekkatti Ponnu stealing her moments with her heroes |
 |
| Nataka shala- covenant |
No comments:
Post a Comment