A Bengal Vinayagar idol with snake as sacred thread in Tamil Nadu’s Nageswaran temple

On the left side of the entrance to the sanctum of the Nageswaran Temple in Kumbakonam of Thanjavur district stands an unusual statue of Pillaiyar (Lord Vinayagar) adorned with a snake worn as a sacred thread. was worshiped as Gangaikonda VinayagarThe idol was brought to Nageswaran Temple. Kudanathi Keezhkottam – By the Chola king Rajendra I after his conquest of Bengal.

Kudavayil Balasubramanian states in his book: “The deity depicted standing is an artifact of the Pala dynasty, which ruled in Bihar and Bengal from the eighth to the twelfth century. It is one of the many spoils of war brought to Tamil Nadu by Rajendra Chola.” Rajendra Cholan – Victories, Capital, Temples. Stone inscriptions and literary works record the works of art and sculptures that the Chola kings brought from various countries after their conquests.

North facing Vinayagar at Nageswaran Temple is shown with four hands: one holding one hand modakam (or kolkattai, a rice-based flavor), one a broken tooth, the other a pinch rudraksha beads and a money (ax). He is depicted eating kolkattai A mouse sits at his feet with his teeth.

Mr. Balasubramanian says the beauty of the idol impressed the sculptors of the Chola Kingdom, who were known for their expertise in bronze casting. “A sculptor made a bronze replica of the Pala dynasty Vinayagar. It was found buried at Muthupet in Nagapattinam district and is currently on display at the Thanjavur Art Gallery,” he writes.

Bronze idol of Vinayagar, Pala dynasty of Bengal, now on display at Thanjavur Art Gallery | Photo Credit: R. Vengadesh

Researching the origins of Vinayagar worship in Tamil Nadu, historians R. Kalaikovan and M. Nalini argue that the earliest literary references to the deity are Thevaram Hymns of Thirugnanasambandar and Thirunavukkarasar.

“Even the Poolankurichi inscriptions believed to date from the period Silapathikaram and when I talk about temples and worship I am not talking about Vinayagar. “The Saivite bards, who praise Lord Muruga in forty-seven places, mention the elephant-headed God in only a few places,” they write.

They point out that the Pallavas, who were pioneers in the creation of rock-cut temples, did not include Vinayagar in these structures. “A stone mandapam Vinayagar is also not featured in Thirukazhukundram, created by Narasimhavarman. But there is a Vinayagar in the rock-cut temple of Ramanuja in Mamallapuram,” they explain in their article Pillaiya Vazhipattin Thotramum Valarchiyum (Origin and development of Pillaiyar worship).

Vinayagar adorns Dharma Ratha It belongs to the Rajasimha period in Mamallapuram. God is also found in the temples built by this king. “The Keezhkudavarai at Tiruchirapalli, the Kailasanatha temple in Tirupattur and the rock-cut temple at Vallam in Chengalpattu district also feature the deity. This clearly indicates that Vinayagar started appearing in temples in northern Tamil Nadu only a century after Thirunavukkarasar’s time,” they write.

But Mr. Kalaikovan and Ms. Nalini believe that the worship of Vinayagar emerged much earlier in southern Tamil Nadu and identify the oldest statue as the Pillaiyar of Pillaiyarpatti. “Although today Pillaiyar is worshiped there as the main deity, the statue was actually created as a statue. costa persists “It is a rock-carved temple of Shiva (the god of the temple on the wall),” they say, stating that it probably dates back to the sixth or seventh century.