Nagaswamy - 9 Temporal seat of authority

Organization of space and volume are examined, to study location of temporal authority in rural and urban settlements, in ancient Tamil country. The following three aspects are discussed:

• Habitations which followed Vastu and agamic texts
• The conception of divine powers in Brahmasthana
• The experince of such divine power

Nedunalvadai, a Sangam work, describes the construction of a royal palace,describing the use of the Sun’s course on a Chaitra day, usage of pegs and chords to establish lines, invocation of deities and details like door jambs and lintel figures.

Pattinapalai discusses the street layout of Kaveripumpattinam, like warehouses, toll houses, feeding houses and markets of different commodities like pepper, gold, corals, and imported items like camphor and panneer.

Kanchi Kailasanatha Temple

Rare in that it is almost in original condition, with few modifications, the Kanchi Kailsanatha temple is perhaps, the only temple that has

• all 32 Vaastu pada Devatas
• Parivara devataas
• Eleven Rudras, 12 Adityas
• a central vimana built on a Brahmasthaana,
• a praakaara that is based on doubling of the Vastu pada square
• a mandapa with images of Lakshmi, Sarasvati, Durga and Jyeshta

Ekadasha Rudra-s

Dvadasha Aditya-s

Its main vimana and this mandapa represent Purusha and Prakriti. Rajasimha Pallava calls himself Agama Pramaana and Agama Anusaari.

Uttiramerur

This village called Uttarameru Caturvedi mangalam, after one of the titles of Danti Varma Pallavan, is laid out on the principles of Vaishnavite agamic text, Marici Samhita. 

There were Agamavids, experts in agama, and the Brahmin settlements were divided into 12 quarters or Ceris, each named after one of 12 names of MahaVishnu, like Kesava Ceri, Narayana Ceri, Govinda Ceri.Madhava Ceri, Govinda Ceri, Vishnu Ceri, Madhusudana Ceria, Trivikrama Ceri, Vamana Ceri, Sridhara Ceri, Hrishikesha Ceri, Padmanabha Ceri and Damodara Ceri. Canals were named after gods as Ganapati Vaaykkaal, Sarasvati Vaaykaal etc. 

The temples of Siva, Subramanya, Durga, Saptamatrika, Jyestha and Ayyanar are coeval with the Vishnu temple

Assembly Hall

That the Sabha mandapa in the centre of town over which a Vishnu temple has been erected, was the center of the village, can be deduced from its position. 80 secular transactions recording meetings here for 300 years tell their story. Vairamegha Tataaka is a large lake named after the founder king.

The Vishnu temple is a Navamurthi prasthana: it has nine deities.

Uttiramerur  sabha mandapa
Photo: TK Krishnakumar

Capital City: Gangaikonda Cholapuram

Excavations by Nagaswamy revealed remnants of a Chola palace to the south west of the Rajendra Choleesvaram temple built by Rajendra Chola. The palace was the centre of the city. A tank at the west called Cholaganga and the locations of other temples indicate that this city was laid out as per Vishnu texts of the 11^th century.

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This essay is one of a series of summaries of papers presented in international seminars by Dr Nagaswamy. The summaries in this series were presented by me at a lecture titled Nagaswamy - Beyond Borders at Tamil Heritage Trusts' Pechu Kacheri 2014 at Tatvaloka, Chennai.

Uttaramerur inscription - A THT discussion (Youtube video)

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