Tuesday, March 6, 2018

Kurathiyarai Cave Temple, Thovalai, Kanyakumari

Kurathiyarai Cave Temple, Thovalai, Kanyakumari
Kurathiyarai Rock cut cave temple is in Thovalai Taluk of Kanyakumari District of Tamil Nadu. Although the presiding deity is Mahavishnu, the temple is locally called Avvaiyaaramman Kovil and the image on the left side of Lord Vishnu is believed to be that of Avvai. This is a uni-cellar cave temple is situated on the Kuravan Thattupparai, which is also known as Chenthipparai. The survey record mentions the hillock in which the cave temple is situated as Anju Giri.


History
The worship of Avvaiyar in Thovalai taluk in Kanyakumari district is locally as Avvai Nonbu or Avvai Vratham. The Tuesdays of Tamil month Adi is most auspicious for Avvaiyar worship. Womenfolk offer Kozhukkattai (steam boiled rice ball with sweet stuffing) to Avvaiyaaramman. From inscriptions from Chitharal mountain, there was a Jain cave temple at the top of Chitharal mountain and was known as Thiru Charanathu Malai.  The monks belonging to the Digambara sect established Thiru Charanathu Palli – the abode of Jain monks during 9th century A.D.
Thiru Charanathu Palli was a dynamic center of Jain learning - a monastery and a school. The male teacher was called Kuravar and the female teacher Kurathi. The word Kurathi also denotes a Jain nun. Influence of Jainism in Kurathiyarai is evident from the first syllable Kurathi. The inscription also cites the Ay king Vikramaditya Varaguna (885-925 AD). The scholars assign the date of the cave to 8th century A.D.
The Cave Temple
The south facing rock cut cave is excavated on the slope of the hillock at the outskirts of the village. The cave cell is excavated 0.95 cm in width and 1.77 m in height and east-west in orientation. The entrance is 80 cm in width and 1.30 m in height. Local people made provision for wooden door and walls coated with cement. The horse shoe shaped cave excavation remains incomplete and the floor, roof and walls of the cave appear coarse. The sanctum is 1.52 m in east-west in length and 1.13 m north- south in width and 2.04 m in height. The niche carved on the rear wall measures 40 cm in height. The niche, flanked by two square pilasters, houses Lord Vishnu. 
The pilasters support the angular potika and uttira.  The prastara including vajanam, valabi and kapota are absent. Lord Vishnu image appears in samapatha sthanaka posture on the rear wall and image is dull and smudged with oil. The Lord wears krita makuta, kundala ear-ring, Yagnopavita (sacred cord) runs across his chest, and drapes dhoti as a fivefold tuck in wrap (Pankacha) and the waist cloth (Idaikattu) is tucked with knot. He holds the chanku (conch) in his back-right hand and his back-left hand holds Chakra (disc wheel). His right forearm rests on the hip and the left forehand kept half folded. Scholars assign the date of Vishnu as eighth century A.D. 
Two niches are carved outside on the rock slope one on each side of the cave entrance. The niche on the west of the entrance is 89 cm in height and 63 cm in width and houses Vinayagar idol. The Vinayagar is seated in posture described as ‘Lalitasana’ (posture of royal ease) with his right leg drawn up and folded and the left leg resting on the ground. The Lord in Lalitasana represents a calm and relaxed deity and the idol appear with trunk to the right side is known as valampuri Vinayagar. The Lord wears karanda-makutam, sarapali in the neck, armlets, bracelets and short robe around the waist. The right tusk is present while left tusk is absent.
The back-left hand is damaged and the back-right hand shows kapitha mudra. The right fore-hand holds an object which is not unidentifiable and left forehand rests on the lap. The image on eastern niche is left incomplete and sculpting do not show any shape. However, the local people worship this image as Avvaiyar.  Although the presiding deity in this cave is Vishnu, the temple is locally known as Avvaiyaaramman Temple. The image on the left side of Lord Vishnu is believed to be that of Avvai.
Inscriptions
About 600 feet in front of the cave, an inscription in Vatteluthu characters engraved on a rock is seen in Kuravanthattupparai. It belongs to 10th century AD of the later Chola period of Parantaka I. The inscription refers to the 31st regional year and the title of the King ‘Kopparakesari' without mentioning the name of the king and the year. Two more inscriptions found, mention the name of the king and the year. Two more inscriptions found mention only the reginal year and the title of Kopparakesari in Guhanatheeswarar Temple in Kanyakumari and Thanumalayan Swami temple in Suchindrum.
The inscription records a gift of ‘pon’ to the seated Vishnu and the remittance of seven pon as enhancement of tax by one ‘Ippik Kavisigyan Sathan Sravanan of Kuntrap-palli’ to Sree Vaishravanan of that village. The Kazxhugumalai inscription in Tuticorin District records a gift of two ‘Tirumenies’ by the Thiruchranattu Kurattikal to the Kotturnattu Perumparrur Palli. The place name mentioned in the inscription as ‘Munoor rivavi Niyamam’. Niyamam means ‘merchant guild’. The Kurathiyarai rock inscription mentions the gift of pon made to ‘Veetrintharulina Emperuman’, i.e., the seated Vishnu.
Now, this stone sculpture seated Vishnu is seen in damaged condition at about 30 feet from the rock edict. Like the cave temple at Kurathiyarai, the Jain temple of Nagercoil was also converted into a Vishnu temple in the late half of the 16th century AD by the Venadu kings. Similarly, the Jain cave temple at Thirunanthikarai converted into Siva temple during the period of Rajaraja Chola I. Chitharal Jain temple was founded on the depiction given in the Manasara.
The cropped head, handing ear lobes, the complete nakedness of the figures, the meditative mood, the yogic padmasana posture, the Simhaasana with the figures of Chauri bearing Yakshas and Vidyadharas and the other devotees are all praiseworthy. The inscription is engraved on the south of the temple. It is written in Vatteluthu. Characters are in Tamil language. Another inscription is on a pavement stone in front of pagoda. They are in Koleluthu or Vatteluthu characters that are in the old Malayalam-Tamil.
A stone pillar about three feet fall above the ground is installed nearby the rock cut inscription. Inscriptions are made on the four sides of the stone pillar. Apart from these, the inscriptions found in this temple refer to numerous women Jain ascetics which clearly explain the Jain religious activities of this temple.
At present, the temple is being used by the Hindus. They believe that the temple is a Bhagavathi temple. It appears that the temple has been converted into a Bhagavathi temple before 1250 AD. The Tantri of pagoda is a Nambiyar, but the potti performs the poojas as the Nambiyar’s deputy. The temple is called Bhagavathi Koil.
Connectivity
The Temple is located at about 500 meters from Kurathiyarai Bus Stop, 2 Kms from Derisanamcope, 2.5 Kms from Azhagiapandipuram, 5 Kms from Boothapandi, 16 Kms from Aralvaimozhi, 17 Kms from Nagercoil, 18 Kms from Thovalai, 22 Kms from Suchindram, 35 Kms from Kanyakumari and 76 Kms from Thiruvananthapuram. Kurathiyarai Village is situated in the Nagercoil - Kadukkarai Road. Take diversion before Azhagiapandipuram and find out muddy road and travel one km to reach this village. Nearest Railway Stations are located at Thovalai, Nagercoil and Aralvaimozhi. Nearest Airport is located at Thiruvananthapuram.