Dear Westin, Chidambaram, Kanchipuram, Tiruvanaikka, Tiruvannamalai, and Kalahasti indeed all feature in the hymns of the Tēvāram (7th to 9th c.?), but the concept of these five sites forming a group is not. The earliest reference to the pañcabhūtasthala concept that I am aware of is found in verse 100 of the Kuñcitāṅghristava of Umāpati Śivācārya (14th c.) (quoted in Hermann Kulke: Cidambaramāhātmya, Wiesbaden 1970, p. 140). However, it is not clear when this concept became well established. At least in the case of Kanchipuram, the local māhātmya/sthalapurāṇa texts do not make any mention of Kanchipuram being a part of such a group.
Best wishes, Jonas Buchholz From: INDOLOGY <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Westin Harris via INDOLOGY Sent: Saturday, February 8, 2025 1:13 AM To: Rastelli, Marion <[email protected]> Cc: Indology <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [INDOLOGY] Konkaneswara, Konganar, & Brhadisvara Mahatmya? Dear Jonas, Marion, and other Indologists, Many thanks for your replies. These are extremely helpful leads. If I may, I have one more question to add to the conversation. When do we first find mention of Thilla Nataraja (Chidambaram), Ekambaresvara (Kanci), Jambukesvara (Tiruchirapalli), Arunacalesvara (Thiruvannamalai), and Srikalahasti (Kalahasthi) as the pancabhutasthalas (five elemental [Saiva] sites)? I have found references suggesting that these same temples are mentioned among the 200+ padalpetrasthalas in the medieval writings of the Nayanmars. Is the pancabhutasthala collection also mentioned in these (or other) medieval sources, or is it a later development? Sincerely, Westin Harris Ph.D. Candidate Study of Religion University of California, Davis https://religionsgrad.ucdavis.edu/people/westin-harris<https://religions.ucdavis.edu/people/westin-harris> 2021 Dissertation Fellow, The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Program in Buddhist Studies Sarva Mangalam. On Fri, Feb 7, 2025 at 4:16 AM Rastelli, Marion <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: Dear Westin, The Divyasūricarita, a Śrīvaiṣṇava hagiography, describes a Koṅkana riding on a flying tiger at the beginning of chapter 3. Best wishes, Marion Rastelli From: INDOLOGY <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> On Behalf Of Buchholz, Jonas via INDOLOGY Sent: Friday, February 7, 2025 12:46 PM To: Westin Harris <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> Cc: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> Subject: [EXT] Re: [INDOLOGY] Konkaneswara, Konganar, & Brhadisvara Mahatmya? External Email: please use links and attachments from trusted sources only Dear Westin, I’m afraid I cannot really answer your question, but in just case you were not already aware, Indira Peterson has worked on the Bṛhadīśvaramāhātmya. I don’t know if she is a member of this list, but it might be worth contacting her directly. For what it’s woth, the sage Koṅkaṇa also features in the origin story of the Vīraṭṭāṉeśvara temple in Kanchipuram as it is told in the Śaiva Kāñcīmāhātmya and its Tamil adaptation, Civañāṉa Muṉivar’s Kāñcippurāṇam. There is, however, no mention of Koṅkaṇa riding a tiger or of the other narrative elements that you mentioned. Best wishes, Jonas Buchholz ____ _____ Dr. Jonas Buchholz Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities Project “Hindu Temple Legends in South India” Karl Jaspers Centre Voßstr. 2 | Building 4400 | Room 004 69115 Heidelberg, Germany P: +49 (0)6221 54 4095 E: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> W: https://www.hadw-bw.de/htl From: INDOLOGY <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> On Behalf Of Westin Harris via INDOLOGY Sent: Wednesday, February 5, 2025 4:36 AM To: INDOLOGY <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> Subject: [INDOLOGY] Konkaneswara, Konganar, & Brhadisvara Mahatmya? Greetings Indologists, I am looking for some help from the list's esteemed cadre of experts on Tamil Nadu. Direct answers or references to secondary sources are both welcome. If I am reading Gopalan's preface to Raghavan's edition of the Cola Campu correctly, the Brhadisvara Mahatmya attributes the establishment of Tanjore's Konkanesvara Temple to the siddha Konganar. Is this correct (narratively speaking, not historically)? If so, do we have any reliable dates for the Brhadisvara Mahatmya? At Konkanesvara, there are several images (paintings and statues) of an ascetic riding upon a tiger. Local informants explained that this image represents Konganar Cittar himself, and relates to a local legend in which Śiva came to reside in Konganar's jatamukuta and Indra transformed into his tiger mount. Can anyone corroborate these details? If so, is this legend, particularly the tiger-riding element, attested in any written sources (of course, not to imply that a narrative must to be written to be important)? Many thanks. PS. I'm writing from my phone so I apologize for the lack of diacritics. Sincerely, Westin Harris Ph.D. Candidate Study of Religion University of California, Davis https://religionsgrad.ucdavis.edu/people/westin-harris<https://religions.ucdavis.edu/people/westin-harris> 2021 Dissertation Fellow, The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Program in Buddhist Studies Sarva Mangalam.
_______________________________________________ INDOLOGY mailing list [email protected] https://list.indology.info/mailman/listinfo/indology
