THE KAVERI SINCE WHEN
“ A CALLOW schoolboy in the first decade of the century was shocked beyond
words when he read in a book by an American hygienist that bathing was
unnecessary for health and might conceivably be harmful. And, though he has
since outgrown many prejudices, he has not been quite able to get over this
one. For he was brought up on the banks of the Kaveri. His day began with a
bath; he envied the blossom grace of the young swimmers though he was too
timorous to emulate them. The water he drank came from the river, not
dripping lukewarm from a metal tap covered with Verdigris but in cool
pitchers carried by gentle hands. In early summer the dry river-bed was his
playground. For many memorable months at a stretch he listened spell-bound
to the Ramayana expounded in the low-roofed spacious mandapa on the bathing
ghat by one of the greatest scholars of his time. To this day the music of
Valmiki brings up for him nostalgic recollections of those “moving waters
at their priest like task.” The festive pipes were often heard there; and
once in a while the long-dawn wail, of the trumpets as a funeral passed by.
But the most abiding memory is the hush that fell on the river in the
gloaming, when the old men standing knee-deep in water offered arghya as
the rooks settled to rest and the stars came out one by one.
Indian culture is essentially a riparian growth.
Apo va idagm sarvam, says the Sruti,
And the Manasaa lays down that the site of a projected village should
be near a stream. Running water has symbolised for us the central mystery
of life, which ever renews itself, yet is never the same. The oiliest
prayer in the world invokes the seven holy streams; and an immemorial
tradition gives the Kaveri pride of place among them all, the Ganga herself
not excepted. She is the mind-born of Brahma, says the Sthala Purana. The
selfless rishi Kavera obtained her for daughter as the result of his long
austerities on the Brahmagiri. He gave her hand in marriage to the sage
Agastya. But, having come down from Heaven to purify the earth and enrich
it, she issued forth at the appointed hour from the water-bowl in which the
patron saint of the South had gathered her in essence along with other holy
streams.
At this point let the historian take up the tale. The turbulent mounts in
stream gathering many tributaries on the Mysore table-land spills all over
the plains till a constructive genius of the first order comes to tame
her. “The
servitude of rivers,” says Gibbon, “is the noblest and most important
victory which man has obtained over the licentiousness of Nature.” And
Chola Karikala, by shoring up the turbid waters between two high banks,
turned what might have been a foetid swamp into a Garden of Eden. Another
Chola, probably Raja Raja, built the Grand Anicut, one of the engineering
marvels of the ancient world. And since then many dams have been built up
and down the river and innumerable canals dug, so that seen from the sky
the Tanjore Delta must appear seamed and scarred with the victory of man
over Nature. Even so the problem of drainage remains largely unsolved. But
the Kaveri for all her vagaries deserves supremely well the title Chola
Mata that a grateful Samskrit poet bestowed on her.
The Kaveri is by no means a mighty stream, reckoned by any standard. Its
length of four hundred and seventy-two miles is exceeded by that of almost
every other famous Indian river, not to mention such foreign giants as the
Mississippi and the Yangtse Kyang. In its most populous reaches it is dry
for six months in the year; and nowhere is it navigable. At its broadest,
above the Upper Anicut, it is hardly more than a mile in width. After the
Kollidam takes off it becomes progressively tenuous till barely a drop of
water is left by the time it reaches the sea. But, for all her physical
smallness, “Dakshinapatha Jahnavee”–(the Ganga of the South)–as she has
been called, has made a name for herself in literature which Roman fibre
and silver-streamed Thames might envy. *The Ramayana and the Mahabharata,
the Bhagavata and the Skandha all speak of her with reverence. To Valmiki
she is “the divine stream, the blessed one, in whose lucent waters the
apsarases love to sport.”*
Tatastam apagam divyam prasannasalilam sivam
Tatra drakshyatha *kavereem vihrtam* apsaro ganaih.
And the matter-of-fact Mahabharata repeats the reference to the apsarases,
those celestial maidens who hold empire over art and song; which speaks
much for the prophetic insight of the poets, since the affinity between
music and the Kaveri has been close and continuous for at least three
hundred years.
The Bhagavata, in describing her as mahabhaga stresses her purity. The
Tamil poets from the Sangam Age downwards have rejoices rather in her
bounty, for them she was Ponni, whose Midas touch turned everything into
gold, Tanneerum Kaviriye (“there is no water like Kaveri water”), said
Avvai, whom no man nor woman for that matter dared to contradict. For
Kamban the gentle river overflows with milk and honey. She is:
The Alwars and the Nayanmars pay brief but pregnant tributes to the sacred
stream on which are situated forty of the hundred-and-eight ‘tiruppatis’ of
Vaishnavism and numberless Siva shrines of hoary antiquity. Among later
panegyrists the most notable are Parasara Bhatta who in his Rangaraja
Sthava, celebrates the beauty and magnificence of the river at Srirangam
the holy island; Tyagaraja who in his Asaveri Kriti Sari Vedalina, playing
a variation on the same theme, pictures her as hastening with joyous
abandon to join the Lord; and Nilakantha Dikshita who in his Siva Lilarnava
gives in a few verses the essence of that culture which is the
characteristic product of the Kaveri. The Dikshita, a grand-nephew of the
great Appayya, was born in Thondamandalam. He lived but a short while in
Tanjore where he studied under the polymath and statesman Govinda Dikshita.
The best part of his life he spent at Madura as Minister of the Nayak
Kings. Such a man can be hardly accused of parochialism, when he writes,
“Whatever else one might wish to praise one inevitably looks to the Chola
Desa for a comparison.” “Svarga and apavarga are equally at the command of
these fortunate mortals. Sweet is Kaveri water; sweeter the milk of the
coconut on her banks; sweetest the songs of her poets.”
This was no exotic culture, no coterie product. It sprang directly from the
life of the people and all classes and all strata contributed to it each in
its measure. It bespoke a social cohesion which even forty years ago had
not visibly broken down. In its palmy days that organic society was perhaps
family-cantered, but its members were not self-centred. They may have been
clannish, but they were not exclusive. Caste was a reality, but there was
hardly such a talking as caste-consciousness. The river, the numerous
far-famed temples on its banks, the feasts, fasts, and ceremonies by which
they reckoned the passing year and which were never complete without a bath
at one or other sacred spot, the body of folk-lore and legend that had
accumulated down the centuries–all these acted as a powerful cement of
social relations. Learning was valued not for one’s own sake nor for the
money it brought but as a means of liberation. Within the hallowed
precincts of the schools there were no such distinctions as high and low,
native and alien.
To the courts of the Chola Kings and their Nayak and Mahratta successors,
poets, musicians and scholars flocked from all parts of the country. They
were received with every mark of honour, assured a modest competence and
allowed complete freedom to devote themselves to their chosen tasks. On the
short stretch of eighty odd miles from SriRangam to the sea three hundred
villages have been listed and if you penetrate to three miles on either
bank the number could easily be tripled. Many of these were Royal grants.
One of the most famous was Sahajirajapuram, established by King Shaji and
better known today as Tiruvisanalloor. Sixty-four families noted for their
learning, contentment, and purity of life were settled here. There were
Maharashtrians, Kannadigas and Telugus among them as there, were Tamils;
and they represented all, the three schools of Vedanta. Ramabhadra the
foremost poet of the Silver Age of Samskrit, Sadashiva Brahmendra the
Mahayogi, Sridhara Venkatesa the prince of devotees and friend of Bodhendra
of Nama Siddhanta fame, Yagnanarayana Yajwa, the author of a great Mimamsa
classic, and hundreds of others who lived in this little village enriched
literature and the arts. They made history and in due course the halo of
sainthood has settled upon them. Within a mile or two of this Brahman
centre of learning and piety and living in perfect amity with the Sankara
Acharya Peetha at Kumbakonam were the great Tamil Adhinams, the home of
Saiva Siddhanta.
*The anonymous author of the Tula Kaveri Mahatmya* in a moment of
illumination characterised the river as sulabha, accessible. She is that in
a supreme measure, but only in the last seventy miles of her course where
lovely little villages are sown thick on either bank. Earth has not
anything to show fairer than this green valley with its dense and yet
orderly vegetation, through which the sun rarely penetrates. The soil is
rich and is constantly renewed by the prodigal river. Even when it goes dry
the water is never far from the surface and the busy picotas make a
pleasing sight. Bountiful nature did not however make for sloth. All
sections of variously gifted people placed their special talents and their
ungrudged labour at the service of the community. They built temples and
choultries, organised festivals, excavated tanks and opened many new
avenues to the questing spirit, because they were animated by maitri.
The wedding of Kaveri to Agastya is symbolic of the Aryan-Dravidian
synthesis which was triumphantly worked out in these ideal conditions. Long
ago, on the banks of the Kaveri, the Tamils achieved an intuitive balance
between tradition and innovation. He offered an unwavering hospitality to
new ideas but took care not to endanger the stability of social life. An
extraordinary subtlety in speculation went hand in hand with an unaffected
attachment to the simple life. The decorative element which proliferates
luxuriantly in the sculpture of the great Chola temples is subdued to the
general design which is securely grounded in metaphysics. Not for nothing
did the temple serve for ages as the nerve-centre of the community. Today
the villages are half-empty, the temples too often in the undisturbed
possession of bats and owls; the Kaveri is rich in her bounty as ever, but
the hands are too few that are stretched out to receive the guerdon. But no
man who has lived on her banks in the impressionable years can forget her
quiet. Echoing the memorable confession of a great scholar in another
context, he might say: “Familiar with all scepticism’s, expert in tracing
all beliefs to primitive superstitions, explorers of the infinitely great
and infinitely small, we are children of the Kaveri still.”*
* Reprinted by courtesy of All-India Radio, Madras. The author is indebted
to Dr. V. Raghavan for placing at his disposal material that has been
collected for a book on the Kaveri which is to be brought out under the
auspices of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham, Kumbakonam.
K Rajaram IRS 14724 Dr Raghavan an erudite came to my memory thanks to the
compiler.
On Sun, 14 Jul 2024 at 02:38, Gopala Krishnan <[email protected]> wrote:
> *TALACAUVERY AND LORD SIVA TEMPLE*
>
> Dear friends,
>
> About six years back when my son and his family came on vacation, we
> decided to go to Bangalore and along with daughter and grandson go to
> Madikkeri and nearby areas. Daughter arranged tour Package with Akbar
> Travels.
>
> I was interested to go Thalacauvery as part of tour. Recollection of the
> Tamil film Dr Siva watched by me long back in theatre , came to my
> recollection- Late Sivaji Ganesan and Late Manjula performing pooja at
> Talakkaveri.
>
> This posting is about Talakkaveri and Lord Siva and other temples. For
> better clarity the information are compiled from different websites and
> compiled and posted. Hope a divine reading.
>
> Gopalakrishnan 14-7-2024
>
> 1 Introduction
>
> Talacauvery, the birthplace or the origin of River Cauvery is a holy place
> or a pilgrimage for many Hindus. The place is considered to be the source
> of the river Cauvery. Located on the Brahmagiri Hills in Bhagamandala town,
> Talacauvery stands tall at a height of 1276 meters above sea level in the
> Kodagu district of Karnataka state. This pious pilgrimage is also closer to
> the Kasargod district of Kerala state. The holy temple is located 48 km
> from the district’s main town Madikkeri and is accessible only via a road
> crossing coffee plantations. It holds high religious importance as well and
> thus attracts hordes of religious tourists.
>
> Talacauvery is dedicated to the Goddess Kaveramma and is the main deity.
> The other deities worshipped here are-
>
> Lord Agasthiswara. It is believed to have a strong connection and a link
> between Cauvery and Sage Agasthya.
>
> A rectangular tank known as Cauvery or Brahma Kundike is considered to be
> the birthplace of river Cauvery. This is the spot that marks the origin of
> the mighty river and is ornated beautifully with a small shrine of silver
> Shivalinga.
>
> This is the point from where river Cauvery emerges as a spring and
> disappears underground. The river again emerges at a point near
> Bhagamandala and joins the other two rivers Kannike and Sujyoti. The
> amalgam point of the three rivers is called Triveni Sangam.
>
> As per the local beliefs, the water here at Talacauvery has miraculous and
> healing powers. A dip in the holy water here is believed to have heal
> various physical and psychological griefs.
>
> River Cauvery is one of the seven sacred rivers of Sapta Sindhus belonging
> to the Hindu scriptures. Kaveri emerges out of a spring in a rock
> formation, and flows on to a bigger tank.
>
> 2 Temple
>
> A tank or kundike is erected on a hillside, at the place that is said to
> be the river's origin. It is also marked by a small temple, and the area
> is frequented by pilgrims. The river originates as a spring feeding this
> tank, which is considered to be a holy place to bathe. The waters are then
> said to flow underground to emerge as the Kaveri river some distance away.
> The temple has been renovated extensively, most recently in 2007 by the
> state government.
>
> 3 Deiites
>
> The place has two temples. One temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and has
> an ancient Shiva Linga. Another temple is of Lord Ganesha. At this
> temple, you will find a holy Ashwantha tree. According to legend,
> Lords-Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh gave the glimpses of their holy avatars to
> sage Agastya.
>
> As told earlier - The temple here is dedicated to Goddess Kaveramma. Other
> deities worshipped here are Lord Agasthiswara, which denotes the link
> between Kaveri and Sage Agasthya.
>
> The link between Kaveri and Lord Ganesha extends to Srirangam, in Lord
> Ganesha's role in setting up the Ranganatha temple there.
>
> We first worship in the temple and then perform pooja. Devotees will be
> in Queue for performing pooja. The couples have to join it. One by one the
> pooja is conducted. No pooja tickets. Only Dakshina to the priests.
>
> 4 performing pooja
>
> Pooja items are sold before the entrance, near car parking area. The
> couples are asked to sit before the small enclosure where Kaveri orginates.
> The Shivalli Tulu Brahmin priests called Achars pronounces mantras and
> we have to recite them offering flowers. At the end water is sprinkled on
> us from the kund and we have to offer Dakshinas. No prescribed amount is
> there for dakshina. Most offer 200 to 500 rupees. The pooja timing is
> about 5-7 minutes only for each couple.
>
> 5 Taking bath
>
> Near the kundike, there is a shrine. In front of the shrine, a huge tank
> has been built where pilgrims take bath and offer prayers.
>
> After entering the temple first we perform pooja and then take bath in the
> pond. It is compulsory to wear towel while taking bath. While taking bath
> one goes near the priest, he take one brasspot full of water on the devotee
> from the kundike. For swiping a second towel must be kept. After bath,
> there are rooms to change dresses.
>
> Whether one performs pooja or not all can take bath. From the family one
> elder couples perofrm pooja. Police are on the alert of devotees to wear
> towel before entering water. One part of the pond is used by ladies. Ladies
> take dip with full clothing. There is ample facilities for dress change
> with privacy.
>
> 6Tula Sankramana
>
> As per the Hindu calendar, the first day of Tula month (mid of October,
> usually 17th October), is celebrated by a festival called Tula or Cauvery
> Sankramma. Thousands of people participate in the festival and take a dip
> in the holy water and take the blessing of Goddess Cauvery. The festival is
> celebrated in grandeur with processions and fairs ( Jatre), local vendors
> offering local delicacies, and souvenir shops making the festival an
> enchanting and enjoyable one for everyone. The puja and the celebrations
> are performed with the local traditional folk music making it even more
> auspicious. Many devotees visit the shrine during the month of October on
> Sankramana day. During this time, it is said that one can see sudden
> bubbling and frothing of the small well which symbolises the appearance of
> the Goddess Cauvery.
>
> 6a Greenary
>
> Located amidst the breathtaking views of the Brahmagiri hills, Tala
> Cauvery is not just a pilgrimage. An epitome of picturesque landscapes, the
> location of Tala Cauvery is perfect for nature lovers and for those who
> love to soak up the serenity of misty hills. A walk around the premises or
> a small climb heading to the Brahmagiri hill will quench your thirst for a
> hike in the lap of lush green nature. It’s a paradise and a visual treat
> for nature lovers.
>
> 7How to Reach
>
> Crossing the gorgeous coffee plantations, valleys, and streams one can
> reach Talacauvery from Madikeri town by road. About 45 KMs . During the
> monsoon, in case of heavy rains, the route from Madikeri to Talacauvery
> becomes difficult to access. It is advisable to avoid the route and visit
> Coorg during heavy rains.
>
> 8 Best time to visit Talacauvery
>
> Being one of the most scenic hill stations in South India, Coorg is
> generally crowded during the summer. Post-monsoon and winters are the
> best seasons to visit Coorg and Talacauvery. The temple is however open
> throughout the year.
>
> 9 Temple Timings
>
> The temple is usually open from 6 am to 6 pm every day.
>
> 10 Talakaveri Entry Fee
>
> No entry fee
>
> 11 Darshan & Pooja Timings
>
> Schedule Timings
>
> Temple Timings 6:00 am to 6:00 pm
>
> Abhisheka 7:00 am
>
> Mahamangalarathi 5:45 pm
>
> Temple and premises are closed from 6PM to 6 AM. And fully guarded.
>
> 12 Talakaveri Coorg Address:
>
> Bhagamandala, Kodagu, Coorg, Karnataka, 571247, India
>
> 080 2235 2828
>
> Note: No Entry to devotees from 6.00 pm to 6.00 am
>
> 13 History of temple priests
>
> It is believed that Mayura Varma, and the Kadamba king Narasimman, who
> ruled vast areas of southern and central India in the 4th Century A.D.,
> brought Brahmins from Ahi Kshetra and put them in charge of various temples
> in Tulu Nadu.
>
> The Brahmins who first landed in Shivalli in Tulunadu and then spread
> across 31 villages came to be known as Shivalli Brahmins or Tulu Brahmins. It
> is from Shivalli and Tulu Brahmins, that the priests of Talakaveri temple
> have come from.
>
> 14 Achar Family of Talakaveri
>
> The beginning of the Achar family in Talakaveri starts ten generations or
> about 220 to 240 years ago. A Brahmin named Venkappayya and his two
> brothers, along with their families came to Talakaveri on a pilgrimage.
> Lingaraja the First was the ruler of Kodagu from 1780 to 1790 AD. One night
> God appeared in Lingaraja's dream and indicated that there was a Brahmin
> family currently visiting Talakaveri. God commanded Lingaraja to appoint
> this Brahmin to be the priest at the temple.
>
> After the king arose from his dream, he sent for this Brahmin family. The
> king's messengers found Venkappayya in Talakaveri and informed him about
> the king's desire. Venkappayya accompanied the king's messengers from
> Talakaveri to Madikeri, a distance of about 24 miles to meet the king.
>
> Lingaraja received Venkappayya and requested him to start daily puja at
> the temple. The king set up an endowment to pay Venkappayya for his
> services at the temple. This was the beginning of the Achar family of
> Talacauvery.
>
> The priesthood bestowed by Lingaraja upon Venkappayya has passed on
> through many generations to his heirs. It is hereditary as most
> priesthoods are, and all male members of the family have the birth right to
> become priests at the temple. The current Achars are the ninth generation
> from Venkappayya.
>
> Venkappayya came from Shivalli Halli (village) of South Canara district.
> The Brahmins here were called Putturayas, probably meaning priests from
> Puttur. This Puttur is near Udupi. Venkappayya Putturaya's descendants are
> the Achars. It is not known why the descendants of Venkappayya took on the
> surname of Achar. Although Venkappayya came to Talakaveri with his two
> brothers, only Venkappayya's descendants are documented.
>
> 15 Rainfall.
>
> It is situated in the dense forests of the Western Ghats and gets very
> heavy annual rainfall of close to 700 cm (280 in). It is among the wettest
> places in the state of Karnataka.
>
> 16What is Talakaveri famous for?
>
> It is an Important religious place. It is the birth place of sacred river
> Cauvery, 46 km from Madikeri. A small shrine with a beautifully decorated
> silver Shiva linga marks the spot where the mighty river originates.
>
> 17 Which God is in Talakaveri?
>
> Talacauvery is dedicated to the Goddess Kaveramma and is the main deity.
> The other deities worshipped here are Lord Agasthiswara,Lord Siva and Lord
> Ganesha. It is believed to have a strong connection and a link between
> Cauvery and Sage Agasthya.
>
> 18 How does water come in Talakaveri?
>
> Water comes out from a small 1.5x1. 5 feet pit and the same is collected
> in a tank and allowed to flow,which later on converts into a river. No
> photography is allowed inside the main campus. People perform pooja also
> at the river origin point. Water is carried away in pitchers,being sacred
> water.
>
> 19 What is the dress code for Talacauvery Temple?
>
> Men should wear shirt and trousers while women are required to wear saree
> or chudidhar.
>
> 20 What is special in Talakaveri?
>
> The site of the famous Shiva-linga at a height is believed to be the spot
> where the Hindu Lord Shiva himself confronted sage Agasthya. All these
> legends add a fine historic touch to the place.
>
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