Kamban's Saraswathi
The bronze image of Saraswathi worshipped by the Tamil poet.
TEMPLES DEDICATED to Saraswathi are few. The temple of Saraswathi inside the fort of Padmanabhapuram in Kanyakumari district is one among them. According to local tradition, the deity was worshipped by Kamban.
According to history, Saraswathi Andhadi was sung by Kamban in the court of the Chera King, while Sadagopar Andhadi was composed in court of the Pandya King. During the period of Kamban, Venadu was a part of Cheranadu, and Kalkulam, now known as Padmanabhapuram, was the capital of Venadu. The erstwhile Venadu and Nanchilanadu form the present Kanyakumari district.
In political history, there was close contact between Nanchilanadu and the Chola kingdom even during the Sangam period. The war of Thalaialankalam was one of the famous battles of the period. A poem in `Agananuru' written by Nakkirar says that Nanchil Porunan along with the Chola king opposed the Pandya king Nedunchezhian in the battle of Thalaialankalam. The history of Imperial Cholas tells us the continuity of the same political contact between Nanchilanadu and Cholanadu.
Epigraphical evidence reveals that Kanyakumari was under the rule of Raja Raja Chola. On the basis of the relationship between Nanchilnadu and Cholanadu for a long period, it is quite likely that Kamban, who was born at Therazhndur in Cholanadu, might have come to Nanchilnadu during his exile.
In the Ramaswamy temple at Padmanabhapuram, the complete story of Ramayana has been depicted dramatically around the prakara in wooden panels. This is an influence of Kamban's Ramayana not of Valmiki.
In Valmiki Ramayana, Ravana is depicted to have carried Sita holding her tresses with one hand and her thigh with another hand. But Kamban could not bear the thought of Ravana touching Sita physically. He therefore wrote that the Rakshasa dug up and lifted the earth around her. In the story of Ramayana depicted on the wooden panels, Ravana never touched Sita. Also, according to Valmiki, Lakshmana carried out Rama's order by maiming Soorpanaka's ears and nose in the presence of Rama. But in Kambaramayana, Lakshmana disfigures Soorpanaka in the absence of Sri Rama. In this episode also, the wooden panel has followed Kamban.
The impact of Kambaramayana can be seen in Malayalam literature also. The history of Malayalam literature, written by Govinda Pillai and Thunchen Prabandham says that Kambaramayana verses are used in puppet shows held in the temples of Kerala. Here, they follow the practice of enacting and singing puranic stories. Kambaramayana again plays a major role in their performances. Ullur Parameswar Iyer says in his Kerala Sahitya Charithram that Kamban came to Kerala and recited his Ramayana to people. A temple record of Ettumanur refers to the recitation of Kambaramayana in the temple. These facts confirm that Kamban had visited Padmanabhapuram fort. And he might have brought with him his personal bronze idol of Saraswathi, which he worshipped daily. The same idol is now worshipped in the temple at Padmanabhapuram.
In ancient days, when Padmanabhapuram was the capital of Venadu rulers, a Navarathri mandapam was built in Tamil Nadu style inside the palace. After the capital was shifted to Thiruvananthapuram, the people of Kerala took the image of Saraswathi to the Navarathri mandapam in front of Padmanabha Swamy temple there and celebrated Navarathri in a grand manner.
The idol of Saraswathi, in a procession, on the back of an elephant, is received by the people enroute Padmanabhapuram to Thiruvananthapuram with pomp and pageantry.
Thus, the idol of Saraswathi, which was worshipped by Kamban, occupies the main altar in the Navarathri festival celebrated by Keralites at Thiruvananthapuram every year.
S. PADMANABHAN
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