PONNIYIN SELVAN TRAIL

Love at first sound -  is how I’d describe the fairy tale! 4 years ago I stumbled upon an amazing audiobook titled “Ponniyin Selvan - authored by Amarar Kalki and rendered by Bombay Kannan" at the quaint footwear room of the mighty Brihadeswara temple in Tanjore. I had heard people rave about Ponniyin Selvan and hence decided to give it a try. The audio book is a beautiful rendition of the classic - perfect background music, different (and apt too) voices for different characters & absolute clarity in recording make the audiobook an irresistible one! 

Ponniyin Selvan is a 5 volume epic by Amarar Kalki about how the mighty Chola king Arulmozhivarmar @ Raja Raja Cholan ascended the throne. The novel is so full of literary beauty, emotions, twists, eclectic characterisations and what not! Amarar Kalki’s extensive travel, deep research and literary genius shines forth in every page of the classic! 

My good friend Kaarthick (another victim of the Ponniyin Selvan bug) and I embarked on a 3 day Ponniyin Selvan trail on 21-08-2018 and here is the travelogue:

DAY 1:

We left Coimbatore at around 5:30 a.m, filled with curiosity, energy and  expectations... Our 5 hour drive took us to Veeranam aeri (Aeri = lake or lough). Veeranarayana Aeri (as it was then known) was where Vanthiyathevan enters the classic riding a horse, admiring the scenic beauty of River Kaveri flowing through the 74 canals built by the Chola kings. The bumpy road gave us the feeling that we too were trotting alongside the brave soul Vanthiyathevan… The very thought that he may have stood where we stood, sat where we sat, seen what we were seeing gave us goosebumps!

We were absolutely fortunate to have seen the river just as Vanthiyathevan had witnessed it - flushed with water and flowing in its full glory! The lake had been dry for almost 13 long years and the heavy rains in Kerala and Karnataka had rescued the lake from the pangs of drought! 

Our 2nd destination was Veeranarayana Perumal temple - a temple as old as the dam there. The Chola king who built the aeri and the dam had built  the temple for Lord Perumal who is believed to be the guardian of the dam and the lake. Many localities could neither connect to the name “Veeranarana Perumal Kovil” nor were they aware of its historic significance! They referred to it as just “an old Perumal temple”. The temple is situated at Kaatumannarkovil, the birthplace of the Nathamunigal, the great Vaishnavite who collected and compiled the Nalayira Divya Prabandham (the compilation of works of 12 Alwar saints which now forms an integral part of a Vaishnavite’s religious life).

A few kilometres away from the temple is the place where Vanthiyathevan had crossed the Kollidam river to reach Kadambur Sambuvarayar’s palace. Kollidam again was flushed with water which was a visual treat!   Sambuvarayar’s palace, is the place where 2 important events in the novel take place: 1. The secret gathering of the conspirators happens 2. The assassination of Aditha Karigalar (elder brother of Raja Raja Cholan). There are no traces of a palace now but the elderly localities showed us a place called Periyamedu where the palace was believed to have stood.

Our next stop was Gangaikonda Cholapuram, the capital of Rajendra Cholan. Though unrelated to the epic, the fact that it was created by Raja Raja Cholan’s son makes it a place you shouldn't miss. It is within an hour’s drive from Melakadambur, as Kadambur is now known. (There is another place called Kadambur, 70 kms away from Melakadambur. So please be mindful, lest you land up in the wrong place).

Gangaikonda Cholapuram has 3 spots that shouldn't be missed: 

1. Brihadeswara temple - a massive Shiva temple built by Rajendra Chola which is an architectural marvel. (please note that this is different from the Brihadeswarar temple in Tanjore built by Raja Raja Chola)
2. Rajendra Cholan museum which houses a few remnants of the Rajendra era.
3. Maaligai medu: the remains of Rajendra Cholan’s palace now guarded by the archaeological department.   

Brihadeswara temple

Swords at Rajendra Museum

                                       
                                  

Maaligai medu

 We then headed to Kumbakonam (referred to as Kudanthai in Ponniyin Selvan) where we stayed that night.

DAY 2:

We began the day from Palaiyaarai (the ancient capital of the Cholas). We visited Venupureeswarar temple - the ancient Shiva temple that Sembiyan Maadevi and Kunthavai Piraati used to visit each day. Within a few hundred metres away lies the place called Cholan Maaligai - the place where the Chola palace would have stood majestically ages ago! There are now no traces of the palace. The place is now filled with houses, petty shops and people whose livelihoods depend on income generated from the petty shops around the temple.

Our 2nd stop was Udaiyalur, the place where the great Raja Raja Cholan is believed to have  been buried! A small sivalingam has been installed over the samadhi, which is in a plot of private land. We got to interact with the owner of the property, a simple man who seemed happy about the promise of the authorities to build a befitting memorial for the great king… 

We then headed to Panchavan Maadevi Pallipadai, a temple unknown to most localities - the place where Panchavan maadevi, one of Raja Raja Cholan’s wives, has been buried. The priest there lamented about how a lot of repair and maintenance needs to be done but are pending due to dearth of funds. The temple is small but calm and spiritually vibrant!

We then went via Arisalaaru, the place where Kundhavai’s friends pranked Vanthiyathevan with the carcass of a crocodile while he returned from the Kudanthai Jothidar’s house. I couldn't help but reminisce about the countless times I had stood embarrassed in front of pretty girls! As my friend Kaarthick drove, I sat mentally talking to Vanthiyethevan, empathising with him and telling him that its ok to be embarrassed at times... "We're warriors after all" I sighed!

Our final destination in Kumbakonam was Airavadeeswarar temple, a temple unrelated to the classic but built by Raja Raja Cholan 2, the great grandson of Arulmozhivarmar or Raja Raja Chola 1. It is another architectural marvel, declared as a Unesco World heritage site... The architecture is marvellous and the attention to details fills us with pride! What amazing architects and artists our forefathers have been! How much love they must have had for Lord Shiva to have poured so much love and attention into carving every small structure there!

After meditating at the Airavadeeswarar temple, we headed to Nagapattinam, where Soodaamani Viharam, the buddha vihar  (buddhist monastery) in which Vanthiyathevan and Poonkulali admitted Arulmozhivarmar (who was then treated and cared for by the buddhist monks) stands majestically. Ironically, what was once a place of intense meditation and quietude is today a bustling place of conflict resolution - Soodamani Viharam is now the District munsif court of Nagapattinam!  

 After a simple and rather mediocre lunch at Nagapattinam, we drove towards Kodiyakkarai (a 60 km drive) where we first visited the light house or kodiyakkarai kalangarai vilakkam (ask for the old light house situated within the boundaries of the animal sanctuary there). This is where Poonkulali resided and where Oomai Rani was rumoured to have committed suicide. The sanctuary is now devoid of any trees, you’d only get to see thorny bushes, horses and deers - all of them lean on account of starvation, thanks to the drought! But the forest must have once been fertile and dense when Amarar Kalki had visited… This is the forest in which Poonkulali noticed balls of fire popping out of the earth’s surface, where Vanthiyathevan chased Poonkulali to retrieve his belongings and where Poonkulali hid Vanthiyathevan from Paluvetaraiyar’s men.

Our final spot for the day was Kulagar Kovil, a Shiva temple frequented by Poonkulali. It is a mid-sized temple so full of tranquility… Since we had a long drive ahead of us, we left the temple in half an hour and reached Tanjore for the night.

Day 3:

Our final lap began at Tanjore Brihadeswarar Temple @ Thanjai Periya Kovil where we spent close to 2 hours - basking in the spiritual magnetism  and admiring the architectural marvel. It was pradosham, a sacred day for the Saivites and that added to our joy! We learnt that the Big Nandhi wasn't built by Raja raja Cholan but by the Maratha kings during their reign. Amazed  by the fact that Raja Raja Cholan took just 7 years to complete the construction of this massive temple, we walked around the temple with the awe that we were walking on the same path in which the mighty Raja Raja Cholan must have once walked! It is a holy experience which only a Ponniyin Selvan lover would be able to relate to!

                       

We then headed to Thiruvaiyaru, the holy land of five rivers where we first visited Thyagaraja temple, the Jeeva Samadhi of Saint Thyagarajar, situated on the scenic shore of the Kaveri river! We sat on the shore, lost in the beauty and grandeur of Kaveri that flowed majestically unmindful of who was admiring her…

Our next stop was Aiyarappar Kovil, the temple where Kundhavai Piratti, Vanathi devi and Poonkulali stood watching the Urchavam march and bid farewell to Arulmozhi Varmar and Vanthiyathevan who were on their way to Tanjore. 

 







Our final destination was Kallanai, a majestic dam totally unrelated to Ponniyin Selvan but closely associated with the Chola Kingdom. It is a massive dam build by Karikal Cholan 2000 years ago. The kallanai dam diverts Kaveri into 4 streams - Kaveri, Kollidam, Vennaru and Puthaaru. The dam stands strong even after 2000 years and stands as an epitome of the Chola dynasty’s majesty, vision and people-centric regime!

The memories of the Ponniyin Selvan trail is a treasure Kaarthick and I would carry with us even to our graves! If you are a history buff, you shouldn't miss Ponniyin Selvan and if you are a Ponniyin Selvan fan, you shouldn't miss this holy trail!