JOIN USWe are in scenic and serene surrounds, in the midst of rolling hills, expansive fields and clear blue waters. We are in the village of Thondanur, as the region came to be named by Ramanujacharya, the 11th century Vaishnavite philosopher-saint who stayed here for many years after leaving Srirangam in Tamil Nadu. The village, referred to as Yadava Narayana Chaturvedi Mangalam in ancient times, set in sylvan surroundings, beckons visitors with its three ancient temples and a sprawling man-made lake.
Medicinal properties
The blue aqueous beauty, Thondanur Lake is our first halt. Nestled in picturesque environs, the lake area encompasses the Tipu Caves, the Padmagiri hillock with its turtle rock that is much sought after by rock climbers, and Ramanuja Gange, a small waterfall. The lake, a vast expanse of water, it is believed, was designed and built as a gorge between rocky hills, under the guidance of Ramanujacharya who named it Tirumalasagara. The lake, it is claimed, has medicinal properties and that its water has never dried up since its creation, even in severe drought conditions. According to records, when Tipu Sultan visited the lake, he saw pebbles through its clear waters, and named the lake Moti Talab, or the Lake of Pearls.
We descend a flight of steps to savour the cool waters of Thondanur Lake. It is said that Ramanujacharya fled Srirangam to escape persecution by the Chola king, Kulottunga, a staunch Shaivite who ruled large regions of Tamil Nadu. Travelling along the course of River Cauvery, Ramanujacharya reached Thondanur, a flourishing centre of Jain theology, ruled then by the Hoysala king Bitti Deva. At Thondanur, Ramanuja was warmly welcomed by one of his prime disciples, Thondanur Nambi. According to existing inscriptions, Thondanur, also called Thonnur, served as the second capital of the Hoysalas.
There is an interesting story of how King Bitti Deva, a staunch Jaina follower, converted to the Vaishnavite faith. Bitti Deva was unhappy over the plight of his daughter who was possessed of an evil spirit. Neither medicine nor mendicants could heal her. As per the suggestion of Thondanur Nambi, Bitti Deva approached Ramanujacharya, who bade the king to make his daughter bathe in the waters of Thondanur Lake. Ramanujacharya then invoked the blessings of Lord Narasimha at the temple atop a small hillock there, and placed the Narasimha danda or wand on the girl’s head, and much to the surprise of all those present, the girl was instantly rid of her malady. An overjoyed Bitti Deva, much against the wishes of his people, adopted the Vaishnavite faith. He was rechristened as Vishnuvardhana by Ramanujacharya.
Unique idol
We climb over a dozen steps to reach the Narasimha Temple. Legend has it that the idol of Narasimha was installed in the Tretha Yuga by Prahalada, a steadfast devotee of Vishnu. We see a rare image of Ramanujacharya here, an idol that the Acharya himself installed in the temple before he left for Srirangam. The Acharya is in shesha roopa, having as hood, the seven-headed cobra. Also exhibited in this temple is the wand or danda with which Ramanuja is believed to have liberated Bitti Deva’s daughter from the evil spirit.
There is a strong belief that whoever invokes the blessing of Yoga Narasimha here, will have his or her wishes fulfilled. A box used by Ramanuja during his stay at Thondanur is also on display at the temple. The annual Narasimha Jayanthi, Ramanuja Utsava and Swathi Thirumanjanam are the important festivals celebrated here.
Our next halt is the Nambi Narayana
Temple. According to some quarters of people, it was originally a Jain basadi that was transformed into the Vishnu temple with the arrival of Ramanujacharya and subsequent conversion of Bitti Deva to the Vaishnavite faith. The temple is deemed the first and the oldest of the Pancha Narayana Kshetras. Here the idol of Vishnu as Nambi Narayana was installed by Ramanujacharya himself. While the idol in the sanctum is said to be over 5,500 years old, the temple itself, was built about 1,000 years ago with contributions by several kings who ruled over the region at various points of time. As a result, the temple is a blend of different styles of architecture. Though the Cholas are credited with the architectural design of the temple, the actual temple construction is attributed to the Hoysalas.
According to a temple inscription, Suragi Nagaiah, one of Vishnuvardhana’s generals, is credited with building the temple in the 12th century, to commemorate the king’s victory over the Cholas at Talakad. The absence of the Raja Gopura or entrance tower is a pointer to Hoysala style of temple building. The outer walls of the temple and the entire inner circumambulatory area display a solid base and a strong structure. Ramanujacharya, it is supposed, renovated the temple, made additions to it in the form the mantapas and also consecrated the idol.
The temple as it stands today, consists of a navaranga, a maharanga mantapa, an ardha mantapa, a sukanasi, a garbha griha and a massive paataalankana. The pillars in the navaranga are embellished with motifs of flowers and beads, besides the carvings of ashtadikpalakas. The vimana or tower of the shrine is built of mortar, in Dravidian style. While the maharanga mantapa looks grand in simplicity, held aloft by 50 pillars, the paataalankana with its 40 octagonal-faced pillars is eye-catching. The 45-feet garuda sthambha, the characteristic feature of all Vishnu temples, lies in front of the paataalankana.
The garbha griha is adorned with a tall east-facing idol of Nambi Narayana, the presiding deity. With conch in the right hand and discus in the left hand, he stands resplendent in all finery. The processional deity is Lakshmi Narayana with his consorts Sri Devi and Bhoo Devi. One of the main festivals celebrated by the temple is the five-day brahmotsava between April-May every year.
Walking across the road and bang opposite the Nambi Narayana Temple, we come upon the Venugopalaswamy Temple, our final stop in Thondanur and the last of its three temples, dating even before the Nambi Narayana Temple. The temple dedicated to the flute-playing Lord Krishna is believed to be a restructured version of an earlier temple built by the epic character Yudhishtira. A basadi-like tower, sukanasi, navaranga, mukha mantapa and garbha griha define the temple architecture.
Thondanur is about 30 km from Mysuru and 15 km from Pandavapura in Mandya district.