Women Entering Sanctums .......

For eighteen long years , my husband and I have been travelling to many places in India, visiting many Temples. We have had some exhilarating experiences in a few very ancient Temples / Temple towns. We have met some awesome / evolved individuals on these sojourns. We have gained a lot of knowledge on Temples / Temple Architecture / the Aaagamas or rules that guide worship in Temples, the Shilpa Sasthras etc. etc. I am not going into detail and give a big lecture eliciting big yawns from you. I will just share with you what a group of enlightened sculptors shared with me at a site where a Temple was coming up - a Temple exclusively constructed with Stones...without using bricks, cement, lime or wood.

A village near Kanchipuram- called Orirukkai is the place I am referring to, where a Temple has been erected to the Sage of Kanchi - Shree Chandrashekharendra Saraswathi Swami of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham. A thousand years ago a unique stone Temple was built for Lord Siva by King Raja Raja Chozha at Tanjore. That was an inspiration that laid the foundation to this all-stone Temple at Orirukkai. On our first visit to this village, we saw the Temple just coming up in the vast expanse of land where silence was broken only by the sounds of the chisels....music for the ears and souls to the lovers of Art and spirituality.

We were so enamoured that we made subsequent visits to see this architectural marvel coming up slowly and taking some photographs at every stage.

What I would love to share with you here is the conversations I had with the sculptors. Since the subject I studied in College was World Architecture, Sculpture and Painting - with an emphasis on Indian Architecture, I was amazed at the facts I learned from these artisans (so far totally unknown to me, not taught by my college ).

I never knew that stones were segregated genderwise - masculine, feminine and neuter ( non gender or common gender ). Male Deities were carved from the masculine stones. The stones from which the female deities were sculpted were the female stones. The rest - the halls ( mandapams), pillars, decors, the floors, the base, other motifs- were all carved out of the neuter stones.

The figures remained just ordinary stone objects till they were shifted to the Temple complex, soaked in water for 48 days and then dried and covered with paddy, till they were taken out and charged with energy by abhishekhams with water into which sacred chants had been imbued. The eyes were the last to be chiselled and immediately covered with sandal paste thereafter. This would be opened only during the consecration of the Temple. Only after these rituals, the stone images became Moorthies or Deities.......Gods who bless us.

The gender of the stone was identified by the Sculptor through the sound which emanated when the rock was struck with the Chisel and selected accordingly for the male and female deities. The neuter stones were in abundance . But the others had to be searched for and selected carefully. The stones had individual characters, tones and textures. The stones for the Deities were selected with utmost caution and devotion. Sculpting is a family tradition and the talent passed on from generation to generation. From their childhood, they were initiated into the craft and filled with theoretical knowledge - the Shilpa Sastra. The sculptors who carved the special images for the Sanctum Sanctorum had an early morning bath before sunrise, abstained from meat, alcohol and association with females till the particular deity was sculpted.

"Stones have character. They have energy. They have power which is enhanced after the rituals",said the sculptor. Some of them are called " Vishakkallu" (poisonous/toxic) and one should know which stone is to be selected. Women are barred from touching these energised stones( Moorthies) , he said. That is specifically stated in the Aagamams too . One has to be trained in the four Vedas and master the rituals / recitals to be able to imbue energy into the stone idol ( Just as one cannot teach in an academy with just a 10th standard pass, but should gain more knowledge and acquire a PhD to become a Professor or Dean, there are courses which give a Priest titles like Veda Aagama Shiromani etc. etc.).The deities HAD to be carved from granite. We all know that silicon chips are used from cell phones to major computers. A millionaire cannot foolishly insist on having a Gold chip for his mobile phone. Gold is worthless here . Only silicon chip can receive and transmit energy. Similarly, granite can absorb/emit energy waves.Yes the vibrations from a Temple Deity is through the medium of granite.

All these discussions with the sculptors had me amazed and I did not link them with anything till a few, " so called Intellectual females " / “Activists “ raised a hue and cry about gender equality/ gender bias etc.and demanded to be let into Sabari Mala, Shani Singanapore, etc. etc.

There are temples like the Snake Temple at Mannarsala in Kerala where the Priests are women. I have been to this Temple and I have seen the very aged Head Priestess here. The men don't yell-

"Let us do the Pooja here! " or " Let us touch the Nagas here and worship." What is laid down in the Temple Edicts have to be respected and followed. The Thanthris and Mel Santhis ( Priests) are not idiots !! They are trained in chanting mantras that have great depth and powers. You must have heard of the poison from the body of a person bitten by snakes/scorpions/dogs...being destroyed by chanting certain mantras.This practice is still followed in some remote villages.

It struck me that I should try and get more information about stones ( mainly granite which is used in temples- for deities and other structures).

What I discovered really amazed me!! The sculptor with his non-scientific background- armed only with knowledge from Shilpa Sastra was a great teacher .

What I discovered........

All natural stones have some radio active mineral in them, varying in quantities from area to area. Almost all granite rocks have a little bit of uranium in them. And uranium releases radon gas which is cancerous. I also tried to find out more about granites. The net revealed that there are ten deadly minerals in rocks which are very harmful to humans. Rocks have to be selected very carefully for any construction work. For example one of the ten deadly toxic minerals is Torbernite - present in some granite rocks which is highly toxic .These are highly radio active and emit gamma rays and cancer forming radon gas. Almost all stones - including some of the gem stones have traces of radio active material ..

The net threw up another information when I searched further. In the late seventies, one of the states in U S A had a strange phenomenon happening... a lot of children born with cleft lips were found here, in a particular zone.

Research showed that a few families had occupied some deserted buildings made of granite stones and the women who stayed here gave birth to kids with cleft lips. And medical research showed that one of the causes for cleft lips was the radon or other toxic gases, inhaled by the women continuously surrounded by the walls...slow inhalation had affected the foetus.

Now I searched for causes / reasons for deformities in new born children.

I recalled the tryst with the sculptor.

He was not a Scientist. Neither was he an "Intellectual". He knew nothing of gamma rays, radio active minerals, radon gas etc. etc.

But he knew the existence of these "potential toxins " that were inherent in the stones and ways and means to handle them ! He knew which stones to discard. Which to select. He knew which ones had a lot of energy stored in them. He knew that women should not be handling these every day. And when we look at the Temples that are great centres of energy and exude a lot of vibrations, we find that the Deities here were Natural ones ( we call them Swayambhu--appearing on spot with no human hand in it) ,or ones installed by ancient Rishis( sages ) or revealed to some blessed soul through a dream or vision.

The staff in any Atomic Station / .Nuclear Power Plant - are required to wear radiation-proof clothing and masks. This prevents the toxins from getting into their system. Nuclear energy has a lot of positive points like generation of electricity, for one. It is the same with some of our Deities who are called "Powerful". There are God figures made with something called NavapashaNam...herbs and minerals which we cannot touch and do abhishekham ( here the "we" include males too.).There are Idols whom we are not supposed to look at for a long time. They release a lot of energy. The Narasimha at Simhachala is one such Deity . He is always covered with Sandal paste and the paste is removed only on Narasimha Jayanthi when abhishekham is performed and immediately He is anointed with sandal paste. They call Him Ugra Narasimha. The Priests who have been doing pooja here for generations are well versed in Vedic chants which are protective...like the Nuclear- Radiation-protection attire . There are also stones called saalagrama - which possess some sort of a magnetic ( you can read about salagrama on the net)force - from which Deities are carved. We have a statue of the Cosmic Dancer at a place called Uthharakosamangai near Rameshwarm ..made of Emerald stone which is covered with sandal paste for a year and this is removed only on the Arudra Darisanam festival once a year. Abhishekam is then done for the Lord and immediately He is covered with sandal paste. It is said that the Temple Music troup( which play the wind and percussion instruments in the main Sannidhi every day ) goes nowhere near this Sannidhi while playing music.....so as not to shatter or disturb the silence surrounding the Vigraha.

All Shaneeswara Deities are created with particular stones. They have been here for centuries .Just like the Deity in Shani Singanapur, there is another oblong shaped stone Moorthy of the Lord Shaneeswara at a place Erikkuppam in Tamil Nadu and a Moorthy of the Lord at a place called Thirunallar. It is said that satellites which flew over the Temple top here in Thirunallar became a bit awry till they passed the area over the Temple Garbha Gruha. Power manifestation being thus proved by NASA.

If Gender bias or male domination is the theme...why not adopt something to score brownie points over the males?

Study and do research. Become a Marie Curie and discover something like penicillin .

Take on Michaelangelo and carve something much more wonderful than PIETA.

Kalpana Chawla is unfortunately a scientist of the recent past. Emulate her and create history in Space / Rocket Engineering.

Of course...intellectual pursuits will not create sensation or get you tweets or T V coverage...

So..

why not take on those Criminal Despicable female dons who lure young hapless girls into prostitution and run brothels !! Have a Dharna in the Red Light areas and destroy the brothels . This would be a great feat . Accolades and T V coverage too!!!

Okay... it is not a question of gender equality.

Let us say that the reasons are -

Intense Love and Yearning for the Lords Shaneeswara and Ayyappa.

Nothing else matters but Love for the Divine.

Is any one greater in Devotion than Meera Bai who yearned and pined for Krishna Or even Aandaal for that matter ? Did they insist on entering the Temple and demand that they worship the Lord in person ?

Or

KuRooramma of KuRoor Illam near Guruvayur who lived every moment for the Little Truant Krishna ? She never entered the sanctum at Guruvayur...but was waiting with all humility to receive the sandal paste and flower on a piece of banana leaf from the Mel Santhi(Head Priest) in the Sannidhi !

Both of them had their own little statues of the Lord whom they worshipped in their homes. They never raved and ranted .They never wished to break traditions and Aagamas . Because they were real devotees...not publicity hunters .

The Pilgrimage to Sabarimala is something that is special. The men are supposed to adopt rules and rituals and follow them for 48 days. One is supposed to abstain from meat, alcohol and association with women during this period. The trek is an arduous one, though roads have come up these days . My uncle had, in his lifetime visited the Mala more than 20 times. My father too, for a few years. Even consuming food from outside was disallowed those days. Women from eight to the age of fifty are barred...for special reasons, keeping in mind the biological aspects that include the monthly cycles. One cannot predict the cylces. Moments / days like these become most inconvenient. The immunity levels of the body are at their lowest during these times. More than anything...the scent of the woman during this period of time can attract the presence of predators like tigers and leopards from the forests which is dangerous. Without understanding all these intricacies, is it not foolish to fight for something which is not viable ?

Well I have put down in words, the little that I know. The little that I have understand from what I have read - from what I have heard. I am traditional at heart to a certain extent and a wee bit orthodox where Temple rituals and attire are concerned.

I certainly don't believe in superstitions and silly traditions that bind women and block their paths to progress.

BUT

Let relevant traditions be left alone. Don't tamper with what you do not know and What you do not understand.

.”Little knowledge” they say “is a dangerous thing”

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Thank you Cheeniya
Yes I have read about Poonthanam.. I have visited his house also...still preserved at Poonthanam a few years back. I have visited the spot where Kurooramma lived too. A Temple for KochuKrishnan is coming up there.
The serial Guruvayurappan in Surya T V ( I think ) a few tears ago...may be 2009 or so..was a great serial..the only serial I watched fully ( It is now a long time since I watched any T V serial..the serials are SICK !! UGH !!

 

The NASA stuff is true Balajee....Aw!! The incorrigible non believer !

 

Thank you very much Geeta ))))

 

Thank you very much NandiniHappy to see you enjoyed the last line