Buddhist vestige at Kallupacha, RPL Estate, Kulathupuzha. Carved into a fine granite boulder with three doorways
The
western foothills of the southern ranges in the Western Ghats are known
for ancient and popular Sastha Temples of Kerala. Sabarimala,
Achankovil, Ariankavu, Kulathupuzha and Sasthamkotta are prominent
Dharma Sastha or Ayyappa temples located in and around this region.
Their proximity to the Tamil Country in the east and Malakootam or
Malaya Kootam/Parvatham (Now Agasthya Kootam) in the south are
remarkable. Malaya Kootam is still called Pothiyil Mala (variation of
Boddhiyil Mala) and it was also called Pothalaka in Buddhist lore, the
seat of the Avalokiteswara Boddhisatva. It is a ghat region revered by
the Hindus and the Buddhists alike.
Kattalapara
Buddhist vestige. near Shenduruny sanctuary, Kulathupuzha. Abandoned
due to poor stone quality. Now three doorways are worshiped as
representing Hindu, Christian and Islamic religions
Dharma
Sastha is a synonym for the Buddha. Ayyappan is an Avalokiteswaran
later Hinduized and appropriated by Brahmanism in the early middle ages
as an offspring born out of the Siva-Vishnu union. The metamorphosis of
this deity through the violent conflicts and negotiations involving
Vajrayana (Tantric Buddhism) Saivism and Vaishnavism is evident in the
legend. In the Tamil Country Pali words Ayyan, Appan, Achan, Ayyappan
and Puthan refer to the enlightend one at least from BC third century.
Kottukal rock cut temple, near Anchal.
Vajrayana
used various Avalokiteswaras and Boddhisatva idols with consorts to
popularize the cult and it was easy for Brahmanism to appropriate it
overnight. Like the Buddha Nilakandha temple of Nepal or the Padmanabha
temple of Thiruvananthapuram the Ayyappa temples were easily modified
into Hindu Brahmanical ones. Some scholars also argue that Tantric
Buddhism itself was a clever deviation made by the Brahmanical usurpers
who joined the Buddhist Sangha for the gradual sabotage as the basic
teachings of the compassionate one challenged Brahmanism and caste.
Ariankavu Ayyappa temple at the eastern end of Kollam pass close to Tamilakam
The
Buddhist rock cut vestiges in and around the Kulathupuzha forests prove
the early presence of missionaries in the Kollam pass well before the
advent of the common era. It can be assumed that they entered the
western slopes of the Western Ghats through the Ariankavu pass and
established their Pallys and Pallykootams in the lower foothills. The
rock cut constructions in Kallupacha in RPL estate in Kulathupuzha and
Kattalapara close to the Shenduruny sanctuary are still surviving relics
of early Buddhist rock architecture.
Kulathupuzha Sastha temple. The idol represents a Kulanthai or boy
The
same architectural pattern and style of carving are found in the rock
temple at Kottukal near Anchal. As the first two vestiges are inside
plantations and forests they are almost in abandoned state but the
Kottukal rock cut temple is modified into a Siva temple by later Saivism
that entered Kerala in the 8th and 9th centuries. It also shows
remarkable resemblance to Kaviyur rock temple near Thiruvalla and Kallil
Jain temple near Perumbavur.
River
Kallada at Kulathupuzha temple. Location of fish-feeding, an ancient
conservationist practice related to Buddhism and Jainism as in Triprayar
It
is interesting to note that the bigger shrines close to important
mountain routes and the popular ones were transformed into bigger Hindu
temples while the smaller vestiges and rock carvings were neglected and
forgotten in the jungle. On June 1, 2011 the Hindu published an article
on the report of Dr Rajendran an archeologist who surveyed the region.
According to him these vestiges are related to early Buddhism that
reached Kerala in the last centuries of BC era and the whole Ariankavu,
Kulathupuzha, Ponmudi belt still holds the relics of this early Buddhist
cultural intervention.
Mahamaya/Mayadevi
in Kulthupuzha in classic Yakshi stance with a mirror in hand and
leaning onto a tree. Mahamaya is the mother of Buddha who is the central
deity in Kilirur and Neelamperur
According to Dr Rajendran
Malsya Mudra or fish signs are identified in the carving sites that
prove the Buddhist identity of the makers. In Kulathupuzha fish-feeding
is also an important ritual that is still practiced showing the
Buddhist conservationist spirit of the shrine. Such practices of
conservation are still sustaining in many temples all over Kerala as in
Thriprayar in Thrissur district. Naga deities and Mahamaya (mother of
the Buddha) idol are also worshiped in Kulathupuzha.
Naga deities in Kulathupuzha Sastha temple
I
visited the region on 18th and 19th May 2012 and got the opportunity to
see and experience the unique ecology and cultural traces related to
the ancient conservationist traditions of Kerala. The Thenmala
eco-tourism project and rivers Kallada and Kallar along with the
numerous life forms offer plenty of learning experiences for the
seeking.
Indilayaappan idol. An ambiguous deity in Ariankavu Ayyappa shrine, showing the Vajrayan, Saiva and Vaishnava scramble
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