In The Shadow of A More Famous Name
What is it like to be put in the shadow of a twin who, by whatever means or for whatever reason,
has become a giant, a superstar much in demand by adoring crowds , when both have same stories of origin and the same claim to special status ?
In human terms, that would be a sad state of
affairs, of course, causing emotional instabilities and much angst.
But Divinities care a fig !
Nevertheless, it is an
interesting study in contrast for a visitor .
Mamleshwar ( /Amleshwar/Amreshwar) and Omkareshwar lie
opposite each other on either side of the River Narmada and both are considered the
Jyothirlingam. Not in plural. They are considered
The Same Jyothirlingam ! And therein
lies the rub, of why one twin gets the limelight and the other a mere nod !
There are three theories about this.
Theory 1 : Mamleshwar is the original and only Jyotirlingam
of the holy site , Omkar was built later on a tribal shrine, approriating the
Jyotirlingam legend .
Theory 2 : The Jyotirlingam that manifested at that holy place , split in
two and showed up as swayambhu at both sites .
Theory 3 : Vindhya, the Spirit of the Vindhyachal moutains, created two lingams, one of sand and one of clay, to propitiate Shiva as a penance for a sin committed. A pleased Shiva promptly manifested as a coloumn of light in both Lingams at the same time.
Visitors are free to pick the theory they fancy , but a visit to both shrines is rewarding, because of their antiquity and architectural details.
The Mamleshwar complex is under ASI protection , and work seems to be
going on . There is regular worship in the main shrine while subsidiary shrines are all locked , except two
small ones.
The monuments look more ancient than the Omkar temple, but do not attract as much pilgrim crowd as Omkar does . The footfalls are lighter, the ambience is oldworldly, leisurely and more serene.
No useful data about who built the temple could be gathered . Age can only be guessed. The riverine tract, which was the traditional landholding of the Bhils was taken into the fold of the Paramaras of Malwa in or around 10 CE. Some inscriptions datable to 1063 are found on the inner walls of the shrine.
The Adhistana show multiple mouldings .Walls are plain , with few shallow koshtas . And among that , only some
koshtas have murthis .
A niche figure at the
entrance of the main shrine attracts attention. Not more than 15inches high, the six armed Tandaveshwar , dancing in absolute
abandon , with a blissful , self absorbed look is a stunner. Of particular note is the difficult mudra with
middle finger bent ( right hand) . So too, the fully turned palm of the left hand .
High up on the back wall is the piece de resistance :
The Slaying of Andhaka , a splendid , dramatic sculpture
with a lot of action seen all over .
The Celestials flying overhead ready to laud the victor, Nandi watching the lila, is all adoration ! The evil ones , in the throes of terror. A thin , headless figure assisting in finishing off Andhaka.
The presence of some random murtis on the largely bare walls , evokes the suspicion that perhaps they were assembled in present form by the ASI . Because their placement seems quite abrupt , and the assortment has neither continuity nor commonality.
The second largest temple of the group is locked , with no
presiding deity inside. The door frame and jambs are well worked with celestial characters at the base and a poornaghata above. Faint inscriptions are seen on the lateral walls. Loose pieces of sculpture salvaged from around are stored behind the grill door.Some pieces are also stored in the smaller shrines.
The rather bulky pillars of the smaller shrines are capped with interesting baravahakas , each with a personality .
Among the salkvaged sculptures locked up in asmaller shrine is a yagnavaraha too - a speciality of Madhya Pradesh . The icon appears frequently in this region, but not seen in the South or the East
( About Yagna Varaha : After Vishnu as Varahamurthy saves Bhoo from Hiranyaksha , sages praise him by describing his Form as Yagna itself, identifying in his body parts the various articles and facets of The Yagna and The Cosmos.)
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