A Matrix of Myths, Beliefs and Facts

           HIREMAGALUR  ( aka Hirimagalur )

This was an unplanned trip , prompted only by its proximity to the base camp of the trip , Chikkamagalur.  Not knowing what to expect also turned out to be a boon . For, what was discovered upon arrival gave such a rush of happy surprise as would not have occasioned if planned. 

That the place had a temple was a given , but that the temple  should turn out to be a Hoysala structure was a spot bonus . 

KODANDARAMA TEMPLE 

The front gopuram and grill façade make it seem like any other modern day temple . But while circumambulating, a Hoysala Vimana appears suddenly , most unexpectedly ! 

It bears the stamp of late Hoysala architecture and the ornamental sculptures are rather squat,  lacking  refinement . Sadly, damaged too. 

                                        Back View of Vimana

The interior too is a medley of 14th and 16th Century elements, while the Garbhagriham is pure Hoysala. The icons in worship are  just lovely and the fine decorations of jewelry, kavacha,  silk and flowers make them look truly divine . The USP of this central group is that Sita is placed to the right of Rama, a position contrary to standard arrangement. 

And there is no Hanuman figure in the group. 

"Sita isn't lost yet , so Rama and Hanuma havn't met yet." Says the pleasant faced , genial priest, in a matter of fact manner. 

One plus point for small town temples which are not in the Tourist Circuit: No crowds ; No hurrying . The shrine at your own disposal till locking time. And with an affable Priest , not averse to chatting and - whats more !- doesn't prohibit photography , it easily becomes an experience to cherish and remember long. 

Mythological stories  are narrated by the Priest , like they happened yesterday . Places are pointed out where Parshurama met and surrendered to Rama . And beyond the hills , the land he created with the throw of his axe . 

And, in another Yuga, a grandson of the Pandavas comes here to perform The Great Sacrifice .

" There, on the lane to the right, in front of the Shiva temple." Says he. So self assured, earnest and strong in his belief , you dare not even raise an incredulous eyebrow . 

Leave your urban, educated, rational self behind. Accept . Accept it all , the wonder and magic of the place in the quietly darkening dusk, the misty, red horizon and the calls of birds returning home. And the legends. 

The  Priest switches off the electric lights, locks up the main door and kick starts his two-wheeler . And remind us before whirring off : " Dont forget to see the Yupa Sthambha"

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THE YUPASTHAMBHA OF JANAMEJAYA 

Locating the Shiva Temple was easy .

 Within a compound. Locked . 

Thats ok, a Sthambha ( Pillar) has to be outdoors and should still be visible . No . Search high and low , no pillar seen inside the compound. Yet the priest said,  "in front of Shiva's gudi." 

The only people seen on the road are four labourers , unloading  bricks from a truck, on to an empty lot ahead. 

Do they know where the Yupa Sthambha is ? 

The what ? 

Clearly , they are not of the place and , more clearly, they have more important things to do than to try and decipher the descriptive explanations of jobless visitors. 

Soon, they finish their work and move away in their truck . 

And it is revealed ! Across the road , on the other side, yes, technically "in front of  Shiva's  gudi", but obstructed from view by the parked truck till then. 

A narrow, non-descript shed with the signage , in large  Kannada letters , proclaiming :  

"The Yupa Sthambha of Janamejaya's  Sarpa Yagna. " 

A humbling sight indeed. A tall stone pillar of a  particularly antiquated shape . Age - awe inspiring age - clearly discernable. 

There are signs of worship offered : flowers, kumkum , incense sticks . Some pictures of assorted gods. 

Cannot tear eyes away from the Sthambha . Maybe not exactly a souvenir left behind by Janamejaya , but it still is most definitely a relic from a very, very ancient Yagna. Its age itself  makes it worthy of reverence. 

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Back home, some research into this wonderful object was in order . Who better to turn to than the redoubtable  B.L.Rice and Narasimhachar , our early epigraphists.

The Records of The Mysore Archeological Department from early 20th Century yielded some interesting facts. Yes, both the above  indefatigable  scholar-explorers  had noticed and documented this pillar . Both have recorded the same legend the priest narrated, told to them by locals then. ( Rice in Epigraphia Carnatica Vol VII . Narasimhachar in M.A.R 1916)

One additional piece of information the Records of subsequent years gives is the discovery of inscriptions on the base of the Sthambha Reproduced here : so faint and weather worn as to be invisible. 

On the western face of the base of the Yupasthambha , a four line epigraph, mostly obliterated :

Line 1 : ......gu  la  va  ma ........                                                                                                  Line 2 : ...................................ra                                                                                                Line 3 :.......ha.............ashvayupa                                                                                                Line 4: sa.................................ma

On the eastern face of same base :

Line 1 : Sri (A)nnayya                                                                                                                Line 2: disida bali                                                                                                                        Line 3: lakiga 

Paleographic analysis of the first inscription( western face) has suggested to the epigraphists that the script "appears to stand in comparison to the cave characters of the variety seen in Satavahana inscriptions with a slight tendency backwards to Brahmi characters......On the general outlook of the characters , the record might be fixed somewhere between the second and third centuries ".

" Though the meaning of the record cannot be made out , a word in the third line "asvayupa" (the nearest and possible reading)indicates that the pillar was meant for a Sacrifice, thus bringing the tradition nearer the truth . But , it is not possible to assign any ruler or dynasty to the fragmentary script"

The second inscription ( eastern face ) paleographically belongs to the 10th Century and informs that the sacrificial post was erected by Annayya "who was probably Anniga , the Nolamba king Veeranolamba ( Biranolamba) . The other person mentioned in the record is Lakiga , who probably engraved the inscription. "

Further , " it is possible that Anniga saw this sacrificial post , about which the tradition of its being the Yupa Sthambha  might  already have been current, lying in a neglected condition and reinstalled the post with the record. "

Lots to ponder on . 

Some event did happen some time in the past . Memories passed down turn into folklore ...legends .....mythology.....beliefs. 

What matters is that in this our land , we , in The Present, are bound to The Past by various kinds of  links which never go  fully extinct. 

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  Ref :  Annual Report of the Mysore Archaeological department for the year1945

Annual R