Where Parashuma’s Ego Was Vanquished ….. Hiremagalur

 

The trio of idols, Lakshmana, Rama and Sita, stand resplendent in all their finery. It is apparent that they are on the move as evident by the leftward tilt of their feet. Contrary to the customary position in which they placed in most pictorial or sculptural depictions, Sita is to the right of her consort Rama, while Lakshmana stands to his brother’s left. The idol of Hanuman is conspicuous by its absence. While the sons of Dasaratha hold the arrow in the right hand and strung bows in the left, there is no quiver slung on their backs as seen in most instances. These are some of the unique features associated with the presiding deity in the sanctum sanctorum of the Ram Mandir. This makes the temple, perhaps the only one of its kind in India or elsewhere in the world where Hinduism prevails.

We are in Hiremagalur’s Kodandaramaswamy Temple, about 4 km from Chikmagalur, the Karnatakan hill station wrapped in coffee estates. Since Rama’s bow is called Kodanda, the structure goes by the name of Kodandaramaswamy Temple. According to recorded documentation and research conducted by historians Dr.Wright and Dr.Bandarkar, the edifice is believed to be the first temple built for Rama in South India. Historical records bear testimony to puja and aaradhana at the temple as having been performed for the past 1,200 years. However, the legend associated with the shrine goes back to the times of the Ramayana and is chiefly linked to Parashurama, the 6^th incarnation of Vishnu.

The axe-wielding Parashurama, one of the seven immortals or chiranjivis of Hinduism, made his appearance in both the epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata. He was considered an authority on all aspects of warfare, especially the science of archery, and was in possession of two of the most powerful bows – the Shiva Dhanush (Pinaka) and Vishnu Dhanush (Sharanga), in different times of his existence. He is known to have avenged the death of his father, Saptarishi  Jamadagni who was killed by king Kartavirya. Parashurama who therefore perceived the warrior class as his arch enemy, rid the world of the warrior class, twenty one times.  

 According to mythology Parashurama’s ego that he was invincible in war, is said to have been vanquished by Rama at the very spot where the temple stands today. The incident occurred when Parashurama stopped Rama from proceeding to Ayodhya after his wedding to Sita was performed at Mithila and the royal party was returning to its base. He challenged the Ikshvaku heir to string the more potent Sharanga before continuing to his kingdom. Accomplishing this feat was child’s play for Rama who had won Sita’s hand by breaking the Pinaka, which was in King Janaka’s possession. In testimony to the episode we see the idol of Parashurama in the act of surrender to Rama at the entrance to the temple.

 Having accepted defeat and before leaving for Mount Mahendra for meditation, Parashurama requested to have darshan of Rama as bridegroom. Rama obliged; hence we have the idol of Sita standing to Rama’s right according to the conventional Hindu wedding posture. Since Parashurama, also known as Bhargava was blessed with the sight of Rama as groom, the temple is also known as Bhargavapuri Kalyanarama Temple.

The absence of Hanuman’s statue in the sanctum sanctorum is explained by the fact that when Parashurama met Rama, Hanuman had not yet made his appearance in the epic. However, according to Hindu dharma, since no aaradhana or worship of Rama is considered complete without Hanuman, a metal embossed Hanuman is placed at the bottom of the pedestal on which the three deities stand in the sanctum. This is the only temple anywhere in the world that does not have a statue of Hanuman in the sanctum of a Ram Mandir, emphasizes Mohan Bhargav, the priest at the temple.

Hiremagaluru, derived from Hireya magalu ooru or the ‘town of the elder daughter’ in the Kannada language, was a gift made by Rukmangada to his elder daughter. Rukmangada, the palegar or local chieftain of Sakarayapattna who held sway over the region and its surrounds, presented Chikmagalur, the town close by, to his younger daughter or chikka magalu.

Hiremagalur coveted the position of a holy place as it was doubly blessed. It was also known as Bhargavapuri since it was the home of Parashurama, and it is also believed to be the place where siddhas performed penance near a pond that later came to be known as Siddha Pushkarni.  

 The temple was constructed in stages, being first established by the Chola kings who installed the three idols in the sanctum, sculpted from Saligrama stone. The sculptures have been immaculately and intricately carved with utmost care given to every minute detail of jewelry, and the tilt of figures. Hoysalas and Dravidians subsequently added to the structure. While its sanctum sanctorum or garbhagraha and vestibule or sukhanasi reflect Hoysala architectural style, most of the other areas reveal Dravidian architecture. The navaranga and mukhamandapa, later additions, are surrounded by a wall of brick and mortar.

 

In the circumambulatory path of the temple, there are small shrines, presumably from pre-Hoysala times, dedicated to various Vaishnavite deities, including Narasimha as Yoganarasimha in the meditative pose, Kalinga Nardhana Krishna, Anjaneya, Ramanujacharya the founder of Vaisnavism, his disciple Vedantha Desikan and the poet-saints of South India who espoused their bhakti to Vishnu in their musical compositions. The exterior walls of the sanctum have pilasters, turrets and a pair of rows with various incarnations of Vishnu and other deities sculpted on them.

 Unlike in other temples, rituals and prayers are performed in Kannada rather than in Sanskrit at the temple. An annual yatra of the Lord takes place for one day between February and March. In addition, Vaikunta Ekadasi, Rama Navami and Krishna Janmashtami, are  celebrated with much fanfare.

 

FactFile:

Hiremagalur is about 240 km from Bengaluru

Nearest Airport: Mangalore International Airport, 146 km away.

Nearest Railhead: The nearest railway station is in Kadur. It is around 40 kilometres away.

Road: Hiremagalur is well connected by road network to the rest of Karnataka.

Temple Timings: 5 a.m to 12 noon and 4.30 p.m to 8.30 p.m on all days of the week