And so, I set off on a sunny day in November.
It Records show that Tiruvannamalai used to be
Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Nov 20, 2010
Metro Plus Chennai
A heritage shared
What's the link between Tiruvannamalai and
Halebid?
Photos: K. Gopinathan and B. Jothi Ramalingam
Royal connection Halebid and Tiruvannamalai
The legendary lighting of the mahadeepam in
Tiruvannamalai is a spectacular event, with all the
houses in the holy town aglow with agalvilakkus.
At the entrance of the ancient Shiva temple, on the
Eastern side, stands a massive tower — Vallala
Maharaja Gopuram, with a sculpture of the king. I
wondered if it was named after the Hoyasala king,
Veera Ballala III.
Suddenly, my mind traversed across the State to
Halebid and Belur in Karnataka that were ruled by
him. I wanted to establish the link between Halebid
and Tiruvannamalai.
was a long drive past a barren and rocky terrain
from Hassan to the historical town of Halebid (the
old abode), once ruled by King Vishnuvardhana.
History has it that when all earlier rulers were
against the Pandyas, a humane Ballala wanted to
help King Sundara Pandiyan in Madurai fight
against his step-brother, Veera Pandian. When
Ballala took his army to the South, Sultan Alauddin
Khilji, with his commander Malik Kafur, ravaged
the city of Halebid or Dwarasamudra. For long, the
Sultan had been wanting to suppress the king, and
waited for an opportunity to crush him. Also, for
nearly two decades, the Sultan had been planning
to capture Ballala. Proof of his intentions can be
seen in the many mutilated sculptures in Halebid.
Since Halebid had been a frequent target, Ballala
established his kingdom in Tiruvannamalai.
A King's repentance
It is said that after constructing the rajagopuram of
the Arunachaleswara temple, Ballala became
proud. However, an incident made him realise his
folly. During a temple festival, the Lord, seated in a
palanquin, refused to move through the entrance.
It was only after Ballala repented that the Lord
consented to pass through this gopuram.
In 1343 A.D., the Sultan's forces unexpectedly
attacked and took the king captive. Ballala was
killed brutally in the battle of Madurai. But, his
immense heroism paved the way for the
Vijayanagara dynasty under Harihara Raya.
called Arunachalapuram, and King Ballala had a
palace at Pallikondapattu. Legend has it that
Ballala, who was praised for his uprightness,
generosity, humaneness and love for the Lord,
prayed to him for an heir. The Lord is said to have
taken the form of the royal couple's child, but soon
disappeared.
However, since the King had embraced the child
with love, Lord Shiva assured him that he would
perform his funeral rites. Even today, on the death
anniversary of the king, the Lord comes calling on
his appa at Pallikondapattu village. This festival is
known as Maasi Magam Theerthavari Urchavam.
My mind's eye took in the sculptures on the Vallala
tower and compared them to those seen at the
Hoyasaleshwara temple in Halebid, the
Chennakesava temple in Belur and the Chamundi
temple. Though the architecture shared a
resemblance, at times, the Chola style of sculpture
was also seen, implying a migration of Tamil
sculptors to Belur and Halebid. The link was finally
in place.
SELVARAJ CHANDRASEKAR