Sthapati R. Selvanathan is a master builder of Hindu Temples. He hails from a generation of South Indian (Tamil) temple building masters spanning more than a 1000 years. The sthapati who built the Brihadeshwarar Sivan Temple of Tanjavur in Tamilnadu, India is Selvanathan Sthapati's great, great,... great grandfather. His name was Sthapati Kunjaramallan Rajaraja Perunthachan, the sthapati of the legendary Tamil King Rajaraja Chola.
Please click here to learn more about the amazing 'Big Temple of Tanjavur'
Brihadeshwarar Sivan Temple of Tanjavur
Click here to learn about the history of this statue and introduction to this temple project.
From left: I am standing with Selvanathan Sthapati, Mr. Anandakrishnan Samee and a guide at the ancient temple site on the summit of Narai Hill.
Presently the Lord Narayanan deity calls the Thalang Museum on Phuket Island its home. It is the central exhibit of the museum. Here young Thai students ply the museum weekly, among other regular local and foreign tourists, and are thought about their ancient heritage as worshippers of Lord Narayanan.
It is the goal of a dedicated group of Thais to revive the the ancient temple site where the Lord Narayanan statue used to reside as a pilgrimage site as it must have been more than a millennia ago. The temple site is recognized by the Thai government as The Ancient Phra Narai Park.
Original Lord Narayanan Deity at the Thalang Museum, Phuket
What is unique about the revival of this this temple compared to the rehabilitation of other ancient sites of worship in the region such as Angkor Wat in Cambodia or Borobudur in Indonesia is that the Andaman Narayanan Devasthanam Foundation (the organization that has stewardship over this project) wants a functioning site for worship that follows as closely as possible the traditions that must have existed during the heyday of the temple. They want more than a monument for exhibition since the Thais of the region (Phangnga Province) have never stopped worshipping Lord Narayanan. Ever since Lord Narayanan was established in the temple up on Narai Hill He has always been worshipped. Even when the temple was broken and the deity lay on the river bank worship continued. In the museum where it is now flowers and incense offereings are placed at the deities feet to respect its sacredness.
Crossing the Takua Pa River to reach Narai Hill ahead.
Archaeological evidence suggest that either Tamils or the indigenous population influenced by Tamils built the temple. In fact the 1,300 year old age of the temple site was mainly determined by comparing the style of the deity with statues carved in Tamilnadu, India. The deity was similar in style to statues carved during the Pallava period (a few hundred years before the flourishing of the Chola architectural and sculpting genius). An inscription stone written in archaic Tamil that described the building of a pond presumably as part of the ancient temple was also found on Narai Hill. All this evidence led the Foundation to decide to build a Tamil styled Hindu temple that follows the prevalent Tamil / Hindu worship traditions which exist today.
Inscription stone with Tamil writing found at the Phra Narai Temple Site
My involvement with the temple started with a chance meeting with one of the vice-presidents of the Foundation, Mr. Ananthakrishnan Samee on a bus plying the Thailand-Malaysia route in June of 2009. When I first set foot at the temple site a month later I realized the sacredness of the place. The site resonates with a strong spiritual vibration. I akin the spirituality of this ancient temple site to a site on the sacred grounds of my late guru's monastery on the Hawaiian Island of Kauai, USA. (A Hindu temple, Iraivan Temple is almost built on this site too.)
The temple site in Thailand comprises of two parcels of land split by the Takua Pa river. The western bank of the river is a parcel of flat land, where a Lord Ganesha temple will be built. The eastern bank of the river is a small hill, the summit of which is where the ruins of the ancient Narayanan temple was found. The hill is named Narai Hill (Narai is Thai for Narayanan) and it is on the summit of Narai Hill where the spiritual vibration of the site is the strongest. At that time in mid 2009 the Foundation needed a presentation of the history of the temple in English. I spent 5 days near the temple, met the helpful people at the Thalang Museum in Phuket Island and other members of the Foundation to provide the foundation with a presentation. This presentation is on my website–www.myhindupage.org. Click here to read the presentation (this link is the same as the previous link in the second paragraph).
Lord Ganesh Deity to be enshrined in His future temple on the bank across from Narai Hill
According to Thailand's Archaelogical Department a Lord Ganesha statue and a Shivalingam was also found in the vicinity of Narai hill. These statues are on display at a museum in Surathani. It is clear that the Phra Narai Park used to have a complex of temples. Thus the master plan of the Foundation for the site includes a Lord Ganesha temple. Sometime in mid 2010 the Foundation purchased a four feet tall Lord Ganesha granite deity for the future Ganesha temple. A temporary shrine was built where the deity is cared for by the caretakers of the temple site. After the arrival of Lord Ganesha, through His Grace, the Foundation was able to acquire and secure all the land that they needed for the revival of their pilgrimage sanctuary. With all the elements of the land firmly in place the Foundation was ready to build the temples structure. Now the Foundation needed a sthapati to helm their project. Since my acquaintance with the Foundation members I keenly followed their progress. Their dedication to revive the their historical heritage inspired me to help them as much as I could for the fruition of their plans.
Taking measurements at the future Lord Ganesha Temple site.
The hill in the background is Narai Hill.
During my yoga training with my guru in his monastery part of my duties was to help in the fund raising of Iraivan Temple. That temple project was an ambitious project to say the least. It involved carving an entire temple granite block by granite block in India and shipping it to the monastery's grounds on Kauai for assembly. That is where I learned much about Hindu temple construction. The key to building any Hindu temple is of course the sthapati. Scriptures say that when God wants a temple on Earth He chooses the sthapati to build it. For Iraivan Temple the chief sthapati was the Late Ganapati Sthapati. Ganapati Sthapati is the uncle of Selvanathan Sthapati. Highly learned in traditional temple building, ancient Indian architecture and engineering Ganapati Sthapati was an authority in the matter and received the Padma Bhushan award from the Indian Government for his effort in the preservation and propagation of this ancient science and art. Naturally it occured to me that I approach Selvanathan Sthapati to introduce him to the Thailand project. I learned from the Iraivan Temple project that the willingness of a sthapati to take on a temple building project is not to be taken lightly. They assess a project based on criteria set by tradition that puts emphasis on doing the work of God rather than the business of it. The people involved, the place, the motivation for building the temple are very important considerations.
From Left: Muthukumar (stucco sculpture expert), Selvanathan Sthapathi, Mr. Samee at the Museum in Phuket immediately after their arrival at the Phuket International Airport.
It was in December 2010 when I was in Chennai that I first met with Selvanathan Sthapati at his office to brief him about this project. I sensed his interest and had an intuition that if Sthapati came to Thailand to visit the temple site and met with the members of the Foundation he would take on the project. The fact that this project is a revival of an ancient temple drew special interest from Sthapati. When he saw the picture of the Lord Narayana statue he realized the challenge that the project presented when I told him that the members of the Foundation wanted to replicate the ancient statue for worship in their proposed temple.
The present day temple builders in India do not carve the Pallava style anymore. They are schooled in the more refined carving style of the Cholas which evolved later out of the Pallava style. Sthapati told me at his office that he would only trust a handful of master carvers to be able to replicate the statue. In that meeting Sthapati suggested we get a mould of the original statue and ship it to India for carving. He also said it would be helpful to for him and his master stone sculptor to go to Phuket to view the statue and the project site.
Entrance to the Thalang National Museum, Phuket, Thailand
It was not until August of 2011 when I was in Phuket that I felt the spiritual urge to give the temple project a boost by offering to sponsor a new Lord Narayanan deity made of black granite for their temple. It was clear to me that the Foundation needed help to kick start the project and I knew I could give them that voluntarily as part of my missionary work. The first step for this would be to introduce Selvanthan Sthapati to the Foundation members. It occured to me that the best way forward is to bring Sthapati to Thailand on a project to make the new Narayanan deity for their temple. The foundation took me up on my offer and thus I took on the responsibility getting the Lord Narayanan deity carved.
It was not until June of 2012 that I made a trip to Chennai from Kuala Lumpur to talk about the details of the project and to make final arrangements for Sthapati to travel to Phuket. It was during this meeting that Sthapati realized the complexity of taking a mould of the original statue; with it being in the museum and the difficulty in moving the huge statue around. Sthapati's solution was to bring one of his master stucco sculptor to make a full sized model of the Lord Narayanan deity out of stucco. This model will be shipped to India for the master carver and his team to duplicate in black granite. Thus we made firm airline bookings for Sthapati and Muthu (the stucco sculptor) to arrive in Thailand on July 18th and depart on July 25th. The one week timing to finish the 6 feet model was ambitious but Sthapati felt it could be done if some preparation was done ahead of their arrival. The goals of Sthapati's visit was primarily to complete the stucco model and secondarily to introduce Sthapati to the Foundation.
Space kindly alloted by the museum authorities on the museum's grounds for the modeling work
I came back to Malaysia with a list of items to prepare consisting of clay bricks, cement, fine sand, iron rods etc. for making the cement model. However most importantly we needed permission from the Thalang Museum in Phuket for some space to make the model within the compound of the museum. Sthapati needed access to reference the original Narayanan deity from time to time. Sthapati also requested a picture of the deity be printed with its height exactly 185 cm. This height of the deity is about 30 cm shorter than the original. Sthapati reduced the height of the new deity for reasons related to traditional South Indian temple worship ceremonies. He said it was best not to exceed 6.3 feet. The original Narayanan deity in the Thalang Museum stands at 253cm (8.3 feet). A deity this tall however would not be practical for the prevalent style of worship in South Indian temples. It would be too tall for the priest to do abhishegam (ritual ablution) and when the deepams and aaratis (sacred flames) are show it would be difficult for the priest to start from the crown of the deity as is ritually required. Thus the height of the new Lord Narayanan deity was set at 185 centimeters (6.06 feet).
Sthapati checking the inventory of all the raw material needed for the work.
During the wee hours of July 18 Sthapati and Muthu flew through the night with the plane chasing the sun for the 3 hours to Bangkok then connecting to Phuket. Mr. Anantakrishnan Samee and I were waiting for them at the Phuket International Airport. Our guests from India, though weary from lack of sleep were eager to start the daunting task ahead. From the airport our first stop was the Thalang Museum for Sthapati and Muthu to view the original deity and look into the material preparations for making the new model. As soon as Sthapati and Muthu saw the towering Lord Narayanan deity their amazement at the achievement of ancient Hindu empires across India's border in duplicating technologies from India was clear. Hitherto they had little knowledge of the expansion of Hinduism through South East Asia more than a thousand years ago. Needless to say they were well versed in the carving style of the deity with their knowledge of statues at ancient Pallava sites like in Mahabalipuram. They assessed the challenges of duplicating the statue since time and historic wear had eroded much of the original details that must have been there. The goal was to restore the deity to its original glory, of what it must have looked like when it had just been carved. The present deity was broken in many parts–two hands holding implements are missing, the face was pasted with a type of cement to cover breakage, much of the ornamentation work was worn beyond recognition.
After blessing the worksite with a puja conducted by Sthapati
The Foundation had secured permission from the museum authorities to make the model on their grounds. The museum authorities were generous enough to provide a space near one of their outdoor exhibits where we had a canopy up. They also provided us with tables, chairs and access to electrical outlets. The cooperation from the museum authorities and their staff was vital to the success of the project.
The base on which a restored Lord Narayanan Model will be made.
It is decorated with basil (tulasi) leaves sacred to Lord Narayanan.
Next it was time to check on supplies. Bricks, cement bags, iron rebar, and much more were in place but we still had to go shopping around hardware stores in Phuket for things such as 'L' rulers, copper tie wires, galvanized steel cables and more. By the time we got to our hotel it was already close to 4 pm and our travel weary guests were ready to rest and recover from their jetlag. Nevertheless their enthusiasm to get started with the work the next day was inspiring. They were ready to get started first light. For the next 7 days (19th - 26th July) first light it was. We were up at the crack of dawn for a quick breakfast and off to the museum before the heavy Phuket Island rush hour traffic grid locked its roads.
On the 19th of July, following temple carving tradition, the effort was initiated with a religious ceremony. In this ceremony Sthapati and Muthu sought the blessings of Lord Ganesha, Patron of the Arts to help with the success of their endeavour. We decorated the work site and all the tools with flowers and Hindu holy sacrements–vibhuti (holy ash), chandanam (sandal paste) and kungkumum (red powder). After the short ceremony performed by Sthapati and the first dollop of cement ceremoniously spread on the base of the work area and propitiations offered to the original deity in the museum it was time for the work to commence.
Muthu begins the work with Sthapati guiding.
It took exactly five, 12 hour days (8 am to 8 pm); where once there was only space a Lord Narayanan model made of brick and mortar appeared. The five days of work was a meticulous effort in keeping to the Pallava style of the original deity. Measurements were taken time and time again as Muthu masterfully created the model while Sthapati maintained a keen eye on every step making sure the work stayed true to duplication of the original. Sthapati in his foresight brought pictures of statues from ancient temples Tamilnadu. While sifting through these pictures he found a similar Lord Narayanan statue that resembled most the deity in Thailand. Using that as a guide he was able to duplicate much of the ornamentation work that had worn out from the original deity.
Marking a 1:1 scale picture of the original deity to be used as a guide.
All through the creation of the model the museum staff, local and foreign visitors to the museum came to marvel at the craftsmanship of these traditional Indian artisans. Many were amazed at the precision of their work without the use of any rulers or other measuring tools except for a tape measure to make sure dimensions followed the original. Curves and straight lines were eyeballed perfectly. The completed model is a sight to behold and was the subject of countless photographs. In a meeting with the committee of the Narayanan Temple Foundation Sthapati told the members that sculptures are a product of the imagination of the craftsman. He said, "if the silpi is happy, the sculpture will be a joy to behold but if the silpi is sad the sculpture will likewise reflect his mood." From the reaction of everyone who set eyes on the Lord Narayanan model of Thailand it is obvious that the craftsmen who created it were spiritually inspired.
The destination of this Lord Narayanan model is Sthapathi's carving site in Mahabalipuram (about 60 kms from the city of Chennai). The model will be referenced by a master granite silpi in Sthapati's employment to make a 1:1 scale Lord Narayanan deity out of a single block of black granite. This deity will eventually be enshrined in a new temple to be constructed at the site of the ancient one on the summit of Narai Hill. For now the museum has kindly offered to douse the model with water twice a day for a month so the cement will cure and harden enough that it will be ready to be crated and shipped to Chennai sometime in early September 2012.
Sthapati after a briefing to the committee of the Andaman Narayanan Devasthanam Foundation
On behalf of the Center for Hindu Studies and MyHinduPage.org, I would like to thank the following people and organizations who helped in the success of phase one of the creation of the Lord Narayanan Deity for the future temple to be built by the Andaman Narayanan Devasthanam Foundation.
1. Sthapati R. Selvanthan
2. Mr. Muthukumar Mariappan (stucco expert)
3. Thalang Museum Administration and Staff for their unreserved assistance and friendliness.
4. Mr. Ananthakrishnan Samee (Vice President of the Andaman Narayanan Devasthanam Foundation for logistics, planning and communications)
5. Mr. Koh Nam for sponsoring room and board and his personal vehicle for transportation.
6. Eden Garden Bungalow for their help during our stay in Phuket.
7. Miss Vinotha Selavdurai who sponsored the enlarged print of the original Lord Narayanan photo.
8. Generous donors who contributed to this endeavour.
A photo documentary on the progression of the work to produce this replica model can be viewed and read by clicking here on my website www.myhindupage.org. There are pictures are organized chronologically @ 800 pixels for your reading and viewing pleasure.
Click here to read the photo documentary: Lord Andaman Narayanan Restoration Project: Step One, Making a Stucco Model of the Original Deity, Phuket, Thailand.
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ReplyDeletecan i use takua pa tamil inscription image in my book.
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