A Glimpse of Pandavapura

Author: Aarabhi

Photographer: Vasistha

Doorway and Mantapam- Gopalaswamy Temple, Tonnur

My stories always begin with Vasistha, my husband. He is the spearhead, instigator and planner of any vacation/ outing in our family. This trip was no exception.

“Pandvapura” taluk in Mandya district of Karnataka is well known for its centuries old Srivaishnavite temples. We visited three of them, namely, the Gopalaswamy temple, the Nambhinarayanaswamy temple and the Yoga Narasimhaswamy temple.

Lush greenery of Pandavapura

Spread around the huge “Tonnur lake”, these temples nestle amidst the lush paddy fields characteristic of Mandya. The temples of Gopalaswamy and Nambhinarayanaswamy lie on either side of the main road leading into the village of Tonnur. 

The temple of Gopalaswamy, said to have been founded by none other than the most virtuous of the Pandava brothers, Dharmaraja; is built in the Chola style of architecture.

The state bird of Karnataka, the Indian Roller, sighted on the way 

The main diety, Sri Krishna is in his “Vishwa Ropa Darshana” pose. Standing eight feet tall and five feet wide, he has shanku (conch) in his left hand and chakra (wheel) in his right; also, one hand gives us the “Abhaya Hastha” while the other is fisted on his thigh. This is an unusual depiction of Sri Krishna and is not commonly seen in any temple. Sri Krishna is flanked by his consorts Sridevi and Bhoodevi. Krishna and Bhoodevi idols are full-bodied in the way of the Cholas as opposed to the nymph like, proportioned Hoysala style idol of Sridevi which seems to be a later addition.

Gopalaswamy temple

The temple courtyard

Another unique feature is the “Utsava Murthy”. Sri Krishna as Venugopala is in his "Tribhangi Nrithya" pose. Holding a flute to his lips with both hands, he has his left foot in the front (not the usual right foot). His chin, elbow and left toe are clearly aligned in a straight line, one below the other (Tribhangi Nrithya, i.e. thrice-bent pose).

After a peaceful darshan of this quiet temple (there were only two more devotees apart from our troupe), we crossed the road to the Nambhinarayanaswamy temple. Surprisingly, this temple has outer walls and pillars in the older chola style, while the sanctum sanctorum (Garbha Gruha) has intricately carved pillars of the newer Hoysala style.

Nambhinarayanaswamy temple

Standing ten feet tall, Narayanaswamy has 2 maces in his front hands. He also holds, shanku and chakra. Both temples have huge walled-in, well-paved courtyards. But the condition of the Lakshmi temple inside the Gopalaswamy temple courtyard is pitiful. All sorts of construction materials and implements are dumped inside the temple with garish wall of concrete built in the middle. Truly a sad state of a beautiful place.

Pitiful state of Lakshmi temple

The last temple, Yoga Narasimhaswamy is the most renowned of the three. This temple was restored from its dilapated state by the Sri Ramanujacharya. The main diety Yoganarasimha is small and compact- barely three feet tall. But, this does not distract us from its beauty or serenity.

Legend goes that this idol was founded by the demon King, Hiranyakashipu’s son, King Prahalada in the Kritha Yuga. The temple had turned to ruins by the time Jain king Bittideva reigned. The king’s daughter was possessed by an evil spirit and none could get rid of it. When Sri Ramanujacharya’s SriPada Theertham (Holy water obtained by washing his feet) was sprinkled on her, she was cured. In gratitude and influenced by the acharya’s teachings, the king converted to Srivaishnavism and took the name “Vishnuvardhana”. The King then rebuilt the temples around the lake. Angered by their king’s conversion, 1000 Jain scholars marched to the banks of the Tonnur lake; to the temple of Yoga Narasimhaswamy, where Sri Ramanujacharya was residing. The acharya managed to answer a thousand spiritual and philosophical quizzes by all the Jain scholars simultaneously. Since he is known as the incarnation of “Adishesha”, he was said to possess a thousand tongues like the divine serpent.

Sri Ramanuja’s idol in his “Adishesha” avatar is housed in a small space inside the temple. Snake hoods arch up behind his idol which itself has a face featured in a markedly snake-like way with narrow nose and mouth and deeply arching eyebrows over slanting eyes.

When the temple priest holds up a lamp to the idol’s face and to the snake markings on the belly, the resemblance to Adishesha is quite clearly apparent. The hands of the idol are in the yoga mudra and the feet are unusually clearly visible. An ancient drum fabled to be more than thousand years old is housed in a glass case beside the idol.

Frolicking in the huge Tonnur lake

After finishing all the darshans, it was time for some fun and games. So, we drove up to the Tonnur lake and splashed around in the water. Deep, vast and extremely windy; the lake is a popular picnic spot. The stairs around the lake were filled with tourists in bathing suits and frolicking children. We had a light lunch from our lunch boxes and drove back to Bangalore, to the hustle and bustle of our daily lives.