//He opened the progm stating that till 1286 AD of Kulothunga III, the THEVARAM was known more as THIRUPPADIGAM and in this year only first time it was mentioned as THEVARAM .. !
Thevaram means a box in which "Athma puja" (lingam / object) was kept!
He explained how and when the stone inscriptions near Koradacheri were found ..
And continued the Power point..
Writer and beloved Natarajan will continue further details from here..//
A very good evening indeed! I just joined the gathering when the 'PORKIZI' honoring function for the OTHUVARS was about to conclude. I could hear some of their thevaaram singing in their crystal clear bronze voices. When looking for a lecture, it was a pleasant surprise for me that the lecture would be with visual presentation.
With the presentation ������Thevaram Tharum Selvangal������ Dr. Kudavayil Balasubramanaiyan successfully established that the THEVARAM verses were the script and screenplay for many breathtaking temple sculptures. He did this with tremendous authority. Most part of his lecture covered sculptures of Tharasuram temple, GKC and Big temple of Thanjavur. His lecture covered sculptures of other temples also.
It was heartening to see the sculptures of 108 Othuvars of Tharasuram temple erected on one of the circuit walls of the temple. All the Othuvars sculptures have their name, home town and title honours written above them! The PPT showed various views of this exemplary gesture of the Rajaraaja II.
He established the meaning of an unusual phrase mentioned in an Appar thevaram. The phrase 'ngakara vel kodiyaan' literally means a flag with the second consonant of Tamil - 'nga'. With illustrations of Pallavaa period coins and Nandhi silhouette, Dr. showed that in the letter 'ngakara' the poet had seen Siva's idabam - the bull. This was promptly appreciated by a big applause by the gathering.
Bits of history he used here is the bridging of the times of Pallava's bull flag (later this was changed to Lion flag), the period of Thirunaavukkarasar and the Tamil script of those times.
The famous verse 'maathar pirai... ������And its 'kandariyaathana kandean' series by Appar had a marvelous sculpturisation at Tharasuram temple. Also the stories of Nayanmaar������s are stone-freezed in this temple.
The famous Sandigeswara sculpture of GKC and Gajaasuravatham sculptures from various places took a good deal of time along with their related thevaaram verses. The controversial Budhdhaa sculpture also figured in the lecture. The solitary cow statue placed on supply canal of Kudumiyaanmalai temple had a vivid and catching description. Dr. had to adapt a hurried pace at end of the lecture as the clock hands applied a vice grip on him.
The two hour long experience had glimpses of many thevaaram verses and their three dimensional versions. (A lone Big temple painting also figured in the illustration.) I should have taken a miniature recorder or at least a notepad to report this event to a single degree of completion. But someone who has some access to Dr. can get this ppt and place it in our group.