Episode 01 - Chapter2 - Ayodhya.

CHAPTER 2. AYODHYA - THE CITY, ITS ARCHITECTURE, GRANDEUR

Let us move, reluctantly leaving behind the dazzling, scintillating and enrapturing  richness of Kosala nation and move into Ayodhya, the capital of the empire, the seat of  Emperor Dasaratha and where Sri Rama ruled for innumerable years creating what we  know as the ideal governance – Rama Rajya. Like Varanasi and Mathura, this famous  city has been vibrantly living through thousands of years, preserving the stamp of all  those civilisations and cultures it has passed through and assimilated and still trying hard  to change and be a part of the modern nation today. It is also, regrettably, the subject  of contentious ideological bout between two religions.

Kamban’s narration more or less corresponds to that of a very expressive and expertly  articulate pilgrim who is encountering a city for the first time – awe-struck. (The Adhi  Kavi, though not sparing his imagination and poesy in presenting the splendor of  Ayodhya, is not apparently not so dumb-struck as Kamban presents himself to be,  understandably so because Valmiki was a contemporary of the epic itself and had  presumably visited that City several times in his life time.) 

We would just touch – for the sake of commiserating with the poet – with what he is  impressed by, in the order in which he goes about the narration – the sequence fitting in  with the overall city layout, beginning from the outskirts and move into the unbelievably  rich and glorious inner sanctums. 

In summing up the glory of Ayodhya, Kamban asks, if The Almighty, along with his  parivars (Ananthan etc.) descends from Sri Vaikuntam and chooses to be born here, is  there any need to extoll its greatness any further? 

 வானோர் உலகின்மேல் உலகோ! ஊழியின் இறுதி உறையுளோ?(vaanOr ulaginmEl ulagO! Oozhiyin iRudhi uRaiyuLO?)

Is this a super Heavens, above the Heavens itself? Is this the refuge after the deluge? – the superlative followed by a “last refuge” metaphor is interesting. 

After asserting that Ayodhya is far more splendorous than Amaravathi, the City of Indra  and Alagapuri the City of Kubera (the God of Wealth), Kamban exclaims: 

மயன் முதல் தெய்வத் தச்சரும் தத்தம் மனத் தொழில் நாணினர், மறந்தார் 

The God of Architecture, Maya, and His deputies were crestfallen to see the splendor of  Ayodhya and were so awestruck that they completely lost their creativity and skill of  “creating (architecture) at will.” 

மண்ணிடை யாவர் இராகவன் அன்றி மாதவம் அறத்தொடும் வளர்த்தார்...அவன் இனிது இருந்து இவ்வேழ் உலகு ஆளிடம் என்றால்..ஒண்ணுமோ இதனின் வேறு ஒரு போகம் உறைவிடம்?

Who, other than Raghava, ruled with greater piety and impeccable dharma? This city  was from where he ruled the seven worlds; Can there be any superior abode for  anyone? 

(Here, like in many instances seen in the Divya Prabandham, the narrator forgets that he  is still at the threshold – chronological beginnings of the epic (he is a fair distance away  from presenting the celebrations for the birth of Sri Rama) and lapses into his knowledge  of the entire story, frontloading for instance, Rama Rajya even in Bala Khanda, with  Rama yet to be born. 

Consider such inverted thought projection in Periyaazhwar: 

நாண் இத்தனையும் இலாதாய்! நப்பின்னை காணிற் சிரிக்கும், 

மாணிக்கமே, என் மணியே மஞ்சனம் ஆட நீ வாராய்!

 In his “Neeradal” verses, he adduces to Yasodha this entreaty, appealing to Krishna  (possibly still two or three years old), “You are shameless to go around with all that dirt  on you; if Nappinnai sees you in this condition, she would laugh at you” 

Now, Nappinnai is Krishna’s Consort – the Nalaayiram equivalent of Radha. She is being  brought in by the Azhwar while addressing a two/three years old Krishna. 

The Aadhi Kavi is more steadfast and uncompromising in this respect and follows the chronological discipline diligently. 

Kamban narrates the awesome city layout and architechtural splendor with  exceptional fervour. One more striking feature of Kamban’s presentation of Ayodhya is his assertion that Sri  Rama “ruled the seven worlds from here” ((அவன் இனிது இருந்து இவ்வேழ் உலகு ஆளிடம் என்றால்). 

What is being alluded to here is that Sri Rama continued His function – as Sri Maha Vishnu – right here, while ruling in Ayodhya and looked after and ruled all the (seven) worlds.  The separation of incarnation from the Godhead, meticulously observed in most of the story, is being  subsumed here. We would see Kamban giving in to this inclination multiple times in his rendering. 

The Aadhi Kaavyam, on the other hand, presents Sri Rama as a human – possibly with superhuman powers,  the personification of dharma, but still in human terms, save a few instances where His  Divinity is expressed e.g. when Sri Rama sets out to scorch dry the whole oceans,  annoyed with Varuna; when the Pushpaka Vimana descends for Him, Sita and others for  the return journey to Ayodhya from Lanka,etc. The Adhi Kavi even submits Sri Rama to  the tricks and strategies of Ravana in the war e.g. Brahmastra, Sri Rama believing his  real Sita is being killed when Ravana creates a maya Sita, etc. 

The distinctly different stamps in the two epics is possibly explained by the fact that, as  we noted above, Valmiki was living in the period of the epic itself and had known Rama  in person. For Kamban, separated by thousands of years after the epic, the deification  of Rama is complete and resolute; quite understandable. 

Kamban plays true to his assumed role as a totally new visitor to this glowing city –  bewildered, amazed, awed and totally excited by the sights this offers. But he doesn’t  let go of the sequencing discipline. Cities of powerful empires in contemporary history  had classical, defined layouts and architecture. The approaches of the city were  protected with several defences – against enemical intrusions, just in case. The first layer  was a dense band of forests, possibly also infested with wild animals that was forbidding  incursion; (காவற்காடு) the next band was a deep moat that was well-filled with water  always and was, again, infested with deadly beasts like crocodiles; (“(“மா கிடங்கிடைக் கிடந்து  பொங்கு இடங்கர் மா,-( இடங்கர் மா = crocodile(s) தாழ்ந்த வங்க வாரியில், தடுப்ப  ஒணா மதத்தினால், ஆழ்ந்த யானை மீள்கிலாது   அழுந்துகின்ற போலுமே” Kamban compares the huge crocodiles 

infesting the moat dipping in and surfacing off and on, to huge elephants in heat  struggling to surface in the deep seas).  

The third, most spectacular and most fortified band was the rampart (மதில்). of Ayodhya 

Many of these ramparts are still standing testimony to the care and engineering skills of  those who planned and built these in those days – all over Europe and all over Asia, the  most spectacular of course being the Great Wall of China. 

Kamban describes the three defences in the following terms:

அன்ன நீள் அகன்  கிடங்கு சூழ்கிடந்த ஆழியைத்

துன்னி, வேறு சூழ்கிடந்த தூங்கு,வீங்கு, இருட் பிழம்பு

என்னலாம், இறும்பு சூழ்கிடந்த    சோலை, எண்ணில், அப்

பொன்னின் மா மதிட்கு உடுத்த   நீல ஆடை போலுமே.

பொன்னின் மா மதிட்கு உடுத்த   நீல ஆடை போலுமே =  if you  considered that, it looked like a dark blue clothing wrapping the golden (mountainlike)  rampart. The rampart is likened to the mountain “chakravala”. The moat is likened to a  deep, still, ocean; the encircling, darkness-filled forest is likened to a dark-blue attire for  the golden rampart. 

மேவ அரும் உணர்வு முடிவு இலாமையினால்,   வேதமும் ஒக்கும்; விண் புகலால்,

தேவரும் ஒக்கும்; முனிவரும் ஒக்கும்,   திண் பொறி அடக்கிய செயலால்;

காவலின், கலை ஊர் கன்னியை ஒக்கும்;    சூலத்தால், காளியை ஒக்கும்;

யாவையும் ஒக்கும், பெருமையால், எய்தற்கு   அருமையால், ஈசனை ஒக்கும்

 The poet indulges in some double-meaning words in describing an object of stone and  mortar with the Vedhas themselves, with the Gods, with the Rishis, with stag-mounted  Dhurga, with Maha Kaali .. with practically anything; and with the Almighty – let us see  his metaphoric rationale: 

Due to its limitless dimension that is beyond comprehension and due to its reach into the heavens (sky), it is comparable with the Vedhas; திண் பொறி அடக்கிய செயலால்; in the case of the rampart, the words mean the booby traps/contraptions  that are built in; in the case of Gods and Rishis, the same words mean the disciplining of  the sense organs; 

காவலின், கலை  ஊர் கன்னிவய ஒக்கும் = In protecting, it compares with Dhurga  astride the stag; since several trisuls are mounted on the ramparts (as protective weapons), it  resembles Maha KaaLi holding a Trisul. It resembles everything that is awesome and  magnificent. Due to its impenetrative feature (overcoming it or entering  through it), it resembles Isa, the Almighty Himself. 

Kulasekara Azhwar admires the rampart of Ayodhya 

அங்கண் நெடு மதில் புடை சூழ் அயோத்தி என்னும் 

அணி நகரத்து உலகு அனைத்தும் விளக்கும் சோதி 

வெங் கதிரோன் குலத்துக்கு ஓர் விளக்காய்த் தோன்றி 

 விண் முழுதும் உயக் கொண்ட வீரன்தன்னைச :

பைங்கண் நெடுங் கரு முகிலை இராமன் தன்னைத்* தில்வலநகர்த்  திருச்சித்ரகூடந்தன்னுள்  

எங்கள் தனி முதல்வனை எம்பெருமான் தன்னை என்று  கண் குளிரக்காணும் நாளே  

Kamban proceeds to enumerate the very impressive and frightening array of weaponry  installed all over the rampart: 

சினத்து அயில், கொலை வாள், சிலை, மழு, தண்டு,  சக்கரம், தோமரம், உலக்கை,

கனத்திடை உருமின் வெருவரும் கவண் கல்,      என்று இவை கணிப்பு இல: கொதுகின்

இனத்தையும், உவணத்து இறையையும்,     இயங்கும் காலையும், இதம் அல நினைவார்

மனத்தையும், எறியும் பொறி உள என்றால்,        மற்று இனி உணர்த்துவது எவனோ?

அயில் = spear; சிவல = bow; மழு = machete, axe, தண் டு = mace (gadhai);

கனத்திடை உருமின் வெருவரும் கவண் கல் = slings that caused thunderous  noise more frightening than thunders amongst clouds; பகாதுகின் = mosquitoes;  உவணத்து இவறயையும் = king of birds (the high soaring eagle); இயங்கும் காலையும் = winds of (high) velocity; இதம் அல நினைவார் மனத்தையும் = the  fleeting minds of people who never think of good; 

The weaponry and contraptions (installed all over the ramparts) could destroy such miniscule bodies as mosquitoes, the high soaring eagle, even high velocity winds and the fleeting minds of wicked people; what else can I say (about their destructive capabilities)? 

PALATIAL AND HEAVENLY ABODES OF AYODHYA’S CITIZENS, 

Let us look at the countless “palaces” (homes of the ordinary citizens of Ayodhya) that  Kamban describes for us: 

வயிர நல் கால் மிசை, மரகதத் துலாம்,

செயிர் அறப் போதிகை, கிடத்தி, சித்திரம்

உயிர்ப் பெறக் குயிற்றிய, உம்பர் நாட்டவர்

அயிர் உற இமைப்பன, அளவு இல் கோடியே.

வயிர நல் கால் மிசை = Over pillars made of diamonds, மரகதத்துலாம் = girders  made from emerald,  

செயிர் அற = without a blemish; போதிகை கிடத்தி,= laid over carved support  blocks, சித்திரம் உயிர் பிறக்குயிற்றிய = sculptures that came to life , உம்பர்நாட்டவர் அயிர்உற இமைப்பன = residents of Heavens eyeing them with wonder if these were  their own heavenly abodes; அளவு இல் கோடியே = these were countless crores. 

“போதிகை” (pOdigai) these were carved support blocks - JOINS OR HOISTS - used  to lay girders over pillars, carved with symmetrical forms resembling inclined banana  flowers. 

The residences of Ayodhya’s citizens were fabuloursly built – with priceless precious  stones - diamond pillars, emerald girders; the sculpted figures looked life-like; these  glittering marvels, numbering countless crores, were looked on with awe by Gods,  doubting if these were their own abodes. 

How many million “carats” of diamond would a pillar made up of? How many million  “carats” of emerald would the girders made up of? No wonder the Gods from the  Heaven were bewildered! 

Kamban proceeds to “count” further “countless crores” of palatial residences of  Ayodhyans: pillars made of சந்திரகாந்தக்கற்கள் (chandira kaantha kaRkaL) for  building blocks, sandal timber for pillars and joining ties made up of coral. The dazzling  white walls were paved with sapphires – no less! (“chandira kaantha kaRkaL” are  supposed to ooze pure water when exposed to moonlinght – if anyone in the Group has  read further about this phenomenon, please put the Group wise to it. 

In one verse admiring the skyline with towering spires of the countless palaces with  countless flags fluttering in the wind, Kamban says “the moon is waning (getting slowly  rubbed off) by the ceaseless flutters of these flags brushing it. 

கோள் நிமிர் பதாகையின் குழாம் தழைத்தன; 

வாள்நிலா மழுங்கிட மடங்கி வைகலும் 

சேண்மதி தேய்வது அக்கொடிகள் தேய்க்கவே.

In another verse, he claims that the palaces were lighted with the glow from the  beautiful bodies of the women: 

தணி மலர்த் திருமகள் தங்கும் மாளிகை 

இணர் ஒளி பரப்பி நின்று இருள் துரப்பன 

திணி சுடர் நெய் உடைத் தீ விளக்கமோ? 

மணி விளக்கு; அல்லன மகளிர் மேனியே.

“Were the palaces (where Lakshmi resides i.e. wealth and prosperity reside) lighted  with bright lamps burning with ghee and wicks? Nay, they were lighted with the glow  from the (beautiful) women.