Aaagamas are religious treasies which contain practices with respect to temple construction, idol worship, poojaas, philosophy etc. Some aagamaas even contain how to layout a village or chaturveedhi mangalam etc
Aaagamas could be saivite and vaishnavite
Saivite aagamas are 28. Vaishnavite aagamaas are predominantly 2 (Vaikhanasa and Pancharaathra)
Apart from these basic aagamas there are texts that talk about the above topics. Vishnudharmottara purana is a famous gupta period epic that talks about temple building and even prathima lakshina (idol grammer). It talks about sarvathobhadra temple. Thanjavore big temple is sarvathobhadra.
Marrechi samhita is a vaishnavite paancharatra aagamic text. Dr.Nagasamy has explored in detail how the recommendations of this text have been strictly followed in laying out the village plan of Uthramerur. Uthramerur ancient plan has been put up by none other than the doyen KA Neelakanda sasrti.
Aaagamas generally contain 4 sections :
* Gnana paadha
* Yoga paadha
* Kriya paadha
* Sariya paadha
Each covers specific aspect. For expect Kriya paadha covers kriyai - or poojaas festivals etc.
EACH SAIVITE / VAISHNAVITE TEMPLE HAVE TO FOLLOW ATLEAST ONE AAGAMA.
There is a minute relationship between moorthy - temple structure - famous temple practices - and the aagamaas followed.
Which temple follows which kriya paada of aagama can be easily understood from the pooja timings, festivals etc.
Aaagamaas were present from thirumoolar period. He mentions 6. kaarana, kaamika (rest I forgot) and last Makuta.
Makutaagama is an ancient text with all the four paadhas mentioned above. Now it has become difficult to recover all the four - but considerable no of chapters seem to be available at the following places 1. French Institute of Indology Pondichery 2. Saraswathi mahaal Library 3. Thiruvaaduthurai aadhinam (from which SPS got a copy) 4. Varanaasi source (the url was earlier posted)
There are many temples in tamilnadu that follow makuta for atleast kriya paadha.
1. Chidambaram follows MAKUTAAGAMA for kriyapaadha 2. Thiruvaaroor follows Makutaagama also for kriyapaadha 3. Aaavudaiyar Koil follows Makutaagama (I think it is more than kriya paadha) 4. Jambukeswaram is new to me - yet to understand
IN ATLEAST 2 OF THE ABOVE TEMPLES SHIVA IS REPRESENTED IN THE FORM OF SKY OR THIN AIR
AAVUDAIYAR KOIL - HE IS AROOUPI
CHIDAMBARAM - HE IS THE SKY
The implication of the above two lines with reference to what we have been discussing in the group all along : Big temple and Makuta is way too significant.
The above information comes from my fragmentory reading from disparate sources over the years and from a sivacharya who is my friend.
The last few lines in chit - aakasa concept and aavudaiyaar koil - chidambaram - are my own inferences not touched by scholars before.
hi Gokul the four places are connected with many saints
> 1. Chidambaram the holiest for a shaivaite. "koyil" endraal chidambaram. thiru moolar and vyagrapadar( when shiva appears before him and asks him to choose a boon, he choses tiger claws for himself so that he can climb the bilva tree to pluck leaves for shiva puja)
> 2. Thiruvaaroor and sundarar( thiruvaarooril pirantha ellorkum adiyen) god walks on the roads of this town to patch up the marital differences of sundarar and paravai. >
3. Aaavudaiyar Koil and manicka vaasagar( he embezzles royal funds to build a temple) >
4. Jambukeswaram and kochengannan( his mother hung upside down so that the time of his birth made him the greatest shaivaite)
Saivaite Head quarters, where Lord Shiva initiated the Peiyapurana Theiva Sekkilar pathigam " Ulagalam Unarnthu othargariyavan " to the Kulothunga Chola III's minister Uthama chola Pallavarayan later called Sekkilar. Temple was a construction of Chakravarthin period( Time immemorial )
2.Thiruvaroor Famous for Manuneedhi Cholan who killed his son for the Cow which complained on his son of his deeds.
3.. Aaavudaiyar Koil and manicka vaasagar Well known for Foxes and Horses ( Nari Pariyakkia Padalam ) World famous Kodungai architecture, None of the Temples can be compared with Aavudayar Koil.
4. Jambukeswaram and kochengannan
With several claerly established compound walls during various rulers.
there are two devara sthalams within the main temple and one in the theradi. three temples very close to each other
some temples are known to have devaram for two seperate internal shrines.
thiruvaaroor, thiru pugalur, thiru miyachur .
though sundarar was born in nadu nadu (in and around villupuram)he spent the bulk of his life in thiruvaaroor.also spent two years or so in chennai thiruvotriyur.
I will sponsor 2 students other than myself ( so 3 enrolled ) for this course! Members of this group can send me the details of interested students and I will choose 2 among them. I will also give them bus fare.