Ponniyin Selvan Varalaatru Peravai

http://www.hindu.com/fr/2010/04/02/stories/2010040251170100.htm

* Heritage in a park *

T.S. SUBRAMANIAN

Twenty seven sculptures speak of Tamil Nadu's rich literary tradition at
the Semmozhi Sirpa Poonga in Mamallapuram.



* SLICES OF HISTORY: Tiruvalluvar's statue at the entrance; depiction of
elections at Uttaramerur; King Rajasimha paying respects to Poosalar; Appar
seeking the blessings of Tirugnana Sambandar; and Madhavi dancing with pots.
*

A Classical Tamil Sculptures Park (Semmozhi Sirpa Poonga) has come up on
spacious grounds at the Beach Resort Campus of the Tamil Nadu Tourism
Development Corporation (TNTDC) in Mamallapuram, 55 km from Chennai. The
park boasts of 27 sculptures, most of them depicting events and scenes from
classical Tamil literature.

Also adorning the park are figures of literary personalities (from Avvaiyar
of the Sangam age to nationalist poet Subramania Bharati), religious
personalities (such as St. Thomas who came to Tamil Nadu, and Karaikkal
Ammaiyar) and Saivite saints Appar and Tirugnana Sambandar. The 11 dance
poses or karnas of Madhavi, an important character in Ilango's epic
‘Silappadikkaram', also find a place here.

The figurines are arranged in the shape of the Tamil letter ‘zha,' which is
unique to the language. The park is a forerunner to the World Classical
Tamil Conference that the State Government is organising in Coimbatore from
June 23 to 27.

“With the Tamil Conference round the corner, we want to remind our people
about Tamil Nadu's heritage and its rich literature,” says V. Irai Anbu,
secretary, Tourism, Tamil Nadu, who has been the driving force behind the
park. “We want to teach people through tourism.”


*Universal theme*

At the entrance, visitors are greeted with a sculpture of Tiruvalluvar, who
is seated on a globe, holding the Tirukkural in one hand and a stylus in the
other. Irai Anbu, who calls the park an open-air museum of sculptures,
explains, “Tiruvalluvar is seated on a globe to indicate the universal
nature of the Tirukkural couplets.”

The park has been set up at a cost of Rs. 88 lakhs, funded by the Tamil Nadu
Government. The sculptures are made of granite by the staff and students of
the nearby Government College of Architecture and Sculpture.

“Experience yourself – that is the aim behind the park,” says S.
Subramanian, deputy director, TNTDC. “Since Tamil Nadu Tourism Department's
prime activity is to preserve and highlight the State's heritage, sculptures
of Kannagi, Madhavi and Karaikkal Ammaiyar have been erected. Avvaiyar was
chosen because she is a non-aligned literary person and acted as a bridge
between feuding Tamil kings.”

A sculpture that instantly arrests attention is the one portraying an
election under way at Uttaramerur, in around 920 A.D. The entire village has
gathered to cast its ballot in a terracotta pot (the ‘Kuda Olai' system as
it is called in Tamil Nadu) to elect the members of the village assembly.
Uttaramerur, situated about 90 km from Chennai, had an elaborate and highly
refined electoral system even about 1,100 years ago and a written
constitution prescribing the mode of elections. The details of this system
are inscribed on the walls of the village assembly, a rectangular structure
made of granite slabs.

The dance poses of Madhavi are exquisite statements. These include ‘Kodu
kotti,' ‘Alliyam,' ‘Thudi,' ‘Mal,' ‘Pavai' and ‘Kudai.' The figure of her
balancing pots on her hands, shoulders and head is a sight to behold!


*Musical instruments*

One can also find sculptures of wind, percussion and stringed instruments
that were in use during the Sangam Age, and a coin that belongs to Rajendra
Chola.

Two outstanding pieces depict Saivite saints and poets, Appar and Tirugnana
Sambandar, who admired each other, meeting between Chidambaram and Sirkazhi.

Another highlight of the park is a carving that shows the Pallava king
Rajasimha and one of the 63 Saivite saints, Poosalar. While Rajasimha built
the Shore Temple in a dramatic setting on the sea shore at Mamallapuram and
the majestic Kailasanatha temple at Kanchipuram, Poosalar was hard up for
finance to build a Siva temple. So he built a temple in his mind's eye.

The sculpture shows Poosalar meditating under a tree and building a temple
in his imagination while the monarch Rajasimha stands deferentially next to
him. In the background is the relief of the towers of the Shore Temple and
the Kailasanatha temple.

A brochure, written in simple Tamil and explaining with literary flourish
the significance of the 27 sculptures, has been brought out by the TNTDC. It
has been authored by Subramanian.

A pamphlet in English is also available.

A garden too…

Besides the sculptures' park at Mamallapuram, a Garden of Classical Tamil
will come up in Coimbatore, the host city of the World Classical Tamil
Conference in June 2010. The garden will occupy 165 acres on which the
Central Prison, Coimbatore, is now situated. The project is expected to cost
Rs. 20 crores. The Tamil Nadu Government will also establish Tolkappiar
World Tamil Sangam on 14.15 acres at Tallakulam in Madurai. This Sangam will
have a museum of Tamil scholars belonging to the Sangam age, and a
convention centre.

http://www.poetryinstone.in
Here the language of stone surpasses the language of man