Tulabhara
Tulabhara, also known as Tula-purusha (
Names
The
Majority of the ancient inscriptions that record the ceremony are written in
The early Sanskrit-Tamil inscriptions from Tamil Nadu and Sinhala-Tamil inscriptions from Sri Lanka used the name "tula-bhara" (literally "weighing on the scales") to describe the ceremony.[3]
The Sanskrit inscriptions from other regions, the Kannada inscriptions, and the Puranas generally use the name "tula-purusha" and its variants.[1] "Tula-purusha" is the most common name for the ceremony in the historical records. The longer forms are "tula-purusha-dana" or "tula-purusha-mahadana", which are sometimes abbreviated as "tula-dana" (the words "dana" and "mahadana" mean "donation" and "great donation" respectively).[2]
The 13th century inscriptions from Tamil Nadu also use the terms "tularohana" (or "tularoha") and "tuladhiroha-vidhi" (or "tuladhirohana") for the ceremony.[1]
Description
The Matsya Purana provides several requirements for a tula-purusha ceremony, including directions for constructing the mandapa (pavilion) required for the ceremony. It states that the weighing scale (tula) should have two posts and a crossbeam, made from the same wood, and should be ornamented with gold.[4]
The text further states that the ceremony should be officiated by eight priests (rtvij), two for each of the four
Finally, the text states, the donor should step into one of the pans of the weighing scale, and the brahmanas should place pure gold pieces of equal weight in the other pan. After invoking the
The Linga Purana gives a similar description, and adds that the gold pieces should be dedicated to the god Shiva.[5]
History
The
The
Performances
Legendary
Several legendary performances of Tulabhara are mentioned in the ancient Indian texts. For example, in the Mahabharata, King Shibi, a descendant of King Bharata of the Lunar dynasty, was tested by Indra and Agni. They approached Shibi in the forms of an eagle and a dove. The dove sought Shibi's protection from the eagle, who asked Shibi to give his flesh measure for measure in exchange for the dove's life. Shibi, ready to offer anything to save the dove, began slice off bits of himself. Even after much cutting, the balance scales did not move, and when at last when Shibi himself stood on the scale of the balance, the gods appeared to him and blessed him.[7]
Another legend of the Tulabhara relates to
Historical
Several inscriptions of India mention the historical performances of the tula-purusha.
Notable performers include:
- Pandya kings (7th-8th century), in Tamil Nadu
- Jayantavarman alias Cendan (c. 7th century), according to one of his inscriptions, performed tulabhara along with hiranyagarbha and gosahasra.[10]
- An inscription of the Pandya king Varaguna I (r. c. 768-811) states that his father and grandfather made these three donations many times.[10]
- It is stated in the Tamil work Koyilolugu that Jatavarman Sundara Pandya (r. c. 1250–1268) constructed several tulapurusha mandapas in Srirangam temple and performed tulabhara there.[11]
- Rashtrakuta kings (8th-10th century), in Maharashtra-Karnataka region[2]
- Dantidurga donated a village to a brahmana on the occasion of a tulabhara performance according to an inscription discovered in the Kolhapur district.[10]
- Govinda III (c. 800) performed a tulabhara ceremony at Mayurakhandi on the occasion of a solar eclipse.[10]
- Amoghavarsha I (c. 862) also performed a tulabhara ceremony during a solar eclipse.[12]
- Indra III (c. 915) performed tulabhara on the occasion of his coronation, and granted villages to brahmanas and Jain monasteries.[12]
- Govinda IV performed at least three tulabharas during c. 929-930, to mark his coronation and that of his queen.[12]
- A vassal of Amoghavarsha III celebrated tulabhara in 937.[12]
- Pallava kings (9th century), in Tamil Nadu[2]
- Viramahadevi (c. 891), a queen of the Pallava ruler Nrpatungavarman performed tulapurusha and hiranyagarbha ceremony in a Mahadeva temple.[10]
- Chola kings (10th-11th century), in Tamil Nadu[2]
- Parantaka I (r. c. 907-955) made tulabhara, hemagarbha and other donations according to an inscription of his Ganga vassal Prithvipati II.[10]
- During the ruler of Uttiramerur. Around 1013, Rajaraja held a tulabhara ceremony at the Mahadeva temple of Tiruvishalur, where his consort Lokamahadevi simultaneously performed a hiranyagarbha donation.[10]
- Amma I of the Vengi Chalukya dynasty performed a tulabhara annually during his seven-year-long reign.[13]
- The Gwalior inscription of the Kachchhapaghata king Mahipala states that one of his ancestors celebrated tulapurusha in the 10th century.[13]
- Yashahkarna (r. c. 1073-1123 CE) of Kalachuri dynasty, according to his inscriptions.[13]
- Chalukyas of Kalyani
- Jayasimha III, a member of the younger brother and a vassal of the Kalyani Chalukya king Vikramaditya VI (r. 1076 – 1126 CE).[14]
- Jayakeshin II of Kadamba family, another vassal of Vikramaditya VI[14]
- Hoysala kings (10th-14th century), including Vishnuvardhana and his successors[12]
- Jayasimha III, a member of the younger brother and a vassal of the
- Gahadavala dynasty. According to his inscriptions, "the earth was discoloured hundreds of times by the scales" when he donated gold worth his own weight to the brahmanas. His Chandravati inscription records a village grant after the performance of tulapurusha and gosahasra before an image of the god Adi-keshava (Vishnu).[15]
- The Shilahara king Gandaraditya celebrated tulapurusha, according to the inscriptions of his grandson Bhoja II.[13]
- Vilasadevi, the queen of king Vijaya Sena (r. c. 1098-1160) of Sena dynasty, during the king's 32nd regnal year.[2]
- Jayachandra (r. c. 1170-1194 CE) of Gahadavala dynasty: his Kamauli grant inscription states that he performed a tula-purusha before the god Krittivasa (Shiva).[15]
- Chandeshvara, a minister of the king of Mithila: according to his own writings, he conquered Nepal and performed a tula-purusha in c. 1314 CE (Shaka year 1236).[9]
- Tulabhara mandapas are two small four pillared found in temples like Sri Varadharajaswami temple, Kanchi where Vijayanagar king Achyutaraya performed Muladhara in 1532.[16]
- The rulers of Travancore, until as late as the 19th century, performed tula-purusha and hiranya-garbha immediately ascending the throne to legitimize their claim to power.[9]
The Islamic
In 2015, the
See also
References
- ^ a b c Annette Schmiedchen 2006, p. 151.
- ^ a b c d e f g Annette Schmiedchen 2006, p. 150.
- ^ Annette Schmiedchen 2006, pp. 150–151.
- ^ a b c d e Annette Schmiedchen 2006, p. 146.
- ^ a b c d Annette Schmiedchen 2006, p. 147.
- ^ Annette Schmiedchen 2006, p. 145.
- ISBN 9780226223681.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link - ISBN 978-1-61069-211-3.
- ^ a b c Annette Schmiedchen 2006, p. 149.
- ^ a b c d e f g Annette Schmiedchen 2006, p. 173.
- ^ Illustrated (1982). South Indian Shrines. New Delhi: Asian Educational Services. p. 19.
- ^ a b c d e Annette Schmiedchen 2006, p. 174.
- ^ a b c d e Annette Schmiedchen 2006, p. 175.
- ^ a b Annette Schmiedchen 2006, p. 153.
- ^ a b V. B. Mishra 1973, p. 70.
- ^ A Study of Its History, Art and Architecture, Kanchi (2003). Sri Varadarajaswami Temple. New Delhi: Abhinav Publications. p. 50.
- ISBN 978-81-7156-551-1.
- ^ "Lankan PM Ranil Wickramasinghe offers worship at Guruvayur temple". The Economic Times. 2015-04-18.
Bibliography
- ISBN 978-81-208-2944-2.
- V. B. Mishra (1973). Religious Beliefs and Practices of North India During the Early Mediaeval Period. BRILL. ISBN 90-04-03610-5.