NI-SI synthesis: Nataraja temple at Chidambaram (Tamil Nadu) was partially built by a Kashmiri king

Rashmun wrote: The priests are known as Dikshitars and they have a knot of hair in the front of their heads. They marry amongst themselves.

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:

Rashmun wrote: The priests are known as Dikshitars and they have a knot of hair in the front of their heads. They marry amongst themselves.

very kashmiri indeed.

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:most tamil brahmins today are distinctly dravidian looking. skin color can be quite misleading as i have said many times. my brother for example is as fair as a southern european, i am what indians would call wheatish, and i have cousins some of whom are like my brother, and some of whom are like the fellow in this photograph. there is tremendous variation within a single family that it is impossible the draw the kind of conclusions about the community solely based on skin color. if tamil brahmins including dikshitars came from kashmir or central asia or wherever, it was a very very long time ago. today in appearance and in culture they are firmly tamilians. their central asian origin or whatever while interesting is irrelevant. we can also say everyone on the planet alive today is an african.

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:most tamil brahmins today are distinctly dravidian looking. skin color can be quite misleading as i have said many times. my brother for example is as fair as a southern european, i am what indians would call wheatish, and i have cousins some of whom are like my brother, and some of whom are like the fellow in this photograph (the one i posted). there is tremendous variation within a single family that it is impossible the draw any kind of conclusions about the community solely based on skin color. if tamil brahmins including dikshitars came from kashmir or central asia or wherever, it was a very very long time ago. today in appearance and in culture they are firmly tamilians. their central asian origin or whatever while interesting is irrelevant. we can also say everyone on the planet alive today is an african.

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:rashmun please rant on. the stage is yours. i am out of this.

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:rashmun please rant on. the stage is yours. i am out of this.

Rashmun wrote:

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:rashmun please rant on. the stage is yours. i am out of this.

it is not fair that you decide to run away from arguments when you start losing them. I have shown that Dikshitars place more emphasis on sanskrit than on tamil because in Nataraja temple by tradition only sanskrit prayers were allowed in the sanctum sanctorum.

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:

Rashmun wrote:

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:rashmun please rant on. the stage is yours. i am out of this.

it is not fair that you decide to run away from arguments when you start losing them. I have shown that Dikshitars place more emphasis on sanskrit than on tamil because in Nataraja temple by tradition only sanskrit prayers were allowed in the sanctum sanctorum.

one also runs away from arguments because one is never likely to find agreement and one is also tired of treading the same ground over and over again. i am hitting myself on the head for even getting into this in the first place. i suppose i have an impulse control problem when it comes to certain things. but i am getting better. as i said you are free to believe whatever you want and also free to believe that you are winning arguments with me if it makes you feel better. i will have the satisfaction of knowing that i helped you get to a better place in my own small way. as they say in star trek, captain you have the conn.

Rashmun wrote:

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:

Rashmun wrote:

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:rashmun please rant on. the stage is yours. i am out of this.

it is not fair that you decide to run away from arguments when you start losing them. I have shown that Dikshitars place more emphasis on sanskrit than on tamil because in Nataraja temple by tradition only sanskrit prayers were allowed in the sanctum sanctorum.

one also runs away from arguments because one is never likely to find agreement and one is also tired of treading the same ground over and over again. i am hitting myself on the head for even getting into this in the first place. i suppose i have an impulse control problem when it comes to certain things. but i am getting better. as i said you are free to believe whatever you want and also free to believe that you are winning arguments with me if it makes you feel better. i will have the satisfaction of knowing that i helped you get to a better place in my own small way. as they say in star trek, captain you have the conn.

i have an open mind and have in the past changed my opinions on certain issues. If you don't believe me then you can ask Huzefa Kapasi who has known me since 1998. It is unfortunate that you have no comment to offer on the fact that tamil prayers have by tradition not been permitted in the sanctum sanctorum of the Nataraja temple at Chidambaram. Only sanskrit prayers by tradition have been permitted.

Rashmun wrote:i have an open mind and have in the past changed my opinions on certain issues. If you don't believe me then you can ask Huzefa Kapasi who has known me since 1998.

Impedimenta wrote:err? you seriously lack comprehension skills. give me 6 months. my next show is a collaboration with a local theater group comprising of african american and latino dancers. i will then write here about BN and African american/latino synthesis. i will also become part african american/latino according to your theory then. god, help SUCH. first the biased admin and now, this.

garam_kuta wrote:

Impedimenta wrote:err? you seriously lack comprehension skills. give me 6 months. my next show is a collaboration with a local theater group comprising of african american and latino dancers. i will then write here about BN and African american/latino synthesis. i will also become part african american/latino according to your theory then. god, help SUCH. first the biased admin and now, this.

gee !gee! gee ! You are sooooo posh,na ?

Impedimenta wrote:

garam_kuta wrote:

Impedimenta wrote:err? you seriously lack comprehension skills. give me 6 months. my next show is a collaboration with a local theater group comprising of african american and latino dancers. i will then write here about BN and African american/latino synthesis. i will also become part african american/latino according to your theory then. god, help SUCH. first the biased admin and now, this.

gee !gee! gee ! You are sooooo posh,na ?

ok, not happening in the first half of 2013.....sigh, i am an optimist if not anything else.

Impedimenta wrote:err? you seriously lack comprehension skills. give me 6 months. my next show is a collaboration with a local theater group comprising of african american and latino dancers. i will then write here about BN and African american/latino synthesis. i will also become part african american/latino according to your theory then. god, help SUCH. first the biased admin and now, this.

Rashmun wrote:

Impedimenta wrote:err? you seriously lack comprehension skills. give me 6 months. my next show is a collaboration with a local theater group comprising of african american and latino dancers. i will then write here about BN and African american/latino synthesis. i will also become part african american/latino according to your theory then. god, help SUCH. first the biased admin and now, this.

we need to distinguish between superficial synthesis and deep rooted synthesis. what you are doing is also synthesis but it is an example of superficial synthesis. Naatya Shastra-BN is an example of deep rooted synthesis.

Chuhaa wrote:

Rashmun wrote:

Impedimenta wrote:err? you seriously lack comprehension skills. give me 6 months. my next show is a collaboration with a local theater group comprising of african american and latino dancers. i will then write here about BN and African american/latino synthesis. i will also become part african american/latino according to your theory then. god, help SUCH. first the biased admin and now, this.

we need to distinguish between superficial synthesis and deep rooted synthesis. what you are doing is also synthesis but it is an example of superficial synthesis. Naatya Shastra-BN is an example of deep rooted synthesis.

e x c e l l e n t

Rashmun wrote:What remains of the Martand Temple:



It is said to have been destroyed by one Sikandar Butshikan. It should be noted, however, that the son of this Sikandar Butshakin was a great secular king who ruled over Kashmir for 50 years and who patronized the arts and was partial to the hindus. This son was Sultan Zain ul Abideen and he provided the healing touch after the wounds inflicted on the secular fabric of Kashmir by Sikandar Butshikan.

Notice one peculiarity: The geographic beauty of Kashmir. If the Nataraja temple at Chidambaram or the Shiva temple at Thanjavur would have been built in Kashmir their overall beauty would have been even greater.

Rashmun wrote:This is the original temple dedicated to the Nataraja form of Lord Siva (the Celestial Dancer), where Lord Siva is found in his famous Ananda Tandavam dancing pose, with one leg in the air and having four arms. He defeated goddess Kali in a dance contest.

It is a huge temple, which takes up an area of about 40 acres. It is said that there has been a temple here for thousands of years. A Kashmiri king, Simhavarman II (550-575 AD), came here in the 6th century in the hope that by bathing in the tank near the ancient Nataraja Temple he would be cured of leprosy.

After bathing in the tank, he quickly became cured. He then arranged to have the temple enlarged and the 3,000 priest who had come with him from Kashmir stayed to serve in the temple. The priests are known as Dikshitars and they have a knot of hair in the front of their heads. They marry amongst themselves. The present 10th century temple was begun during the reign of Vira Chola Raja. The temple was expanded over the next 500 years.

The western gopuram, which has 108 dance poses on it, dates from the 12th century. The eastern gopuram, which is covered with elaborate sculptures, dates from the 13th century. Raja Krishnadeva Raya of Vijayanagar reconstructed the temple in 1520. The outer wall is 550m (1800 ft) long and 450m (1480 ft) east to west.

The temple is spectacular with four huge gopurams towering almost 50m (165 ft) high. The north and south gopurams are 49 metres high. The east and west temple gopurams are elaborately carved with the 108 classical dancing postures of Nataraja. Siva is believed to have invented 108 different dances out of which the most famous is the “Tandava.”

Non-Hindus are technically not allowed in the inner sanctum. The Dikshitars act as the guides for the temple. It may be a good idea to hire one because they can enable you to bypass the ban on temple entry. The temple is in the northern part of the city. It takes at least an hour to see it.

The temple is open from 4 am to 12 noon and 4.30 pm to 9 pm. The evening 6 pm puja is the most interesting. On Friday nights, Nataraja is carried on a palanquin in procession, with priests triumphantly carrying tridents and torches. Temple Story The story of the temple is that Kali (Parvati) was once the patron goddess of the Tillai Forest (what is now the city of Chidambaram).

http://www.radha.name/holy-places-gallery/tamil-nadu/cidambaram-shiva-temple

Vakavaka Pakapaka wrote:

Rashmun wrote:This is the original temple dedicated to the Nataraja form of Lord Siva (the Celestial Dancer), where Lord Siva is found in his famous Ananda Tandavam dancing pose, with one leg in the air and having four arms. He defeated goddess Kali in a dance contest.

It is a huge temple, which takes up an area of about 40 acres. It is said that there has been a temple here for thousands of years. A Kashmiri king, Simhavarman II (550-575 AD), came here in the 6th century in the hope that by bathing in the tank near the ancient Nataraja Temple he would be cured of leprosy.

After bathing in the tank, he quickly became cured. He then arranged to have the temple enlarged and the 3,000 priest who had come with him from Kashmir stayed to serve in the temple. The priests are known as Dikshitars and they have a knot of hair in the front of their heads. They marry amongst themselves. The present 10th century temple was begun during the reign of Vira Chola Raja. The temple was expanded over the next 500 years.

The western gopuram, which has 108 dance poses on it, dates from the 12th century. The eastern gopuram, which is covered with elaborate sculptures, dates from the 13th century. Raja Krishnadeva Raya of Vijayanagar reconstructed the temple in 1520. The outer wall is 550m (1800 ft) long and 450m (1480 ft) east to west.

The temple is spectacular with four huge gopurams towering almost 50m (165 ft) high. The north and south gopurams are 49 metres high. The east and west temple gopurams are elaborately carved with the 108 classical dancing postures of Nataraja. Siva is believed to have invented 108 different dances out of which the most famous is the “Tandava.”

Non-Hindus are technically not allowed in the inner sanctum. The Dikshitars act as the guides for the temple. It may be a good idea to hire one because they can enable you to bypass the ban on temple entry. The temple is in the northern part of the city. It takes at least an hour to see it.

The temple is open from 4 am to 12 noon and 4.30 pm to 9 pm. The evening 6 pm puja is the most interesting. On Friday nights, Nataraja is carried on a palanquin in procession, with priests triumphantly carrying tridents and torches. Temple Story The story of the temple is that Kali (Parvati) was once the patron goddess of the Tillai Forest (what is now the city of Chidambaram).

http://www.radha.name/holy-places-gallery/tamil-nadu/cidambaram-shiva-temple

You seem to look for such material. These stories looks similar to the story of Kanchi peetham written by Kanchi peetham people (i.e., one should read the stuff with a pinch of salt).

Those days, kings from different parts of India were patrons of temples no matter where they were located. Local rulers did not object to such behavior of other kings. There is no need to speculate on Kashmir-Tamil cultural intercourse (with a hidden message that Tamils had learnt something from NIs). However, TN was quite open to influences from outside. Take Tanjavur kings, for example. They fostered art no matter where it came from.