koTi koTi mAra lAvaNya

N. Ganesan GANESANS at CL.UH.EDU
Mon Apr 20 16:11:44 UTC 1998


Can someone please provide me with muttusvAmi diikshitar's krithi:
koTi koTi mAra lAvaNya sung at vazuvuur, Tanjore district?
Does this song pray to Siva as naked ascetic enthralling
Rishi pattinis? The brahmin rishis send an elephant demon to kill
him. Siva vanquishes gajAsura.

Vazuvuur has a very exquisite Chola bronze of gajasamhaaramuurti.
Even more beautiful is a standing umaa with a baby murugan
in her hand. The child points a finger towards Siva.

There is a festival in vazuvUr using these bronzes and interesting
myths are told. I will write later.

There are hundreds of Tevaram poems (7th century) referring to elephant slayer.
Kamban has few nice viruttams. KantapuraaNam (12th century) has
a whole chapter devoted tho this myth.

I am reading J. A. B. van Buitenana's paper on
gajasamhaaramuurti. It seems not many sanskrit
poems on gajaandaka.

Some Kalidasa editions has some lines on gajasamhaaram.
It may be later addition, since many print editions don't have it.
kuurmapuraaNam has few poems on gajaandaka.

I need enlightenment on:
gajasamhaaram myth in sanskrit literature.

koTi koTi mAra lAvaNya, please

Regards,
N. Ganesan





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