[q] Seeking information on "hiraNyagarbha" ceremony

[jayabarathi]

At 07:58 PM 1/28/99 +0100, you wrote:
>
>But, recently I heard that it was performed even before; i.e. during Chola
>period also. I am looking for earlier; pre-naayaka, references if any. Are
>there any instances from northern India too?



        Found it. During the Imperial Chola times, it was performed by no-less
person than the chief queen of the Great Raja Raja Chola himself.
        The event took place in ThiruVisaluur temple in Tanjavur district.
It was in his twenty-ninth regnal year, ie., 1014  A.D. He performed the
Thulabara
Dana ceremony and donated his own weight in gold to the temple. His chief
queen, Danti Sakti Vitanki alias Loka Maha Devi perfomed the Hiranyagarbha
Dana. Some of the left-over gold was fashioned into golden flowers(Suvarna
Pushpa)
and dedicated to  Kshetrapala in the shrine that she built in Thru
Valanjulzhi.
        The inscription recording the event is inscribed in the temple of
ThiruVisaluur, below a sculpture of Raja Raja and his queen performing Siva
worship.
One of the rare representations of RajaRaja that have come across the ages
to us.

Regards

Jayabarathi



>I am more interested in Sastra-ic references (providing base/legitimation)
>to this ceremony. Dr. Drodzowicz provided one so far.
>
>Thanks once again.
>
>Regards,                --Sreenivas
>
>P.S. I just saw Prof. Hiltebeitel's message. Thanks for the _Bayly_ ref.!
>In fact a book I once read. Bad memory :-( ).
>
>--
>E-Mail: sreeni at ktp.uni-paderborn.de
>