Tiruppavai and Thailand

[Guest guest]

Dear Members,

 

I had read a few years back of a connection between

Tiruppavai and Thailand. Evidently, the Tiruppavai was

recited as part of the Thai coronation ceremony. Today,

I was searching the Net for information corroborating

this when I stumbled across this astonishing bit of

news:

 

From "Dr.N.Kannan" <nkannan

 

If it might interest you, several

centuries ago, Sri Vaishnava Brahmins from Srivillippuththur

area of Ramanathapuram District, migrated to Thailand.

 

Their descendants are still in Bangkok.

They are known as the Thai Brahmin community.

 

They are the Royal Praeceptors (RajaGuru)

of the Thai kings. It is to be noted that the Thai kings although

claim descent from the Solar Royalty and Sri Rama, are now Buddhists.

But the Royal Guru happens to be the Sri Vishnava Thai Brahmins.

 

There is a very strong tradition of

Thiruppaavai hymns in Thailand. The hymn, "VaaraNam Aayiram

suuzha valam vanthu" is still sung in Tamil. But of course without

understanding the meaning. There are about 2000 Brahmins in

Bangkok.

 

If anyone has more info about this, I would love to hear it.

 

Mani

[Guest guest]

Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati adverts to

it in a different context as quoted in "Hindu Dharma"

(selected translation of Deivattin Kural ?)

http://www.kamakoti.org/hindudharma/part2/chap2.htm

 

relevant excerpt:

 

Even today a big festival is held in

Thailand in December- January, corresponding to the

Tamil Margazhi, the same month during

which we read the Tiruppavai and Tiruvembavai with

devotion. As part of the celebrations

a dolotsava (swing festival) is held. A remarkable

feature of this is that, in the

ceremony meant for Visnu, a man with the make-up of Siva is

seated on the swing. This seems to be

in keeping with the fact that the Tiruppavai and

Tiruvembavai contribute to the unification

of Vaisnavism and Saivism.

 

If you ask the people of Thailand about the

Pavai poems, they will not be able to speak about

them. It might seem then that there is no basis

for connecting the that festival with the

Pavai works merely because it is held in the month

corresponding to the Tamil Murgazhi. But

the point to note is that the people of that country

themselves call it "Triyampavai-Trippavai".

 

Those who read the Bible today are likely to

be ignorant about the Upanisads, but they are

sure to know the story that can be traced back

to them, that of Adam and Eve. The Thais now

must be likewise ignorant about the Pavis but,

all the same, they hold in the month of Dhanus

every year a celebration called "Triyampavai - Trippavai. "

As part of it they also have a

swing festival in which figures a man dressed

as Siva. Here the distortion in the observance

of a rite have occurred during historical

times- one of the distortions is that of Siva being

substituted for Visnu. Also during this period

the Thais have forgotten the Pavis but,

significantly enough, they still conduct a

festival named after them.

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

R Shashidhar writes:

> Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati adverts to

> it in a different context as quoted in "Hindu Dharma" :

[...]

> The Thais now

> must be likewise ignorant about the Pavis but,

> all the same, they hold in the month of Dhanus

> every year a celebration called "Triyampavai - Trippavai. "

 

Dear Shashidhar,

 

Thanks for your note. I also have heard Sri Chandrasekharendra

Saraswati's discourse which mentions this. But I have not been able

to find any evidence verifying the joint recitation of Tiruvempavai

and Tiruppavai in Thailand. Judging from the info I have found,

the Thais appear to be only aware of Tiruppavai and selections from

Nacciyar Tirumozhi, thanks to Vaishnava migrants from Tamil Nadu.

 

Joint recitation of Tiruvempavai - Tiruppavai appears to be a phenomenon

of this century, without any basis in the Saiva or Vaishnava traditions,

or in Tamil culture.

 

Mani

[Guest guest]

It looks like I wrote with a little bit of haste.

Sri Lakshmi Srinivas sent me a note which gives

some more documentation about the tirvempAvai-tiruppAvai

recitation in Thailand:

 

Well, I don't know anything about Nacchiar Tirumozi in Thailand but I

have come across some references to tiruppavai-tiruvempavai in

connection to a Thai royal ceremony of the Swing held in mArkazi:

 

It appears that " TP Meenakshisundaram has already noted the

relationship between the Tamil tradition and the Thai festival

popularly known as Lo Jin Ja ("pulling the swing") but officially

called trIyambavAi trIpavAy. ... In conjunction with this festival,

Brahman priests of the Bangkok temple recite the first two verses of

the tiruvempAvai in an incantatory manner without understanding the

words. When Meenakshisundaram visited this temple, he found an image

of mANikkavAcakar as well as an image of a female deity which the

Thais called BhadrakALi, but which Meenakshisundaram tentatively

identifies as ANTAL."

 

(N. Cutler, Consider our Vow, Muttu Patippakam, Madurai, 1979, p. 13.)

 

Other references relevant to this discussion are:

 

1. T.P. Meenakshisundaram, cayAmil tiruvempavai tiruppavai, Pari

Nilayam, Madras, 1961. If you can't get this book, try looking up his

paper in: Proceedings of the First Int'l Conf Seminar of Tamil

Studies, (Kuala Lumpur, Int'l Assn of Tamil Research, 1968, 1, 11-

20).

 

2. H.G. Quaritch Wales, Siamese State Ceremonies, London, 1931.

 

3. Encyclopedia of Tamil Literature, IIAS, Madras, V.1, pp. 69-70.

Available in Berkeley :-)

 

It is interesting to note that this article says the Thai brahmins

were originally from vArANaci (Benares) and rAmesvaram. It does not

say anything about SrivilliputtUr.

 

Thanks and Warm Regards,

Lakshmi Srinivas.

 

Mani