Plans afoot to set up Kanaka Peetha in Melkote

The state government has directed Mandya Deputy Commissioner Ajay Nagabushan to initiate steps to establish a Kanaka Peetha in Melkote, a favourite pilgrim centre of the  saint-poet of the 16th century Kanakadasa. A letter has been despatched by the Chief Minister’s office on June 9, in this regard.

Special Officer of Kannada and Culture Minister Umashree, K B Kiran Singh has forwarded the letter to the Commissioner for Archeology, Museums and Heritage C G Betsurmath on the aforementioned date.

The directions were issued following a petition to the Chief Minister by Shalvapille Iyengar, chairman of Masters in Tourism Management and Ancient History and Archeology department, Karnataka State Open University.

Speaking to Deccan Herald, Iyengar said, “This is the right time to spread the spirit of inclusiveness, propagated by Ramanujacharya who made Melkote his ‘karmabhoomi’ as this is his 1,000th birth anniversary year and also the platinum jubilee of the formation of Mandya district.”

“In Udupi, whenever a mention is made of either Kanakadasa or the proposed Kanaka Peetha, some or the other controversy crops up. There is stiff opposition from a section of the society, while another section of the people advocate for the peetha. However, there is no written evidence about the saint poet visiting Udupi, where there is a ‘Kanakana Kindi’, meaning a window at the back of the sanctum sanctorum for the ‘darshana’ of the presiding deity. But, all these seem to be folklore,” he said.

“On the other hand, there is plenty of evidence that Kanakadasa had stayed at Melkote for 10 days, during Bramharathothsava, most probably in the year 1530. Besides reference about his visit and stay in Melkote in the works of his contemporaries, he himself has described the temple town, and also the celebration of the Bramharathothsava in his keerthans,” Iyengar said.

He said, “Kanakadasa would have set on a pilgrimage following the death of Krishnadevaraya, the legendary Vijayanagara king, with whom he was very close. Thus, he may have visited the prominent pilgrimage centres in South Karnataka, including places in the present Mandya district.”

Tribute to saint

In addition to Melkote, Kanakadasa has also visited Srirangapatna (Rangana- thaswamy temple), Muthathi (Anjaneya temple) in Malavalli taluk and Maddur (Ugranarasimha temple). So, the establishment of the Kanaka Peetha — an entrance gate (gopura) and a statue inside a canopy — would be the right tribute to the saint poet during the platinum jubilee of the district. It will also help spread the principles of Kanakadasa, a religious and spiritual leader of the 16th century, said Sthanikam Srinivasa Nara- simhan, hereditary Stanikam of the Cheluvanarayana kshetra.

Kanakadasa’s guru was Thirumale Thathacharya, who was the Rajaguru of the Vijayanagara empire. Thus, he belongs to the Ramanujacharya sect and has even praised the 12th century saint in many of his keerthans. In his keerthans, Kanakadasa has also described the puja offered to the presiding deity at the sanctum sanctorum, so, it is clear that he was allowed near the deity and his caste was not a concern in the temple then. Ramanujacharya propagated equality before god, said Srinivasa Narasimhan.

Iyengar has published a research article on the visit of Kanakadasa to Mandya district in the book ‘Adikshana’, a copy of which was submitted to the chief minister, along with the petition. He says that the entrance of Melkote in Kadalagere would be the ideal spot for the Kanaka Peetha and a proposal would be sent to the Mandya district administration and the Heritage department in this regard.