Beware the frog in the navel
India is a land of magnificent architectures. The state of Karnataka is host to some of the finest monuments of India’s rich architectural past. A very famous temple situated in Karnataka is the Channakeshava temple at Belur[i].
According to historical records, the temple was constructed around 1117 A.D. by the Hoysala ruler, King Vishnuvardhana[ii]. This famous Belur Channakeshava temple also contains a shrine called Kappe Channigaraya. The word kappe in Kannada means a frog.
Associated with Kappe Channigaraya is the story of a legendary master sculptor called Jakanachari, also known as Amarashilpi Jakanachari[iii]. According to tradition, Jakanachari left his native, Kridapura (now known as Kaidala) in Karnataka’s Tumkur District, in search for advanced learning and excellence in his craft, thereby earning great glory for himself as the architect of several magnificent structures throughout the land.
Jakanachari’s total devotion to learning and his craft however had a poignant personal and family cost. Driven by his professional passion, Jakanachari left home just before his son, Dakanachari, was born[iv]. The son grew up without the umbrella of his father’s hand on his head during the early part of his life. However, like his father, he grew up to be a talented artisan too. One day, the son too decided to leave home in search for professional exposure and glory.
Dakanachari, as part of his professional sojourn, reached Belur even as his father was overseeing the construction of the temple. Of course, the father and son did not initially recognize or know each other, which means that they came across each other as total strangers. Jakanachari, who had developed immense confidence in his professional capabilities, came to face a challenge from the young stranger who stood before him.
Dakanachari pointed to the image that Jakanachari was sculpting and declared that the stone that was being sculpted was defective. Naturally, Jakanachari was taken aback as he was providing oversight and direction to the prestigious sacred project with the most diligent of care possible. Shocked by the audacity of the young stranger, Jakanachari averred that if a defect was proved, he would sever his own right hand.
Dakanachari smeared the image being sculpted with sandalwood paste throughout. Even as the paste slowly dried uniformly over the sculpture, the area around the navel alone remained moist[v]. When the area was tapped, it revealed a cavity out of which a frog popped out along with some water. Jakanachari was aghast.
Deeply disappointed with his own professional judgment, Jakanachari fulfilled his gruesome promise of severing his own hand off. However, the story has a positive ending. The father-son relationship gets revealed and Jakanachari’s hand too is later restored on account of divine intervention according to tradition.
There is a very clear professional moral in the story. No matter how proficient or expert one becomes in an area of practice, there is still no full guarantee that professional errors, even very basic ones, can be completely avoided. Even legendary and iconic professionals need to constantly practice humility, lest they get challenged by apparent upstarts.
Another interesting question that the tale raises is that whether it is right to so fully immerse oneself in one’s work, that you end up forgetting the essentials of your loved ones in the family. Yet, those are mere human questions and constructs. If it is indeed god’s will, then all will unfold to a plan and end well too!
REFERENCES:
[i] https://lsi.gov.in:8081/jspui/bitstream/123456789/6156/1/45798_1971_HAS.pdf
[ii] Ibid.
[iii] https://www.deccanherald.com/content/306810/of-master-craftsman-his-vision.html
[iv] https://rcmysore-portal.kar.nic.in/temples/srichennakeshavatemple/about.html
[v] https://lsi.gov.in:8081/jspui/bitstream/123456789/6156/1/45798_1971_HAS.pdf