Temples Of Tamilnadu And Kerela

Temples of Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu is home to more than 30,000 temples and is called "the land of temples" .

The Tamils have been the greatest of temple builders.

Temples from the pre Christian era as well as those from the 20th century exist in this state.

The rulers of various dynasties constructed these temples over centuries

The most ancient temples were built of brick and mortar.

Upto about 700 CE temples were scooped out of rocks.

The Pallava Kings (upto 900) were great builders of temples in stone.

The Cholas (900-1250 AD) have a number of monuments to their credit. Mention must be made of the Brihadeeswarar Temple in Tanjavur.

The Cholas added many ornate mandpams or halls to temples and constructed large gopurams - towers.

The Pandya Style (Upto 1350 AD) saw the emergence of huge towers, high wall enclosures and enormous towered gateways.

The Vijayanagar Style (1350 - 1560 AD) is noted for the intricacy and beauty especially for the decorated monolithic pillars.

The Naik style (1600 - 1750 AD) is noted for the addition of large prakarams (circumambulatory paths) and pillared halls.

Architecture

The architecture of temple generally confines to five basic shapes viz., 

caturasra (square) ayatasra (rectangular) vrittayat (elliptical) vritta (circular) astasra (octagonal)

Mainly, temples of Tamil Nadu is of Dravidian style.

The plan of a temple is dictated by the nature of the deity.

For example, the shrine of the reclining Ranganatha, can only be a rectangular one.

The basic shapes are reflected in the superstructure of the vimanas.

Square and rectangular shrines are the common ones, the other shapes being adopted rarely.

However, these forms are represented in the sikhara of the vimana.

From the middle of the 12th century, the Gopurams (entrance buildings), to temple enclosures began to be greatly emphasized.

They are extremely large and elaborately decorated with sculpture, quite dominating the architectural ensemble.

Meenakshi Temple,Madurai

The Meenakshi temple complex is one of the largest in India.

The Meenakshi Temple was built by Kulasekara Pandya and is dedicated to Lord Shiva.

Shiva and his consort Parvati are known here as Sundareshwara and Meenakshi.

The temple was converted into a magnificent structure by the nayaks.

According to local legends, Malayadwaja Pandya was the king of Madurai.

He did not have any child for a long time so he performed a many yagnas or the sacrifices made before a sacred fire.

On one of the sacrifices, a three-year-old girl came out of the fire and Malayadwaja adopted her.

The girl had three breasts, which was the reason of worry for Malayadwaja.

However, a divine voice gave assurance to him that the third breast would disappear as soon as she met her consort.

The girl became a brave and beautiful princess and won many battles.

She finally lost her heart to Lord Shiva, when she met him on the battlefield in Kailash.

Her third breast disappeared as soon as she saw him and recognized her divine consort.

They ruled over the Pandya kingdom for some time and then settled in the Meenakshi temple at Madurai as Meenakshi and Sundareshwara.

High walls enclose the temple complex. There are two sanctums of

Sundareshwara and Meenakshi in the center of the complex.

The two sanctums are surrounded by a number of smaller shrines and grand pillared halls.

The 12 gopuras of the temple are really impressive.

The towers rise from solid granite bases and are adorned with stucco figures of the deities, mythical animals and grotesque figures painted in bright colors

Brihadeeswara or Rajarajeswara, Temple

The Brihadeeswara, or Rajarajeswara, temple, built by Rajaraja Chola at the Chola capital of Thanjavur.

It has 16 stories, each of which consists of a wall with a parapet of shrines carved in relatively low relief.

                                

The Nataraja temple is an example of the Chola Architecture and covers an area of 40 acres.

The temple is a dedicated to the Dancing Form of Shiva in the form of the Lord Nataraja. The temple is a tribute to the art of Bharatnatyam

Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram

Ramanathasawamy Temple, Rameswaram

The Ramanathaswamy Temple is one of the most sacred shrines of the Hindus in India.

The Jyotirlingam at the Ramanathaswamy temple is the southernmost of the 12 Jyotirlingams of India.

It is said that a Hindu should complete the pilgrimage of Rameswaram-Kashi-Rameswaram in his lifetime.

This temple is located near the sea and is one of India's most sacred shrines.

This temple is most famous for its impressive corridors running 1220m in length and 30m wide lined by symmetrical massive beautifully sculptured pillars.

These pillars are remarkable for their complex design and rich carvings

Kumari Amman Temple, KanyaKumari

The Kumari Amman Temple overlooks the shores from KanyaKumari.

The place KanyaKumari got its name from the Goddess KanyaKumari Amman who is the popular deity of this area.

According to the legends, the goddess Parvati did penance in this place to obtain lord Shiva as her husband.

When she was not successful in her penance, she vowed to remain virgin.

Thus the temple is dedicated to Parvati in the form of Devi Kanya, the virgin goddess.

The idol of the goddess Parvati has a sparkling diamond on her nose, which is supposed to outshine the sea.

Varadaraja temple, Kanchipuram

This temple is also known as the Devarajaswamy Temple.

Originally it was known as Attiyuran.

It is one of the

important Vaishnavite shrines.

The main deity is the Lord Vishnu in the form of the Lord Varadaraja Perumal.

The idol of the deity is in the standing posture facing towards the east. The temple is known for its splendid art.

It was built in 11th century A.D.

Other Temples:

Srivaikunthanthor Temple, Tirunelveli Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam Ramalinga Temple, Chidambaram Kapaleshwarar temple, Mylapore Nagaraja temple, Nagercoil

Kerela Temple Architecture

Temple architecture in Kerala is different from that of other regions in India.

Kerala temple architecture is unique, and it is in harmony with the natural resources and the climatic conditions of the region.

Largely dictated by the geography of the region that abounds in forests blessed with the bounties of the monsoons, the structure of the temples in Kerala is distinctive.

The Keralite temple is an amalgam of stonework, wood work, stucco work and painting - harmoniously blended into a structure vibrant with traditions of the region.

The wood work here is of great importance, and it gives the essential verve and character to the Kerala temple silhouette.

The inner skeletal framework of the temple is of wood, although the base and the structure above are of granite and laterite respectively.

Roof

The roofs are steep and pointed, and covered with copper sheets.

The Kerala roof

resembles those found in the Himalayan regions and those in East Asia.

The shape of the roof depends on the plan of the sanctum below.

A circular plan has a conical roof, while a square plan has a pyramidal roof.

The roof is made of wood and is covered with copper plates.

The roof projects out at several levels, in order to protect the inner skeletal framework from the vigorous monsoons that inundate the region.

The central sanctum of a Keralite temple is referred to as the Sree Kovil.

It is surrounded by a cloistered prakara, pierced at one or more cardinal points with a gopuradwara.

The cloistered prakaram has a namaskara mandapam located directly in front of the sanctum.

This prakaram also houses subsidiary shrines.

A kitchen is located in the south eastern corner of this cloistered prakaram.  

The mukha mandapam is integrated with the gopura entrance.

The flagstaff or dwaja stambham is located outside of the dwajastambham.

The balipitham may be located in the mukhamandapam or in the outer courtyard.

The outer prakaram or courtyard houses other subshrines, and

optionally a temple tank.

The Kuttambalam or the theater hall of the Keralite temple is located either as a part of the inner prakara, on the south east corner facing north, or as a separate hall outside the innermost prakaram, either facing into the temple or facing north.

This has a stage, raised from the rest of the floor, and a backstage area.

This is the site of the performance of Kathakali or Chakkiyar koothu recitals.

Chottanikkara Temple

The Chottanikkara temple is located near Ernakulam. It is one of the most popular deities in Kerala and enshrines Bhagawati-the mother Goddess.

The Poornatrayesa temple at Tripunittura is on the way.

The goddess is worshipped here along with Lord Vishnu.

The goddess is worshipped in three different forms during the entire day - as Saraswati, draped in white, in the morning, as Bhadrakali, draped in crimson at noon and as Durga, draped in blue, in the evening.

People with mental illness come to seek blessings of the divine mother, who graciously cures all her devotees. Goddess Rajrajeshwari is the presiding deity.

The image in the sanctum is not fixed to the ground but is mounted on loose sand.

Water offered during ablution ceremonies percolates underground through the sand.

Vadukkumnnatha Temple, Trichur

The Vadukkumnnatha is an important Shiva temple situated at Trichur in Kerala.

It is one of the most ancient shrines of Kerala, which also has a museum of ancient wall paintings, woodcarvings and art pieces of great historical value.

The 'Pooram Festival' is celebrated in

April/ May.

The festival is a spectacular event, where you can see the majestic elephant parade with the wild playing of drums and symbols finished off with the extravagant fireworks.

Sabrimala Temple

The Sabrimala is a holy shrine dedicated to Lord Ayyappa.

It is also a renowned pilgrim center over the top of the rugged hills of the Western Ghats.

The sanctum sanctorum is almost 914 m above the mean sea level surrounded by the thick forests of the Western Ghats.

The pilgrimage is generally undertaken between November and January.

The pilgrims, regardless of caste, creed, and color wear black dhotis and carry the bundles containing the traditional offerings like coconut filled with ghee, camphor and rice over their head.

The two main ceremonies called the Mandal Puja and the Makara Sankranti Puja are celebrated from November to Mid- January in Kerala.

Guruvayoor Temple, Thrissur

Guruvayoor Temple of Thrissur is a very important and famous pilgrimage.

The temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu, who is worshipped as Lord Krishna, an avatar of Lord Vishnu.

The town where this temple is located is known by the name of Thrissur Guruvayoor.

In this temple only Hindus are allowed inside.

The temple is said to have been built by Guru (preceptor of Gods) and Vayu (God of winds).

The idol is built out of a rare stone called Patala Anjana.

Aranmula Temple, Pathanamthitta

Aranmula Temple, in Pathanamthitta district, is famous as one of the five temple towns of Kerala.

This temple is dedicated to Lord Krishna.

There are five ancient shrines around Chengannur, sanctified by the Pandavas.

One of them is Aranmula pilgrimage of Kochi. It is said that this temple has existed since the time of Mahabharata.

The Aranmula Temple is famous for its murals, which were carved out during the 18th century.

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