Leisure & Travel

Temple treasures of Tamil Nadu

A combination of architectural brilliance, intricate rituals and pageantry attracts millions of devotees and tourists to the quaint temple towns of Tamil Nadu

The varied styles and building materials which distinguish the temples built by ancient dynasties of Tamil Nadu are highly educative for students of architecture. The most ancient were built of brick and mortar. Subsequently circa 700 AD, temples were scooped out of caves by Pallava and Pandya architects. The Pallava kings (upto 900 AD) were also great builders of stone and rock temples. The Cholas (900-1250 AD) made significant changes in structural styles, by adding ornate mandapams (dolmens) and halls and constructed impressive gopurams (gateways). The Pandya era (up to 1350 AD) witnessed the emergence of huge towers, high wall enclosures and towering gateways. The Vijayanagar rulers (1350-1560) built taller gopurams and installed sculpted monolithic pillars as evidenced in some of the most visited temples — Srirangam and Chidambaram. The Naiks (1600-1750) added large prakarams (circumambulatory paths) and pillared halls, enhancing the elegance of the temples.

Apart from the grand design and layout that attract history and architecture enthusiasts from the world over, the puranic legends and religious rituals associated with these temples lure streams of domestic tourists to experience their magic and mysticism. "The serene, spiritual ambience instills peace. Moreover the elaborate pooja rituals and annual festivals draw huge crowds who are willing to brave the ordeal of standing in serpentine queues to get a glimpse of presiding deities, in the belief that their prayers will be answered," says K. Seshadrinathan, adjunct professor, department of management studies, University of Madras and secretary of the Centenarian Trust, who has written extensively on Indian temples.

An estimated 265 of the 275 Shivasthalams (abodes of Lord Shiva, the supreme manifestation of divinity in the Saivite tradition) and 84 of the 108 Divya Desams (celestial abodes of Lord Vishnu, the supreme manifestation of the Vaishnavite tradition) are located in Tamil Nadu. Some of them are small shrines, others desolate and neglected, while the well-endowed temples are lively centres of art, culture and worship. The temples in the last group are profiled here.

Ranganathaswamy temple: revered Vaishnavite centre

Temple life evolved in Srirangam after the poet composer Nadamuni (923-1023) compiled the hymns of the Alwar saints of the first millennium and set them to music. Before the birth of Ramanujacharya (12th century), the beacon of the Vaishnava tradition, the Rangana-thaswamy temple was a well-established institution. From the 13th century onwards, the Cholas, followed by the Pandya rulers, endowed the temple with its gold-plated vimanam (tower crowning the innermost sanctum) and the Hoysala kings added further embellishments.

Today, Sri Ranganathaswamy temple is among the grandest in India, depicting the architectural history of several eras. Distinguished by its 21 gopurams including the 245 ft high, 13-tiered Rajagopuram built recently in 1987, the temple enshrines Lord Ranganathar in the central sanctum (garba griha) in a reclining posture, crowned with a gold plated pranava vimanam (tower). The festival deity, Nam Perumaal is also housed in this sanctum, surrounded by seven concentric prakarams, and dotted with mandapams, tanks and shrines. The majestic 1000-pillared hall, dating back to the Chola period, another hall with eight horse pillars added by the Vijayanagar kings and the pillars of the garuda mandapam — all splendid works of period architecture are the most notable features of this temple. For the pious, the most auspicious visiting times are during the grand temple festivals of ‘Aadi Bhrammotsavam’ and ‘Adhyaya-notsavam’ celebrated in December-January.

Gold-plated vimanam

Getting there.

Accommodation. Top-end: Hotel Sagar (Rs.3,400-4,800 per night), Hotel Jennys (Rs.2,025-2,475), Royal Southern (Rs.1,100-1,200). Mid-range: Femina Hotel (Rs.800-1,600), Ramyas (Rs.675-775). Budget: Hotel Ashby (Rs.400-525), Hotel Abirami (Rs.460-550), Hotel Anand (Rs.190-300)

Excursions. A mere 2 km east of Srirangam is the Tiruvanaikkaval or Jambukeswarar temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, which according to purists surpasses the Ranganathaswamy temple in architectural design. Close to Srirangam island is one of the engineering marvels of India — the Grand Anaicut dam built in stone by Karaikal Cholan in the 2nd century AD, also a scenic picnic spot. Other must-see temples in Trichy are Samayapuram (20 km), Vayaloor Muruga (8 km), Tiruvellarai Vishnu (25 km) and Gunaseelam (24 km).

Designated a world heritage monument by Unesco, the Brihadeeshwarar temple aka the ‘big temple’ is the pride of Thanjavur sited in the ‘rice bowl’ of Tamil Nadu which boasts hundreds of wonderful temples. The seat of the powerful Chola empire, the town was the high point of learning and culture between the 10-14th centuries. The home of Carnatic music, musical instruments and traditional Thanjavur glass paintings, it attracted 747,277 domestic and 28,230 foreign tourists in 2003.

Brihadeeshwarar Temple: several distinguishing characteristics

This imposing temple has several other distinguishing characteristics. Set in a two-storey sanctum the shivalingam (a form taken by Lord Shiva) which is the biggest in South India, is also called Peruvudaiyar or Rajarajeswaramudaiyar. A long prakaram surrounds the temple whose walls and pillared corridors abound in murals, shivalingams and nandis. The Periya Nayaki and Subramanyar temples within the main complex were added during the Pandya period. Both the interior and exterior walls of the temple portray incidents from the lives of the Nayanmars, Bharatnatyam postures and mani-festations of Lord Shiva. A monolithic Nandi, 12 ft high and 20 ft long dating to the Nayak period is enshrined in its own mandapam.

Getting there. The nearest airport is Thiruchirappalli (58 km), connected by air to Chennai, Kochi, Colombo and Sharjah. Thanjavur is connected by rail to Trichy, Madurai, Chennai and other towns of Tamil Nadu. It is also well connected by road with most places in the south. It is 114 km from Chidambaram, 392 km from Kanyakumari, and 334 km from Chennai.

Accommodation. Top-end: Hotel Parisutham (Rs.4,000 onwards), Hotel Sangam (Rs.1,600 onwards). Mid-range: Ideal River View Resort (Rs.1,200 onwards), Hotel Oriental Towers (Rs.900 onwards). Budget: Hotel Yagappa (Rs.275 onwards), Hotel Pandyar Residency (Rs.495 onwards), Hotel Valli (Rs.185 onwards).

Excursions. There are numerous temples in and around Thanjavur that are worth visiting. Thirukandiyur (10 km) is noted for its Brahmasirikandeswaran and Harshavimochana Perumal temples. Kumbakonam (36 km), one of the most sacred places in the south and well known for the Masi Maham festival, hosts the Sarangapani, Kumbakeswarar, Nageswara and Ramaswamy temples. Swamimalai (32 km) has a fine temple atop a hill dedicated to Lord Muruga, which attracts many devotees. Thiruvaiyar (13 km) is the seat of saint Thyagaraja, father of Carnatic music who lived and attained samadhi here. Every year in January a music festival is staged here to honour him. The famous Gangaikondacholapuram (71 km), the beautiful Velankanni church (90 km) and Nagore (88 km) are other renowned pilgrim centres around Thanjavur.

Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram

Legend has it that Lord Shiva came down to earth — Chidambaram — to dance and oblige the saints living here but since goddess Kali was already in residence, a dispute arose between them. They mutually agreed that the winner in a dance competition would get to reside here. Shiva commenced with the thandava and Kali, the lasya. But Shiva bent the rules by lifting one leg high up which Kali could not do out of modesty. Thus Shiva became the lord of Chidambaram while Kali resides on the outskirts towards the north. The high-legged dance form of Lord Shiva immortalised by the dancing Nataraja bronze is known as Oorthuva thandavam.

The awesome Nataraja temple — pride of Chidambaram — is built of granite and sprawls across 400 acres. Surrounded by massive walls with four tall gopurams the temple is a dance connoisseur’s and architect’s delight, showcasing 108 perfectly sculpted dance postures of the Natya Sastra in its four towers. It comprises five principal sabhas or great halls — the Kanaka sabha, Chit sabha, Nritya sabha, Deva sabha and Raja sabha.

The idol of Nataraja is enshrined in the Chit sabha fronting a black granite screen, which shields the akasa lingam in the main sanctum. Here, Lord Shiva is worshipped as a formless presence, which explains why the sanctum is empty except for golden garlands of vilva blooms. Five silver plated steps lead into the Chit sabha, representing the panchakshara mantram (five-alphabet prayer). The images of saints Vyagrapada and Patanjali who were blessed with the vision of Lord Shiva’s cosmic dance, are embossed on the doors. The sanctum of Sivakama Sundari lies to the left of the Nataraja sanctum.

A tour of the other sabhas is an equally enriching experience for art aficionados. The Kanaka sabha (with its gold-plated ceiling) is a site of devout worship. The Nritya sabha, richly sculpted in the form of a chariot drawn by horses, showcases various images of Nataraja in cosmic dance poses; the Deva sabha is a spacious hall for the celebration of important festivals and contains the images of the pancha murtis (five figures) — Somaskandar, Parvati, Vinayaka, Subramanya and Chandikeswara along with other deities; the spacious Raja sabha consists of a 1,000-pillared hall in the outermost prakaram. Every year in February-March classical dancers perform at the Natyanjali festival which starts on Mahashivaratri day and continues for five days. The festival attracts dance and music enthusiasts from across the world.

Getting there. The nearest airport is Trichy (174 km). Chidambaram is linked by rail and road to Chennai, Thanjavur, Trichy and other important towns.

Accommodation. Hotels in Chidambaram offer rudimentary facilities. Mid-range: Hotel Saradha Ram (Rs.400-635), Hotel Akshaya (Rs.330-660), Hotel Tamil Nadu (Rs.250-450). Budget: Hotel Palace (Rs.150), Hotel Kalyanam (Rs.100), S.V Jayaraman Lodge (Rs.100).

The Thiruvannamalai Temple in Thiruvannamalai district is dedicated to Lord Arunachaleswara and his consort, goddess Unnamalai. It enshrines Lord Shiva in his ‘fire’ form. Situated at the foot of a range of hills, the temple sprawls over 23 acres and is the venue of the famous karthigai depam festival in December-January, when a leaping flame appears atop one of the hills. During the festival devotees throng here to worship in the temple lit with over 1,000 oil lamps.

Thiruvannamalai temple: legendary associations

Though the history of this ancient temple dates back to the 7th century, additions were made by several kings in differing periods. There are five prakarams and nine gopurams within the temple complex, of which the first two prakarams were built by the early Pandyan kings. In the 13th century, the Hoysala kings from Karnataka built the small shrines and prakarams in the temple. The tallest gopuram, 127 ft high and 102 ft wide, Rajagopuram was built by the Vijaynagar king Krishnadevaraya.

Getting there. The nearest airport is Chennai (170 km). Thiruvan-namalai is well connected by rail to Katpadi and Villupuram, which connect with Chennai and Bangalore (200 km). Bus services to Chennai, Pondicherry, Vellore, Chidambaram, Bangalore and Nagercoil are also available.

Accommodation. Top-end: Hotel Arunaiananda (Rs.1,000 onwards). Mid-range: Trishul Hotel (Rs.750 onwards). Budget: Hotel Arunachala (Rs.250-900)

Excursions. The Sri Ramana Maharishi Ashram (2 km) attracts thousands of devotees from around the world. The Skanda ashram (3 km) is also worth a visit.

The famous Gingee fort (35 km) in Villipuram district nestles on three hills and is enclosed by a huge rampart 60 ft thick, guarded by a moat 80 ft wide. Much of the early history of this 700-year-old fort is shrouded in mystery, as it changed many hands before it was annexed by the Vijayanagar kings. In 1750 Gingee was captured by the French and in 1761 surrendered to the British. The Sathanur dam (35 km) built on the river Ponnaiyar is a scenic picnic spot close by.