Imitation of Thanjavur in Gangaikonda cholapuram

Written by London Swaminathan

Post No. 14,307

Date uploaded in London –  24 March 2025

Contact – swami_48@yahoo.com

Pictures are taken from various sources for spreading knowledge.

this is a non- commercial blog. Thanks for your great pictures.

tamilandvedas.com, swamiindology.blogspot.com

xxxx  

On my way to Chennai from Kumbakonam Srivathsam Guest House, I visited the two famous places again on 17-3-2025. When Dr R Nagaswamy, Director of Archaeology, Tamil Nadu Government organised a FREE tour for teachers in 1977, I also joined the group as  a journalist from Dinamani newspaper. He took us from Chidambaram to Trivandrum covering various archaeological monuments. At every place he gave us very valuable information. At Gangaikonda chozapuram he rightly said that the smiling Nataraja statue reflected Appar’s Tevaram where he praised the smile of Lord Shiva. But Appar lived long before Gangaikonda chozapuram temple was built. My feeling is that the sculptor must have remembered the Tevaram hymn and sculpted the most beautiful Nataraja (Shiva) .

The Tevaram in Tamil goes as

Kuniththa puruvamum Kovvai sevvayir punsirippum

 Kovvai sevvayir punsirippum= smile in the red mouth wich is red like Kovai fruit.

That Nataraja is not the main deity. It is only on the outer wall of the main sanctum sanctorum. Along with the Nataraja statue many other gods are sculpted. When I went there one foreigner was taking pictures of all the sculptures. It is under the protection of the Tamil Nadu Archaeology department. So is closed in the evening.

I saw a huge Shiva linga with lighted lamps. The priest was going to another shrine in the complex. A big student group landed there while we spent half hour there.

Where is it?

Gangaikonda Cholapuram Temple is located in Jayankondam, Ariyalur district, It was built by Rajendra Choza, son of the great Raja raja choza. He imitated his father’s temple built in Thanjavur. He made this place as his capital city and anointed it with holy Ganaga water. To get the Ganges water he had to cross many kingdoms in the north. He conquered all who opposed him and so the city was called Gangaikonda Cholapuram meaning city of one who conquered the kings of Ganges plain. It is a 1000 year old monument; but his capital city lost lustre in course of time.  Now only the monument remains in a poor condition unlike Thanjavur big temple. Here also we find a huge Nandhi (bull) and huge Shiva linga like Thanjavur. One may see his inscriptions on the stone walls. Beautiful sculptures protected by the department of archaeology attract tourists.

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Smiling Nataraja

under Ganapathi sculpture, Tamil inscriptions can be seen.

london swaminathan in Gangaikondacholapuram

Parikkal Lakshmi Narasimha swamy Temple

Once again I wanted to refer to Dr R Nagaswamy’s archaeological tour. Though I lived in Madurai until the BBC World Service brought me to London on 1^st January in 1987, I did not know the significance of Narasimmam village near Madurai. There is a beautiful Narasimga swamy cave temple with Vatteluthu Inscriptions of Pandyas clearly visible in the sanctum sanctorum. Dr R  Nagaswamy read the whole inscription to our group and explained it. Later I went there several times. One can see Jain caves and inscriptions in the nearby rocks.

 Another Narasimhar temple is Singaperumal koil. And the third Narasimha swamy temple I visited for the second time on 17-3-2025 is the Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple at Parikkal. When I went there two years ago, the renovation work was going on and so we did see only the Urchava Murti. Now I was fortunate to see the beautiful Mulavar , the main idol in the Sanctum sanctorum/Garabhagriha.

Being Swati Nakshtra/star day, there was a big crowd. The significance of the Temple is that there is a Hanuman idol in the Garbhagriha.

The temple is located near Ulundurpet . It is a small temple built 1000 years ago by a local king named Vasantaraja. People who follow Madhvacharya frequent this place.

Moolavar /main deity– Lakshminarasimha Swamy
Thayar / goddess– Kanakvalli
Vimanam/ top of the tower – Ashtakona Vimanam

Lord Hanuman
In this temple, one can find 2 Anjaneya idols in the same sannidhi. A unique feature here is that, unlike other temples, Anjaneya gets the 2nd right of Thirumanjanam after Lord Narasimha (in other temples, Thaayar/goddess is the one who gets the Thirumanjanam after the Lord).

Since Lakshmi is embracing Lord Narasimha, the idol looks serene/peaceful. In most of the places , Narasimha is sculpted with angry face, who killed the demon king Hiranyakasipu.

temple door 

Location:

Located around 25kms South West of Villupuram and 3kms west of the Kedilam Cross Road off the Chennai-Trichi National Highway.

—subham—

Tags- Gangaikonda chozapuram, cholapuram, Parikkal, Narasimha swamy temple, Dr R Nagaswamy, Rajendra Choza, Smiling Nataraja, Appar hymn,