Stop 7: Darasuram

We came to the stone walls of the UNESCO site, with only the Vimanam visible from inside.
As we parked the van, we saw a long driveway leading in to the front gate of the temple.
We got out, and started walking, and after rounding the corner, stopped at the Nandi opposite the entranceway. A strange one, as it is outside the temple premises. To one side, the enclosure had been fenced off, as the steps there are supposed to produce different tones when tapped, and to preserve them, they have been cordoned off - like the iron pillar at the Qutb complex, Delhi, which was hugged by everyone, because of some myth around it.
After listening to Pradeep Chakravarthy give us the basics about the temple(built by Rajaraja II, in a style different to Rajendra's, fusion of the old building style(Aditya, Parantaka), with a brand new style. with very intricate motifs elaborate construction, wanted it to be the best by far, so vandalised a whole bunch of previously existing Chola temples, and took the best pieces from them-this is visible everywhere, wnhere you can see a difference in colour, and lines running through most structures.)
We entered, and spent the rest of the evening looking around. At certain spots, Pradeep Chakravarthy would stop us, and give us the significance of a certain carving.
While enjoying the art, and the magnificence, I was also looking for inscriptions.
I found some 18th century ones on the floor, but right till the end, never saw any proper Chola. But there they were, right by the entrance.

At one point, Pradeep pointed out to us some jaali work in front of a section of a mandapam skirting the wall. I went closer to have a look, and found a dark segment of temple behind it. In that area was an empty mandapam, except for 2 shivalingams, and a small structure on the floor.

We spent overall, maybe an hour, hour and a half, before the dark clouds started to cover the entire sky. We didn't notice it at the time though.
A few minutes later, it was time to leave. But some people wanted to go to Swamimalai kovil, and not straight back, so I took advantage of the confusion, and went to check out the ruined Rajagopuram at the back.
The Rajagopuram is a small distance away from the main temple, so i jogged there. The base is like any other gopuram. A small room, with a couple of pillars in rows, decorated. At the back, a flight of steps to the next floor. On top of that, instead of the regular triangular structure, or a roof, it opened to sky.
I navigated broken bottle pieces, and weeds, and climbed up the stairs embedded in the walls to the first floor. There, a more or less symmetrical design looked back from the other half. I climbed on.
Now I was at the top of the Rajagopuram, looking at Darasuram. I clicked a few pictures, and felt some water on my hand. Realising what was happening, I quickly clicked some more, of the Gopuram, and climbed back down. Then I ran to Appa, who had been waiting for me, and we both dashed for the bus, as it started to pour.

Location: Airavateswara, Darasuram





The Nandi


A pano just inside the temple


Ganas dancing. In the various invasions following the downfall of the Cholas, the temple was very badly damaged. Hence the different coloured stone blocks here and there.







Even the steps are decorated!


An 1891 November Thanjavur inscription in the floor


The highly carved pillars


The outside of the temple - the Vimanam


A pano from a corner of the temple




The damaged Rajagopuram in the falling light


The inside of the Rajagopuram

Epilogue for the day: We got back to the resort fine. By the time we reached, it had stopped raining. We went back to our rooms, freshened up, went for dinner(some good stuff again, this time in a banquet room), and a little while later, headed back to our rooms. That evening, I had agreed to get up early, and go to the temple in kumbakonam before breakfast. As I got ready to sleep, I started having second thoughts about having to wake up so early, but brushed them aside, and slept.

Travelling to Thillai - 8: Chidambaram

After driving on the highway for a short distance(well, short in highway terms), we reached the most holy city for Shaivites, Chidambaram. This is where the lord dances, where Shiva is Nataraja, the cosmic dancer, and dances in the wheel of fire, crushing a demon underfoot, twirling a snake through his fingers, with a smile on his face.
The temple has been in existence since the time of the Pallavas, but in the time of Gandaraditya, the son of Parantaka I, he gold plated the roof of the temple, and wrote a series of songs on the temple.
Rajaraja and the later Cholas expanded the temple further, and during muslim invasions, especially of Malik Kafur's, the idol was taken away, and hidden, until the threat had passed. The Cholas had a palace here, where they stayed when touring the country. Kulothunga II  made frequent visits here.
The Chidambaram temple was also supposed to have held Olai(Palm leaf manuscripts) written by Appar, Sundarar and Thirugnanasambandar, the three saint-singer-songwriters of Shaivism, who lived in the 6th-8th centuries. These manuscripts were feircely guarded, but Rajaraja made a royal decree that stated that the temple must make these documents public. But by that time, a lot of them had disintegrated.
The Vijaynagar kings patronised Chidambaram as well, and made contributions, as did the Nayaks, in the large mandapams and courtyards around the original temple structure, which you have to come through to enter the temple. Even to this day, the roofing of the central shrine is gold plated.
The deity is only about half a foot high, but magnificently carved out of wood. There is also a crystal lingam here.
The Gopurams are another interesting feature. One of them is pre-Vijaynagar, but the rest are post. One gopuram has been closed off. Two gopurams have figures in dance poses, with grantha captions above them! One gopuram was renovated by Kanchipuram Pachiappa Mudaliar, and bears an inscription, and a statue of him, in his honour. There is also a Chola or Kadavarayar (Kopperunjingan I or II)ruler carved into a gopuram,
The Chidambaram temple does not permit photography inside, not even in the outer prakarams, so unfortunately, photos are very limited.

A pillar in the Gopuram

Gopuram

A figure, with the grantha above

The ruler

Pachaiappa Mudaliar from the 18th cent

The inscription which mentions the year, and the fact that KP Mudaliar was the man who renovated the Gopuram. 

Location: Chidambaram nataraja temple

Travelling to Thillai - 6; Vaitheeswaran Kovil

Early the next morning, we were up, ready to travel another day. After a quick coffee, and breakfast, the van dropped us off at Vaitheeswaran kovil, the temple in the centre of the town, and the driver went back to get ready.
Vaitheeswaran kovil is a Chola era Shiva temple, but unfortunately, the sanctum was closed when we were there, so the only things we could see were the Nayak mandapams all around, and the temple tank.

A three legged God

Half a king

The visit to Vaitheeswaran temple was very short, as the next place was GangaikondaCholapuram!

location: Vaitheeswaran kovil