Famous Temples in India

Architecture

The temple is located on a rock about 30 metres (98 ft.) tall and is surrounded by granite walls. The temple complex covers four acres. The temple is approached by a flight of 100 steps from the basement that houses the temple tank. It is maada kovil architecture, the entire temple excluding the outer prakara area is located on a raised platform. There are three entrances – two facing south and the other facing east. At the foothills, the shrines of Lord Ganesha and Subramanya-Valli-Devasena are located. Uyyakondan Thirumalai Temple is facing in South direction. Nataraja mandapa belong to the period of Kulottunga-III was built by a temple official named as Thayan Thirupparayan. Theerthams associated with this temple are Ponnoli Lake, Kudamurutti river (not the one in Tanjore; it's different), Gnana Vavi, Engona Theertham and Narkona Theertham. All the shrines of the temple are enclosed in large concentric rectangular granite walls. The east facing temple has flag post, Nandi idol and bali peetha, all facing the direction of main shrine, as usual as in any other Dravidian temple architecture. However, the entrance to the inner temple is not found opposite to the flag post. It is unusual; the entrance is located on the right side in the south direction.

One of the inscriptions found belong to the period of Rajendra-I recording the gift of land by the king to provide food for students who studied Veda. Another inscription reveals that one Anutthira Pallavaraiyan gifted a piece of land to meet the expenditure of the grand festival celebrated on the occasion of Vaikasi Visakam at the temple during the rule of Kulottunga Chola-I. A record of Kulottunga Chola-II copied from the east wall of the second Gopura registers the gift of a piece of land by the Sabha of a local Brahmin settlement, Rajasraya Chaturvedimangalam, to organize worship and services during the Theerthavari of the Vaikasi Visaka festival. Two other inscriptions copied from the Nataraja mandapa of the hill temple belong to the period of Kulottunga-III. One among them registers the gift of two veli of land by the members of the maha Sabha of Rajasraya Chaturvedimangalam to the temple towards repairs and renovations. Another inscription of the same king records the change of name of Rajasraya Chaturvedimangalam as Jagadegavira Chaturvedimangalam. The Vijayanagar record of C.E. 1457 is in the form of a sonnet.