New for Old
You read about 'an ancient monument' , note that it is located on a hillock with valleys around it , its vast extent , of kings , sages ,holy springs, divine dreams and stuff. You get a mental picture . Imagination runs amok.
And , you HAVE to visit it.
But dreams are made to fall apart ..............
And , you HAVE to visit it.
But dreams are made to fall apart ..............
Late Chola period temple to Vishnu . Fully redone.
Hillocks, valleys all reduced to urban sprawl, so the setting is nothing to sing about.
Only the sanctum seems old, and a few bas relief panels on the pillars of the porch. Oil painted walls . And a very new cement Rishi in a small kitschy alcove.
Hillocks, valleys all reduced to urban sprawl, so the setting is nothing to sing about.
Only the sanctum seems old, and a few bas relief panels on the pillars of the porch. Oil painted walls . And a very new cement Rishi in a small kitschy alcove.
Shayanotsavam going on at 10 am ! Ladies singing to a dazzling god on a razzle dazzle swing . Quite an eyeful . Giant sized sweet balls as offering, highlighted with some dancing disco lights focussed on them.
The Dwarapalakas are well dressed and decorated, looking quite lovely. (Wanted to photograph the beautiful doorway of the sanctum. But, prohibited ofcourse !)
The outer walls are fort like and bare , except for a few scattered adornments, among them some snakes and a gandaberunda ( clad in metal).
The pillars of the porch have the usual late Nayaka times motifs in bas relief, of Nagabandha , an improbable lion , an awkward acrobat and things like that .
Inside , a dozen azhwars are crammed into a cell on the right with a nice Hanuman on the opposite side.
The reported extent of the premises seems true though. Two ancient gateways , a little distance away from the temple, mark boundary, beyond which could have been a tank , now extinct.
A GramaDevathe gudi and a Hanuman shrine share the premises.
Nice Garudan, locked up behind grills.
Inside , a dozen azhwars are crammed into a cell on the right with a nice Hanuman on the opposite side.
The reported extent of the premises seems true though. Two ancient gateways , a little distance away from the temple, mark boundary, beyond which could have been a tank , now extinct.
A GramaDevathe gudi and a Hanuman shrine share the premises.
Nice Garudan, locked up behind grills.
On the outer wall, a four armed Krishna with consorts. Had they not painted the stone panel , it would have looked much better. But, perhaps it is not correct to lament loss of antique beauty . Temples are for people to worship, not for people to gawk at art and aesthetics. How lovingly some devotee has left a Glucose Biscuit for Krishna ! If you want to feel the Divinity and show adoration, shoddy paints should not be an impediment, I guess !
Comments