Kodumbalur, a village in the Pudukkottai district of Tamil Nadu, India, known for its historical Moovar Koil temple complex is known as "The Three Temples." the complex was built by 10th century Chola feudatory and Irukkuvel chieftain Boothi Vikramakesari. Among the original three temples, only two structures have survived to the present day. Kodumbalur was also the site of a fierce battle between the Pandyas and the Pallavas.
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| travel.bhushavali.com |
The central section has Shiva Lingam inside, the other one is empty. Both are west facing temples. The Vimana atop the santum sanctorum is built by the Linear Arch method. That's a shot from inside
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| Moovar Kovil (temple) upload.wikimedia.org |
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| Moovar Kovil (temple) upload.wikimedia.org |
Above images image credit: Kasiarunachalam - Own work
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| Gajasamharamurti , Kodumbalur Moovar Temple flickr.com/ |
his #kodumbalur temple is nearly 200 years elder than Thanjavur Brihadeeshwara temple and has the same hollow inside view of Vimana, as of Brihadeeshwara Vimana! Incredible load balancing, Amazing architecture! #walktotemple
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| Kodumbalur Moovar Temple flickr.com |
The central section has Shiva Lingam inside, the other one is empty. Both are west facing temples. The Vimana atop the sanctum sanctorum is built by the Linear Arch method. That's a shot from inside..
Moovar Koil or "The Three temples" is a Hindu temple complex situated I
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| Sentinels, Dwarapalakas, Brihadeeswara temple, Thanjavur, TN twitter.com |
The village of Kodumbalur, 36 ks from Pudukkottai in Tamil Nadu, India not quite popular for reasons of lack of awareness and poor travel information. In this nondescript village lie three Hindu temples ou of which two have survived. Constructed as a temple complex, by the Chola feudatory and Irukkuvel chieftain Boothi Vikramakesari as mentioned in the stone inscription, among the three temples two were built for his wives Nangai Varaguna Perumanar and Karrali[ an on for him . Only the basement survives the northern shrine. The basement is moulded like a full blown lotus flower(padma pushkala adisthanas). The shrines in the central and southern parts are intact, whereas on the Northside, but for the basement, every thing is damaged or reduced to rubble. The other two shrines, namely the central and southern are more or less intact. Each central shrine is 6.4sqmetres at the base and they all face west. The walls are rich in details and there is a small shrine for Nandi in front of the Maha mandapa
the Two shrines in the central part faee east and the style adopted here is called Vrittasputitas in silpa texts like Shilparatna. The presence of two circular pilasters with circular shafts on four sides of the vimana indicates the antiquity of the temple.Neyyadiappar Temple, Tillaistanam,Vijayalaya Choleeswaram in Narthamalai, Anantheswara temple in Udayarkudi, etc follow similar style.
The temple is a good example of early to medieval Chola architecture. The inscription in the temple throws light on the political scenario then and the close rapport the chieftain had with the Chola rulers. also gives us a glimpse of the political climate of south India between the 8th and the 10th centuries as well as the relation between the royal houses of Chola and the Irukkuvel. The latter were traditional allies of the Cholas and the chief, Boothi Vikramakesari himself was the son of a Chola princess Anupama and Irukkuvel chieftain Samarabirama
According to historian Harle, the temple is counted among the four early extant temples of the Chola Empire, with the other three being Koranganatha Temple in Tiruchirappalli district, Nageswaran temple at Kumbakonam and Brahmapureeswarar temple in Thanjavur district. These temples follow the Pallava architecture which are relatively small in size. They all have a fair-sized porch, locally called ardhamandapa attached to the sanctum, both of which are slightly below the ground level in a pit kind of structure. The structures are also predominantly built of stone
Significance
The temple is very important as it is a living example of early to medieval Chola architecture. The inscription in the temple also gives us a glimpse of the political climate of south India between the 8th and the 10th centuries as well as the relation between the royal houses of Chola and the Irukkuvel. The latter were traditional allies of the Cholas and the chief, Boothi Vikramakesari himself was the son of a Chola princess Anupama and Irukkuvel chieftain Samarabirama
The name Kodumbaloor has been mentioned in the Tamil epic Silapathigaram. It is located at a distance of 35km from Trichy and 40km from pudukkottai. The architectural structure existed here are the forerunner for Dravidiyan style of architecture. The remaining structures of Muvar koil and Mujukundeeswarer temple attracts many tourist to this place. It is under the control of Archaeological survey India.
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Only two of the three temples have managed to survive.[1] The place was ruled by Irukkuvel chieftains. Kodumbalur was also the site of a fierce battle between the Pandyas and the Pallavas.
Contents
1 Architecture
2 Significance
3 Gallery
4 References
Architecture
According to the chief's inscription, he built three temples in the complex one for himself and the other two for his wives, namely, Nangai Varaguna Perumanar and Karrali[2]. Only the basement survives the northern shrine. The basement is moulded like a full blown lotus flower(padma pushkala adisthanas). The other two shrines, namely the central and southern are more or less intact. Each central shrine is 6.4sqmetres at the base and they all face west. The walls are rich in details and there is a small shrine for Nandi in front of the Maha mandapa. The two circular pilasters with circular shafts on four sides of the vimana indicates the antiquity of the temple. The feature is possibly termed Vrittasputitas in silpa texts like Shilparatna. Such a feature is otherwise found only in few other temples like Neyyadiappar Temple, Tillaistanam, Tiruttalinathar Temple in Thiruputhur, Vijayalaya Choleeswaram in Narthamalai, Anantheswara temple in Udayarkudi and Kampaheswarar Temple, Thirubuvanam.[3]
According to historian Harle, the temple is counted among the four early extant temples of the Chola Empire, with the other three being Koranganatha Temple in Tiruchirappalli district, Nageswaran temple at Kumbakonam and Brahmapureeswarar temple in Thanjavur district. These temples follow the Pallava architecture which are relatively small in size. They all have a fair-sized porch, locally called ardhamandapa attached to the sanctum, both of which are slightly below the ground level in a pit kind of structure. The structures are also predominantly built of stone.[4]
Near Moovar Koil, located little westerly is a Hindu temple of Muchukundeswarar temple of Early Chola period. The temple complex is maintained and administered by the Archaeological Survey of India as a ticketed monument.[5][6]
Significance
The temple is very important as it is a living example of early to medieval Chola architecture. The inscription in the temple also gives us a glimpse of the political climate of south India between the 8th and the 10th centuries as well as the relation between the royal houses of Chola and the Irukkuvel. The latter were traditional allies of the Cholas and the chief, Boothi Vikramakesari himself was the son of a Chola princess Anupama and Irukkuvel chieftain Samarabirama[7].
The name Kodumbaloor has been mentioned in the Tamil epic Silapathigaram. It is located at a distance of 35km from Trichy and 40km from pudukkottai. The architectural structure existed here are the forerunner for Dravidiyan style of architecture. The remaining structures of Muvar koil and Mujukundeeswarer temple attracts many tourist to this place. It is under the control of Archaeological survey India.
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