Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
hand panel has Vishnu in his eight-armed giant form, Trivikrama, overcoming the demon
king Bali.
rock with excellent scenes from the Puranas (Sanskrit stories from the 5th century AD).
The left-side panel shows Vishnu sleeping on the coils of a snake; on the right, Durga be-
strides her lion vehicle while killing the demon-buffalo Mahisha. Inside the central shrine,
Murugan is depicted sitting between his parents Shiva and Parvati.
TAMIL NADU TEMPLES
Tamil Nadu is a gold mine for anyone wanting to explore Indian temple culture. Not only does this state have
some of the country's most spectacular temple architecture and sculpture, its people are among the most devout
and fervent in their Hindu beliefs. Tamil Nadu's 5000-odd temples are constantly busy with worshippers flocking
in for
puja
(offering or prayer), and colourful temple festivals abound. Among the plethora of Hindu deities,
Shiva probably has most Tamil temples dedicated to him, in a multitude of aspects including Nataraja, the cosmic
dancer, who dances in a ring of fire with two of his four hands holding the flame of destruction and the drum of
creation, while the third makes the
abhaya mudra
(fear not) gesture and the fourth points to the dwarf of ignor-
ance being trampled beneath Shiva's foot. Tamils also have a soft spot for Shiva's peacock-riding son Murugan
(also called Kartikeya or Skanda).
The special significance of many Tamil temples makes them goals of countless Hindu pilgrims from all over
India. The Pancha Sabhai Sthalangal are the five temples where Shiva is believed to have performed his cosmic
dance (chief among them Chidambaram). Then there's the Pancha Bootha Sthalangal, the five temples where
Shiva is worshipped as a manifestation of one of the five elements - land, water, air, sky/space, fire. Each of the
nine Navagraha temples in the Kumbakonam area is the abode of one of the nine celestial bodies of Hindu astro-
nomy - key sites given the importance of astrology in Hindu faith.
Typical Tamil temple design features tall stepped entrance towers called
gopurams
, encrusted with often col-
ourfully painted sculptures of gods and demons; halls of richly carved columns called
mandapas
; a sacred water
tank; and a ground plan comprising a series of compounds
(prakarams)
of diminishing size, one within the next,
with the innermost containing the central sanctum where the temple's main deity resides. The earliest Tamil
temples were small shrines sculpted direct from the living rock; the first free-standing temples were built in the
8th century AD;
gopurams
began to appear around the 12th century.
Admission to almost all temples is free, but non-Hindus are often not allowed inside inner sanctums, which can
be disappointing for many travellers. At other temples priests may invite you in and in no time you are doing
puja
, having a
tilak
daubed on your forehead and being asked for a donation.
Temple touts are fairly common and can be a nuisance, but there are also many excellent guides who deserve
both your time and rupees; use your judgement, talk to other travellers and be on the lookout for badge-wearing
official guides, who tend to be excellent resources.
A South Indian Journey
by Michael Wood is a great read if you're interested in learning more about Tamil cul-
ture. TempleNet (
www.templenet.com
) is one of the best online resources.
