SNIPPETS OF INFORMATION
TEMPLES - Arunachaleswarar Temple, Tiruvannamalai
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Jul 2021
Sri Arunachaleswarar Temple at Tiruvannamalai is one of the most ancient
Temples of Lord Siva in Tamil Nadu. Many ancient rulers of South India
have contributed to the development of this Temple. The Pallavas, the
Cholas, the Pandiyas, the Kadavarayas, the Banas, the Hoysalas, the
Rayas of Vijayanagar, and the Nayaks of Thanjavur have altered, extended
and developed the vast Temple complex for nearly a thousand years. The
500 inscriptions of Tiruvannamalai clearly bring out the history of the
construction and development of the mighty structure of the Temple.
The Pallava Architecture
Sri Arunachaleswarar Temple originated with the Central Shrine. The
extensions to it and around it were constructed as time passed. The
absence of Pallava inscriptions in this Temple is conspicuous and on
that account some believe that the Cholas built the first stone
structure over the Lingam. An examination of the frieze around the
Central Shrine reveals the so-called Kudu, a floral design shaped like a
spur, or a tongued horse shoe around a human face, shows that it is
Pallava Architecture. In Chola architecture the human face in the Kudu
is omitted. With this information M. Anant Narayan Rao maintains that
the Central Shrine was built by the Pallavas, perhaps in 600 A. D. thus
the time taken for the growth of the Temple to its present dimensions is
about 900 years.
Source: "Structure of Sri Arunachaleswarar Temple - A Historical Perspective" - arunachalasamudra.org
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Jul 2021
The Temple has nine towers, four in the outer walls, each in every
direction. It has nine vimanas with beautiful architecture. There are
three miniature towers of 70 feet height which are called Kattai
Gopurams connecting the inner walls. Three towers are in the eastern
side of the Temple with two towers in each direction of South, West and
North. Rajagopuram, Vallala Maharaj Gopuram, and Kiligopuram are in the
eastern side of the Temple. The southern tower is called Thirumanjana
Gopuram. The western tower is named Peygopuram, which was originally
Peyalvar Gopuram. The northern tower is called Ammani Amman Gopuram.
These magnificent impressive towers are among the finest in Tamil Nadu
and can be compared with those of Chidambaram, Srirangam, Jambukeswaram,
Madurai and Rameswaram.
Source: "Structure of Sri Arunachaleswarar Temple - A Historical Perspective" - arunachalasamudra.org
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Jul 2021
To the south of the Kambathu Illaiyanar Temple there is the sacred tank
called Sivagangai Theertham. Sivangagai is the name of a river in
Kailayam, the abode of Lord Siva.
Source: "Structure of Sri Arunachaleswarar Temple - A Historical Perspective" - arunachalasamudra.org
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