In the town of Darasuram, near Kumbakonam, in the state of Tamil Nadu stands the magnificent Airavatesvara Temple. This temple was built during the reign of Rajaraja Chola II of the mighty Chola Empire in the 12th Century AD. The Airavatesvara Temple along with the Brihadeshwara Temple at Thanjavur and the Gangaikondacholaisvaram Temple at Gangaikonda Cholapuram are referred to as the Great Living Chola Temples.
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| The exquisite Gopuram of the temple exhibiting finely carved sculptures of various deities. PC: astonishingindia.net |
The Airavatesvara Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. Airavata, Lord Indra’s elephant with four tusks and seven trunks, was cursed by Sage Durvasa for disrespecting him. As a result the spotless white elephant ended up with skin discoloration, which was cured only after Airavata took a dip in the sacred waters of this temple. The temple and the presiding deity derive its name from this incident.
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| Entrance of the Temple. Also shown in the picture are the Musical Steps which are now enclosed in metallic grill. These are nine steps made of stone located near the entrance of the temple in east west direction. When tapped they produce musical sounds!. Each step produces different tone of the musical scale. One can hear all the seven notes at different points. |
The temple is a masterpiece of Dravidian Architecture. Although it is much smaller than the Brihadeshvara Temple or the Gangaikondacholapuram Temple, it is more exquisite in detail. It is built in the form of a big chariot drawn by horses with wheels carved behind them. It has two sun dials namely morning and evening sun dials which can be seen as wheels of the chariot. The design is similar to the Nritta-sabha (community dance hall) of the Chidambaram temple and the Konark Sun Temple near Puri, Odisha. The temple sanctum is a 12-metre-sided square, have thick walls on which the stone vimana rises to a height of 24m.
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| Airavatesvara Temple is built in the form of a big chariot drawn by horses with wheels carved behind them. It has two sun dials namely morning and evening sun dials which can be seen as wheels of the chariot. |
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| Sculpture of a dvarapala on a lion PC: 10yearitch.com |
Unlike the other Chola Temples, the Airavatesvara temple does not has the circumambulatory path immediately around the sanctum, but is provided outside in the courtyard. The garbhagriha is connected to the ardha-mandapa and maha mandapa supported on pillars and flanked by two massive dvarapalas. The maha-mandapa is rectangular in shape with six rows of eight pillars (forty-eight total). These pillars are decorated with sculptures and intricate carvings. Most notable are the sculptures of the Yalis - mythical creatures with the trunk of an elephant, body of a bull, head of a lion, horns of a ram, and the ears of a pig.
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| Carved pillars with the sculpture of Yeli at the bottom. Yelis are the mythical creatures with the trunk of an elephant, body of a bull, head of a lion, horns of a ram, and the ears of a boar |
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| Half bull half Elephant. If the left side is covered one can see an elephant while if the right side is covered one can see a bull. |
Another notable feature of the temple are the musical steps. These are nine steps made of stone located near the entrance of the temple in east west direction. When tapped they produce musical sounds!. Each step produces different tone of the musical scale. One can hear all the seven notes at different points. They are now encased in a metallic grill to protect them from damage.
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| Lord Ganesha and other deities on the outer wall |
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| The temple is a treasure trove of some of the most exquisite carvings in the region. Here is one of the Carved panel on the pillar inside the mandapa PC: The News Minute |
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| Sculpture of Lord Shiva Flanked by Lord Brahma on Left and Lord Vishnu on Right |
The reliefs all along the base of the main temple narrate the stories of the Nayanars - the group of 63 poet saints of Tamil region who were the devotees of Lord Shiva. The entire complex is covered with sculptures of major Vedic and Puranic deities such as Indra, Agni, Varuna, Vayu, Brahma, Surya, Vishnu, Saptamtrikas, Durga, Saraswati, Sri devi (Lakshmi), Ganga, Yamuna, Subrahmanya, Ganesha, Kama, Rati and others. Shiva's consort has a dedicated shrine called the Periya Nayaki Amman temple. This is a detached temple situated to the north of the Airavateshvarar temple. This might have been a part of the main temple when the outer courts were complete. At present, parts of the temple such as the gopuram is in ruins, and the main temple and associated shrines stand alone. The construction of a separate temple for Devi, slightly later than the main temple, indicates the emergence of the Amman shrine as an essential component of the South Indian temple architecture.
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