Temple for formless God!

 Avudaiyar Koil or Kovil (Koil or Kovil in Tamil language = Temple) is a small village in Pudukkottai district of Tamil Nadu in southern part of India. The town itself is called by the name of the temple. The basic structure of this temple was built by Tamil poet Manickavasagar under the Pandian Kingdom during the 9th century and it was then called as Thiruperunthurai. Subsequently many additions were made to this temple by other Kings including the Cholas who ruled this region. What stands today as Avudaiyar Koil is a cumulative effort of various builders over time! This temple houses some of the grandest workmanship of Hindu temples in Tamil Nadu, even referred to as an untouched treasure by some.

The entire temple is decorated with breathtaking sculptures. Overtime the sculptors from these parts of Tamil Nadu considered the sculptures of this temple as a benchmark in carving! 

Many of the things which we normally see in a Shiva temple are missing in this temple! First the God here is formless! Only base of the lingam (Avudaiyar – hence the name) is seen in the sanctum sanctorum. There is no Nandhi in this temple or for that matter Kodimaram (pole in which the temple flag is hoisted). Shiva temple normally faces northward but this one is facing south! The navagraha statues are carved on the pillars itself.  Only the feet of Parvathi are seen and not the entire figure! 

The striking granite sculptures in the Avudaiyar Koil temple are the many carvings, stone chains and the pillars! Each pillar in this temple is a collection of sculptures. 

This temple’s highlights are the two statues of a Kuravan and a Kurathi (hunter and his wife). The figures are examples of the attention to intricate details shown by the sculptors. The minute details from the toe nails to the hairstyles with every strand of hair delineated, to the veins and bones of the body lovingly recreated makes the visitor wonder at the dedication and skill of the sculptors of that era.

A unique statue: There is a statue in this temple which depicts the process of child birth using gravitational force! Many people who have visited this temple would not have seen this statue. This statue is carved at the base of a pillar which is very difficult to identify! I was able to see this statue thanks to my guide who is extremely knowledgeable about this temple!  

Avudaiyar Kovil was best described by The English professional photographer Captain Edmund David Lyon (1825-1891). Here it is - “It is quite impossible to give any idea of the beauty of the work here to be found. Each pillar is of itself worthy of the closest investigation, and hours might be spent in this one outer porch, and still not half its wonderful carving be discovered. The pillars are so close together, and the light is so very obscure, that to photograph it properly would be impossible, more especially as whitewash and paint have done their worst to obscure and destroy what was originally so perfect. There is not, however, one spot in the whole porch that is not exquisite; and when we consider the nature of the stone and the quantity of the pillars, it is doubtful if there is anything so beautiful, on a small scale, in the whole of Southern India. The whole of the outer pillars in front of the portico have been carved into different incarnations of the gods, which, in point of execution, far exceed almost any to be found elsewhere, for though at Peroor and Tinnevelly, perhaps, the figures are equally good in appearance, but when the nature of the stone is considered, these must be pronounced much more wonderful”.

 

Another post on this temple: Awesome roof

The awesome roof!

 Avudaiyar Koil (Koil is a Tamil word for Temple) in Tamil Nadu, in southern part of India is an outstanding example of South Indian temple architecture. Believed to have been built between 6th and 9th century, this temple is dedicated to lord Shiva. Manickavasagar, a tamil poet is the person who built this temple. It has a collection of sculptures which are breathtaking and every part of the temple is unique in some way or the other.

The roof of this temple is something unique and cannot be seen anywhere else. The entire roof is made of granite and the way they are assembled is something one has to see to believe! Avudayar Koil is famous for the art of Kodungai carving, the work done under the stone that forms the sun shade or overhang of the roof. It usually sits on top of the beam stone and is a superb example of the craft of the 9th century artisans. The popular story is that any contract for constructing a temple that were made subsequent to the construction of this temple specifically excludes the roofing of this type as it was considered impossible to replicate this kind of roofing! In fact, a British officer who visited this temple years back did not believe that the roofing was made of granite. So to check that, he fired two shots with his pistol on the roof! The holes that were made of these bullets can be seen on the roof even today!

The granite roof is first carved in several pieces in the ground and subsequently hoisted above the temple and then assembled! One can see the assembly of the roof with screws, bolts and padlocks - all of which are made of granite! You need to observe the pictures posted here carefully to appreciate how this temple’s roofing is unique and outstanding! Such an awesome roofing is not seen anywhere in the world!

The roof also has sculptures of snake made of a single stone. Also you can see sculptures which have chains hanging and the entire structure along with the chains are made of single stone!

 

They have also sculptured the twenty eight birth starts on the roof. Baratha Natya mudhras (Baratha Natyam Dance poses) are also sculptured on the roof! I have not seen in any temple with such an elaborate work on the roof anywhere in India!

Besides the sculptures, we can also see marvelous paintings in the roof of this temple. In this post I will be posting pictures of only roofing of this temple.

The person who guided me through this temple is one Mr. Manickam (His mobile number – 91598-53680). This guy is awesome! He knows every inch of this temple and takes personal pride of this temple and its beauty!

Squirrel

Squirrel is probably the cutest animal frequently seen in our neighborhood! It is quite difficult to photograph this guy because it is extremely timid and awesomely swift! If you want to get some quality picture you definitely need a good camera with a descent zoom lens. Above all you need ‘something’ to pin it down to a place for a reasonable time so that you can shoot him nicely.

That something is – Sun flower seeds! Yes, squirrels are madly in love with sunflower seeds! When they see a sunflower seed they are attracted to it like a magnet! While they are eating a sunflower seed they are almost oblivious to the environment! So you can go very close to it and take the picture!

Recently my daughter gave me this information and also a packet of sun flower seeds. Armed with this and my Nikon I started shooting the squirrels which frequently visit our balcony. I have posted some of the shots of more than 500 pictures that I shot!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Kirk of Chennai

April 6th, 1818 was the day the foundation stone of St. Andrew’s Church was laid. Three years later, on 25th February 1821, the Church was consecrated. This is one of the finest churches of India and it is said have been built in Georgian style. It was built to serve the Scottish community of Madras who were working with East India Company during those days! This church is often referred to as `the Queen of Scottish Churches in the East'

The St. Andrew's Church, Egmore is popularly referred to as 'The Kirk'. Kirk is a Scottish word meaning a church, or more specifically, the Church of Scotland. St Andrew’s Kirk of Chennai is the second Kirk to be built in India, the first being in Calcutta. The cost of building this church those days was 20,000 British pounds! Kirk is a beautiful legacy of British Raj in India.

 The speciality of this Church is the Dome. The inside diameter of this dome is 51.5 feet. Sixteen fluted Corinthian columns support it. The dome was constructed using the 'Syrian masonry' technique. An architectural marvel, the dome has a framework of brick supported by an annular arch and is filled in by pottery cones. Its blue interior is formed by crushed sea shells mixed with lapis lazuli. The thickness of the dome at the crown is only nine inches and it gradually increases to nearly twice that dimension at the cornice. This is the only building in the world wherein a dome of masonry of those dimensions is supported on a colonnade of that height, the entablature of which is a straight arch, without beam or lintel. Many larger domes exist, doubtless, but they are supported on solid walls or strong arcades!

 

On the 8th May 1820 the steeple was completed and on the eleventh, only three days after, the steeple was hit by a most violent storm! The wind blew with the greatest violence for thirty hours during which period sixteen inches of rain fell at Madras. The steeple resisted the whole storm unhurt!

Under the foundation stone of this church they have placed specimens of several coins of the British and Madras currency and a brass plate containing the following inscription:

By the Grace of Almighty God,
in the Reign of GEORGE III, Father of his Country,
and during the Regency of GEORGE his Son,
the First Stone of this Edifice
appertaining to the Church of Scotlans,
was laid,
in the presence of
Robert Fullerton, David Hill, Kirkby Dalrymple,
and William M’Taggart, Esquires,
the Elders of the Church of Scotland at this Presidency,
by John Allan, D. D. and M.D,
their Minister and Moderator,
on the 6th April 1818:
The Right Honorable Hugh Elliot being Governor:
Major Thomas Ellot de Havilland. Architect.
The stained-glass windows above the altar, in warm, rich colors, are among the attractions of the church.

It seems the first time the bell of this church tolled was for the death of a pastor! So considering this inauspicious they removed that bell and replaced it by another one!