Airavatesvara Temple, Darasuram

The Airavatesvara Temple at Darasuram, on the edge of Kumbakonam, is a 12th-century Chola temple dedicated to Shiva. With the Brihadeeswara Temple at Thanjavur and the temple at Gangaikonda Cholapuram, it forms the UNESCO World Heritage site Great Living Chola Temples; Darasuram was added to the site in 2004.

Tradition

According to tradition, Airavata, the white elephant of the god Indra, regained his pure white colour after bathing in the temple tank, which gives the temple its name.

History

The temple was built by the Chola king Rajaraja II, who ruled from 1146 to 1172 CE and spent much of his time in the nearby city of Pazhaiyarai, which included Darasuram. Inscriptions describe a much larger complex with seven courts and seven streets. Only the main court survives; ruins of a gateway tower stand some distance away. Around 20 later inscriptions record gifts from the later Cholas, the Pandyas and the Vijayanagara Empire.

Architecture

The tower over the sanctum rises to about 24 metres (80 ft). The front hall is built in stone in the form of a chariot, with carved wheels and horses, and its ornately carved steps give out musical notes when struck, earning them the name "singing steps". Its walls carry carvings of many Vedic and Puranic deities, and scenes from the lives of the 63 Nayanmar saints, and the river goddesses Kaveri, Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari and Narmada. The shrine of Shiva's consort, Periya Nayaki, stands as a separate temple to the north. The temple still draws large numbers of pilgrims each year during the month of Magha.