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Thirukurungudi - Part 1 (Tirunelveli - Tamil Nadu)

The place I was really looking forward to, was Thirukkurungudi Nambi Temple! A fantabulous, gorgeous temple... 
It took quite some time for me to even enter the temple, I spent quite some time outside!!! 

The broad outer wall had relief sculptures at regular intervals, incl. Maha Vishnu, Sri Rama, Gaja Samhara Murthy, Kankaalamurthy, Ulagalandha Perumal, Hanuman, 
And as usual, like many other temples here, like you saw at Brahmadesam, just above the ceiling are these animals, esp. monkeys which almost looked like, they're gonna pounce on you!
Just as I entered, there were 6 pilasters (pillars attached to wall), filled with tiny little intricate relief sculptures. The cutest one was definitely the Gaja Samhara Murthy. Apart from regulars there were Bikshadana, Mohini, Rishabanthaka, Krishna leela Vastrabagarana, Arjunan Thapas etc. 
Just inside, there were sculptures, just like how they were outside. This series also included a Garuda Sevai, Urdhva Thandavam etc.
The Gopuram of the temple was getting cleaned when I ventured here, however I did have a chance to go up and see the sculptures there upclose. That's coming  up in the upcoming posts! 





As soon as you enter, there's a mandapam filled with mind blowing pillars with larger-than-life sized sculptures! The detailing on each of them was just awesome. Very small details like the nails of the men and women were perfectly shown!!!
The Lord Vishnu here is called Vaishnava Nambi and his consort is Thirukurungudi Nachiar. Again here its an Ashtanga Vimana meaning there are 3 storeys of Sanctum Sanctorum similar to Mannarkoil, with Lord Vishnu in standing, seated, and reclining postures, all facing east.


Simpler pillars had simpler relief sculptures. Here are some depicting Krishna leela. This is just the 1st part of 3 parts series on the sculptural marvel of the temple. Wait n watch!!!

TO GET THERE:
From Tirunelveli: 40km via Nanguneri

Dedicated to Prof.Swaminathan & Co...

Bhushavali

An ardent traveler by passion. Being an ex - Art History Teacher, my area of interest especially lies in Nature and Heritage. Visited 85 UNESCO World Heritage sites as of June 2022. I've been listed among the Top 7 Women Travel Bloggers of India, Top 50 in UK. I have been interviewed in a couple of TV Shows, Radio Channels and Events as well. Read more about me and read the testimonials of different brands

3 comments:

  1. guerreApril 26, 2015 at 7:06 PM

    breath-taking!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Divya NMay 9, 2015 at 8:22 PM

    The Sculptures of Women and the Yazhi in the corridor reminds me of Srivilliputhur Andal temple. How did you go to the gopuram and see the sculptures? They are wonderful

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. BhushavaliAugust 5, 2015 at 8:23 PM

      My friends got permission!!! Its indeed wonderful, right?!

      Delete

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