If you go to the second page, I have uploaded photos of numerous pillars. If you look closely at the pillars, you will find that all the pillars are studded with very delicate finger-sized idols. . I have never seen such finger-sized sculptures in any other temple. Black stone idols of gods and goddesses are erected around the temple. These idols have been well maintained by the archeology department.
The idols of the dancers in this temple are carved as if they are wearing a top that is not seen anywhere else. This is because the statues of Adal Mangaiyars in the Thanjai Periya Temple and Gangaikonda Cholapuram seen earlier were carved without top clothes. But in this temple Adal Mangayas are very clearly shown wearing clothes.
The stone pillars here are beautifully carved with lion faces and elephant trunks. Ramayana idols which are not seen anywhere else are also placed here. But those idols are a bit unclear.
The appearance of the chariot used at that time was small in shape. Sculptors have carved many historical stories on the walls and pillars of this temple. But we lack the knowledge to understand it. We can understand it only if we ask the historians who know about it thoroughly.Again there is a lack of detailed information on the history of temple like elsewhere.A small musuem holding these information would have been greatly helpful.
There is a black stone idol standing in this temple. Behind the statue is a five-headed dragon with its head spread out like an umbrella. This idol may be that of Perumal. When looking at statues like this, I think that the appearances of each God should be well known about its settings.
Because the idols like Bhairava and Surya Bhagavan are carved with uniqueness. I am also going to post a modern photo so that these statues can be easily recognized. Only then one can easily know which god’s idol it is.A inscription bearing the name of the god below each idol would greatly help people like us to identify the god easily.
For example, in some temples Shiva has a multi headed snake behind him and in some temples Perumal has the multi headed snake behind him. So it is a bit difficult to identify it easily.Also clothes of the idols in this temple are different from other temples. It shows the development of sculpture. Through the sculptures in this temple it is possible to know what changes have taken place after the time of Rajaraja Chola interms of art,people and technology.
So far we have covered the first two pages about Darasuram Iravadeswarar temple. We will see the research data about the third and fourth pages in the following posts