Let’s go to the second page at Kodumbalur Gallery. Let me tell you a little bit more quickly. It will take several months to explain everything in detail. Therefore, I would like to record only a few important points. Readers reading this have to see it in person or view my gallery on the various photos of this great place.
I have recorded as much as I can by going through the data in person. But to go into detail about Kodumbalur in great depth, it would take several days to go through each page. Because there is so much information out there. So I have decided to say it quickly.My final aim after completing the Gallery summary of all places i visited in my Chola Journey is to write in detail on the rise and fall of Cholas from my point of view.That is my final and main goal.
Well, let’s look at this Kodumpalur Temple in detail. There are many inscriptions on the Kodumbalur temple wall. But only epigraphic researchers can understand it. Ordinary people like us cannot easily understand it.
It contains all the complete details about the temple. I asked the staff in the office about it. There were many books there. But there are no books related to Kodumbalur or related to the temple.
For example, they have books about the Great Temple of Tanjore and other books related to the history of the northern state, but I could not find complete history books about the Kodumpalur temple itself.
This Temple must have been magnificent at that time, the adminstration should have at least published a short history of this historical place.I hope my summary of some of the great Chola places will be a starting point.My challenge is how to make my website reachable to masses.I may decide to publish a simple book at the end of my journey and make it available to many as possible,
Apart from that, there are many idols of Adal Makleer at the top and bottom of the towers. It is not known whether many of the idols of Adal Makalir below are missing or damaged. Around the starting point of the temple tower, each of these idols is sculpted to depict different Bharatanatyam dance styles. Similar idols of dancing women can be seen in the Thanjavur temple. How many abynayam are there in Bharatanatyati are shown in the dancing maiden statutues. Here it is finely carved in small form vs larger statues in Tanjore
Although these two temples are small temples, we can see the evidence of a lot of work done on them. Although it is not even one-hundredth of the size of the great temple of Tanjore , it is a beautifully crafted epic in art.
Each of the pillars in this temple are beautifully carved with stones like thorana and pearl strings. Sculptor’s hand-painting looks amazing all over the temple. Only a skilled sculptor could have done this. Who is that sculptor ? We don’t even know his name. Perhaps there are references to him in the inscriptions there.
For example, above the pillar on one side, they have set up a small statue of Ganesha with wonderful fine carvings.. If you look around this Ganesha, they have carved such beautiful small decorative sculptures with intricate carvings. I have never seen such fine carvings even in the big temple of Thanjavur. But this sculptor had been done it so meticulously. Similarly, the base of the temple is carved like a lotus leaf. Very smoothly done.
It amazes me how stones were smoothed so beautifully in those days when there were no machines. In the fifth picture on the right side of the first row above, a ruined male statue is standing very nicely. As in all temples, this temple also had a small stone drain like structure for the water to come out from the Karpagraha.
Near the idol below is a idol with peacock-like figure which may have been the idol of Murugan. Nandi idols are beautifully carved on the top of the tower on all four sides. Similarly, another male and female idol is also very elegantly designed. Both sides of it are beautifully made idols of two women waving big fans. I think they fan ladies for God. This can also be seen in Thanjavur temples.
Both these Kodumbalur temple gopurams remind me more of the structure of the Mamallapuram temple than the Tanjore Periya temple. Because it seemed to me that the structure was almost similar to the temple of Mamalla Puram. Adjacent to the entrance of the temple, there was a beautifully carved statue of Arthanatheeswarar in a half-male-half-female configuration. A little dilapidated but very beautiful to look at. As I said earlier, although this is a small temple, the sculptor who carved it has put his love , hundred percent of his labor , and his entire skill into the work of sculpture . Because no matter where we look at any place in the temple, we can see his artistic ability there.The postures on the pillar , the beautiful small statues , the dancing maiden statues , the circular pillars are so elegantly and wonderfully designed.
Although it is a small temple, it was surprisingly built much more beautifully than the large temple complex of Tanjore. Apart from that there is an ancient ruined statue of Parvati sitting on the lap of Lord Shiva on one side above the gopuram.I have seen this arrangement in many temples.On the other side, above the temple there is a statue sitting on an elephant, possibly of Indra. Because Indra’s vehicle is an elephant.
As I said earlier, the pillars at the top are very beautifully carved in circular shape. The sculptor has beautifully carved the circular pillar above it in a circular shape extending slightly from the wall in a three dimensional manner.There may have been several towers of this temple in the early period similar to the Mamallapura temple. Over time these have been damaged and destroyed by wars and other events and now only these are left.
Infront of the two temples, there was ruins of foundation for a temple near it. There are no ruins or statues there.There could have been more temple structures infront of it some thousand years ago.It is not known whether the stones from it were taken and used for other construction purpose by locals and other authorities during British perion, There is curiosity about what the temple would have been like in the beginning.There is no model carvings to be found anywhere in the temple on how the original Temples structure would have looked like.
Angkor Wat temple has a replica of the temple carved on the temple wall.If something similar was done in this temple, it would have been a historical evidence for the temple.As for the Angkor Wat temple, none of the idols there were destroyed, only the forest was growing. Because all the people there have left the city. So plants and vines sprouted there and forests grew and there was a shelter for it.It has been discovered and brought to the outside world and is still intact today. As there is no movement of people there is no damage done there and animals and plants and vines do not destory the original idols and main sculptures.
One of the wells from that period is still there today. But there is no water in it. An elegant staircase was made to go down into the well and take a bath, mainly for royals. And opposite the two temples are other ruined parts, stones, Nandi idols and sculptures which were piled up here and there.
Because no one knows when and how the idols came to the tower, they are kept at the place where they were taken by the Archaeological Research Institute. I’m sure a little more digging and research it will help turn up a lot of great information. Let’s continue to the next post.