Next let’s look at the fifth page. I started taking pictures from different angles around the two temples I had seen earlier while I was leaving the five temples area.
I was very impressed by the elegant design of those two temples. My mind hesitated to leave that place. I don’t know if there is any ancestral connection , whether I was once a general , a warrior , someone who loved this land , or was born and brought up in this land . That’s why I think that since coming to this place, some kind of attraction, a magnet that keeps pulling me to this location.I had since visited this place some four times and soon in June for the fifth time.
In these two temple notice boards, they say not to take any items from here , but they do not mention any special features or details about those temples. It is seen as a minor drawback.
Finally, after gathering information in these two temples, I decided to go to the next destination Tanjore and while traveling on the main roadin Kodumpalur, a small temple caught my eye. It is a beautiful small Shiva templeThis temple had been recently renovated,but this history dates back to a thousand years.. A huge dark colored Nandi is located in front of the temple. This too may be hundreds of years old.
The name of this temple is Arulmiku Idankazhi Nayanar Nandyam Perumal Thirukovil. The name of the temple itself was great. The temple management is renovating it. What is special about this temple is that Nambiandar Nambi has visited this temple. He lived during Rajaraja Chola period.
This Nambiandar Nambi was born in Tirunaraiyur. He was a thirteenth-century follower of Saivite philosophy. He is the one who rescued and brought to the world many rare manuscripts such as the ancient Thirumip Thiruvasakam, which were kept in temples by Appar , Sundarar and Sambandar and were on the brink of destruction due to termites. The beauty of this temple is that it was renovated by Nambiandar Nambi.
The temple is revered as an incarnation of Lord Shiva. This site was known as Konadu in earlier period. Later on, over time is now known as Kodumbalur.
This town is now in Pudukottai district. After worshiping Lord Shiva in this temple and coming out, there was a big ancient banyan tree growing very majestically. It is a very large banyan tree that spreads its tentacles over a large area. As usual in all the towns, some townspeople were gambling under the tree without knowing the beauty and historical significance of the village and the Temples. There was a little sadness in my heart when I saw it.
Just then two boys came around our vehicle. It seemed to me that they were trying to tell us something. I called them near and asked what do you want. Sir, there is an ancient temple on the banks of a lake near by , if you want we will bring you there, they said.
Ever since I started researching about these Kodumbalur temples, I have getting information naturally as if someone was guiding me. Can’t say exactly how this happens . As the writer Balakumaran says, when we go towards something, God will send His messengers to take us to that place if God is willing and that is what happened to me. I also thought of those boys as messengers of God.However, in my subconscious, I was a bit hesitant that what these boys are saying is true or there is some anti-social gang behind them. I decided to go with them as i did have a small shar knife for self defense. We walked towards that temple.
As the boys said, there was a very large tank without water. On its banks there were Ganesha idols and Nandi idols with signs of worship. After a five to six minute walk from there, there was a notice board of the Department of Archaeology.
The temples we saw earlier were fenced around and their precincts were well maintained with lawns. But such care is not seen here. The temple was in a very bad condition.
The notice board in this temple is marked as Muchukundechuram and in the inscriptions as Mutu Kunram. In the 14th year of Parantaka Chola Emperor I ( nearly 920 AD), Kodumbalur Velir King Makhimalaya Rikuvel had built this temple. The ancient Chola Vimana was slightly repaired in the 13th century. Amman sanathi was renovated much laterr. It has been mentioned that the Mahamandapam has been constructed in recent times with many parts that do not fit or lacks originality.
There was a temple in front of its entrance. Although this temple is an ancient temple, it does not currently have a tower. I don’t know if it was used for other reasons, maybe earlier. There is no clear structures visible inside the temple. The temple buildings were also in unstable condition. The temple door was locked so that no one could go inside. There are no idols in the sanctorum of the temple.
The door of the sanctum sanctorum was closed with a wire mesh as it might collapse at any time. The surrounding walls were made of good black stone with wide layers of bricks between the stones and very tightly built. The boys said that there was an ancient lingam in the temple and thieves had stolen it only the previous week.
As I said before this place is not well maintained or clean. There is also a beautiful statue of Nandi here. I don’t know when they are going to steal that too. It would be good if the archeology department made security arrangements here as in the other two temples.
But it seems that puja is done more often in this temple than the temples we saw earlier. It was sad that security arrangements were not made for the temple where such worship was taking place. Many rare treasures are stolen without knowing their value.
The most remarkable thing about this is that the pillars of the fallen stage, which I mentioned earlier, were arranged in a circular form with artistic work and two lion faces were carved in the lower part very wonderfully. We can see these lion faces in buildings like Mahabalipuram of the Pallavar period.
Similar lion statues can be seen in many places in China. But the lion-faced sculptures the Chinese lions are often depicted as holding a ball in its mouth. But they also keep these lion faces in important palaces and historical places since ancient times, but even now it can be seen in most places like banks etc.
It can be said that the two lion faces in Kodumbalur were in very good condition without being damaged. And now we will continue the story on the next page.