Next, if you look at the photos on the sixth page, there are statues of devas with bow and arrow shields on the temple walls. When you look at them, they have carved the sculptures as gods, taking after models of great warriors. On one side of the temple tower there is a grotesque statue of an alien with closed eyes. I have never seen such a grotesque statue anywhere.
In one part of the temple, the statue of Lord Shiva and Parvati standing side-by-side looks lifelike. Goddess Parvati’s hair and jewelery are exquisitely carved. A deer-like design on the head is noticeable. A statue of Cupid is also placed near these statues.
A small niche on the top of the temple tower has a white statue with a hat on its head. When looking at this idol, there is no relation between the temple and the idol. Many controversies arise just by looking at this idol. What some people say is that the sculptors of that time knew in advance who would rule us in the future and that is why they did this sculpture of an european man. But this is completely wrong information.
I looked around the temple several times in search of this statue and it did not catch my eye. It was my brother who came with me who showed me that the of the European man. Then I zoomed in on it with the camera zoom lens and walked around the temple on each sides.I still had my doubts if this sculpture was during the Chola days. In those days, if there was a statue of Nandi on one side of the four ends of a gopuram , or a guardian deity, there were similar statues of equal size on the four ends of the gopuram. According to my research, idols are erected in temples with this theory in mind. But this statue was a mismatch.I think the way this statue was placed, it was altered with the evil intention of creating confusion in our Chola history. If we look at who did such heinous acts, it can only be the British who enslaved us and stole our resources.The statue base is same as the idols on the other three sides,but the top had been altered clearly later on to confuse the common folks.
There are many Nandi idols in this temple. These are also said to have been in front of the temple in ancient times. I have collected photos of this great temple of Thanjavur from close up , from far away and obliquely. I intend to take a 360° photo of the tower next time I visit . For that I will buy a very expensive photo equipment and post very clear photos on my page for you to see. We will continue our journey in the coming posts.