A temple full of beautiful sculptures - Krishnapuram Venkatachalapati Temple

Krishnapuram is a small village located around 13 kms from Tirunelveli city in Tamil Nadu state of South India. The village is famous due to its Venkatachalapati Temple. Venkatachalapati is the name of Lord Vishnu in this temple. This temple was built by Krishnappa Naicker in the 16th century CE. This village is named after this ruler.

The Krishnapuram Venkatachalapati temple is popular among tourists not because of its religious importance but because of its beautiful life sculptures and images. The temple's central shrine has Venkatachalapati and his consorts, Sri Devi and Bhoo Devi. Regarding the beauty of sculptures, Krishnapuram temple can be considered among the best in Tamil Nadu temples.

Krishnapuram Temple

Let me describe the temple's sculptures to the maximum extent. The northern side of the temple has a hall called Veerappa Naick Mandapam. You can find two beautifully carved elephants at the entrance of the Mandapam. Inside the mandapam, pillars depict various mythological stories. The features of the images are life-like. Unfortunately, photography is not allowed inside the temple.

All the sculptures are nicely carved with intricate details. A few pillars depict the scenes of a Kuravan and Kurathi (gypsies) abducting a prince and princess. There are some small images where you can find the worrying queen and the king trying to rescue the prince and princess. The princess sitting on the shoulder of Kurathi and the depiction of blood in Kuravan are beautiful features of these life-sized sculptures.

There is a pillar that depicts the eternal beauty of Rati. There are pillars representing the story related to Bheema, the half-man, and half-beast Purusha Mrigam. There is a beautiful statue of Arjun doing penance. The female with a parrot on her shoulder and a beggar with a monkey on his shoulder are lively. You can also find Karna in a pillar. Two lovers make love in another pillar, whereas a knight and gypsy watch a dancing girl in another post. There is another interesting pillar, where a lady is seen pulling the beard of a sage who is trying to molest her. (It seems the problems with the false sages were there even in the olden days. :-) ).

Well, it's difficult to explain the beauty of the temple's sculptures in writing. At least photographs can showcase the beauty a little better. Unfortunately, photos are not allowed. I would suggest you go and visit this architecturally beautiful temple and enjoy it.

Happy travelling.

Krishnapuram Temple

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