Tiruvaaleeswaram - Near Ambasamudram

By -

Site Name: Tiruvaaleeswarar Temple

Site Type: Hindu temple

Location: Tiruvaaleeswaram aka Kakkanallur village, near Brahmadesam village, near Ambasamudram town, near Tirunelveli city, Tamil Nadu state, India

Highlights: A medieval Chola period temple in the land of Pandyas; an architectural marvel with so many beautiful sculptures 

Nearest Railway Station: Ambasamudram

Nearest Airport: Tirunelveli

How to reach: Well connected by road from Ambasamudram; public transportation is unreliable.

Hotel: Few options in Ambasamduram and no option in this village; more options in the nearby city Tirunelveli

Restaurants: Only a few options in the nearby Ambasamudram town


  
Ambasamudram is a picturesque town located on the banks of the beautiful Tamraparni river and on the foothills of the Western Ghats. The nearest city is Tirunelveli. The locality is known for many scenic spots and temples. Tiruvaaleeswaram is a small village located around 5 km from Brahmadesham, which is again 4 km from Ambasamudram. The village has an architecturally beautiful temple with innumerable sculptures. Let us explore this temple in detail.

Unfortunately, the temple is in a neglected state today. It's immaterial whether you are a spiritual or an art lover. You will definitely fall in love with this architectural and sculptural wonder. Let us work together to make such unknown beautiful sites of India popular.

Highlights:
  • A medieval Chola period temple in the land of Pandyas
  • The sanctum sanctorum is entirely a stone structure.
  • No niche images (koshta) around the sanctum - similar to that of Pandya style
  • Two-tier vimana on top of the sanctum
  • The temple has inscriptions of Cholas, Chola Pandyas and Pandyas; importantly, there is an inscription of Rajaraja Chola I
  • It was initially called Rajaraja Chaturvedi Mangalam
  • God - Vaaleeswarar aka Vaalinathar
  • Goddess - Soundarya Nayaki
  • Teerth (holy water) - Tamraparni and Ghatna rivers

Temple Layout:

No travel site or travel guide talks about this temple. It is not the temple's fault but the fault of those websites and guides that do not cover such a magnificent masterpiece. It is not fair that such a majestic temple is getting neglected.


On the banks of the beautiful Tamraparni river, the architectural marvel temple of Tiruvaaleeswarar is located. It is well maintained by ASI, although neglected by the devotees. 


The east-facing temple does not have a tower. It has two sanctums; the main one is dedicated to Vaalinathar aka Vaaleeswarar - a big Shiva Linga; the other is dedicated to the Goddess Soundarya Nayaki. 


The sanctum of Shiva Linga has a two-tiered vimana. Both the shrines face the east direction. Both of them have Nandi icons, flagstaffs and bali peetha in front of them. The sculptures of Ganesha and Subramanya are found alongside the Dwarapalas at the entrance of the Shiva shrine.



The prakara of Shiva shrine has the icons of Surya, Adhikara Nandi, Sapta Matas, Sura Deva and two Subramanyas. Bhairava is found in a separate small shrine.


The maha mandapa has many circular-shaped pillars with Yazhi bases. The vimana has a lot of exquisite sculptures such as Bhoota ganas, Rishabha Vahana, Gaja Samhara Murti, Dakshinamurti, Ardha Nareeswarar, Nataraja, etc.


Ganesha has two small separate shrines. There are sub-shrines for Shasta with his consorts and Shanmukha with his consorts. Dakshinamurti is also found in the outer prakara.


A beautiful garden with so many plants and trees is found at the backside of the temple.


Brahmadesham temple, which is located near this site and this temple are architectural marvels and stand as fine examples of South Indian temple architecture. Unfortunately, they remain unknown sites. When you go to South Tamil Nadu, ensure that you visit this site.


Happy travelling.
















Visit my site, krishnakumartk.com, to know more about the travel guides and other books that I have written.



Location: Ayan Thiruvaleeswaram, Tamil Nadu, India

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Tallest Murugan of Chennai

By -
Image
Consecrated in March 2021, the 40 feet high Bala Murugan icon at Saveetha Medical College campus is the tallest image of Murugan in Chennai. Malaysia has 140 feet tall Murugan. In April 2022, the 146 feet tall image of Murugan was consecrated near Salem in Tamil Nadu. However, they are all stucco images. But, the one that we find on the college campus is a monolithic granite icon. Thus, it is the tallest stone icon of Murugan in the entire world. A stone weighing 320 tonnes was brought from Siruvambur near Wallajah, and it was carved to 140 tonnes to get this beautiful and gigantic sculpture. The entire temple complex is designed in the shape of the Devanagiri letter "Om", which can be appreciated in the aerial view.  The west-facing gigantic sculpture is located atop the star-shaped pedestal. It dominates the entire landscape. A large meditation hall is situated below the pedestal. On the open corridor in front of the presiding deity, smaller shrines are found. They enshrine
Read more

Little known Nimishamba Temple of Chennai

By -
Image
Site Name:  Nimishamba Temple Site Type:  Hindu Temple Location:   Kasi Chetty Street, Sowcarpet, Chennai city, Tamil Nadu state, India Highlights:   A rare temple of Nimishamba in Chennai city Nearest Railway Station:   Chennai - well connected from the cities/towns all over India Nearest Airport:   Chennai has both national and international airports How to reach:   Easily reachable by road as this is centrally located in the city Hotel:  Many star hotels, luxury hotels/resorts, and budget hotels are available in Chennai Restaurants:  All options - vegetarian, non-vegetarian, Chinese, South Indian, Gujarati, North Indian, Punjabi,....- you can find everything in Chennai city Chennai is considered as the gateway to South India. The capital city of Tamil Nadu state of India has hundreds of tourist sites which include museum, British period monuments, temples, beach, etc. Let us explore a little known temple called Nimishamba temple located in Chennai. Nimishamba is anothe
Read more

A 17th century Dargah with healing power - Mount Road Dargah, Chennai, India

By -
Image
Mount Road or Anna Salai is one of the most happening places in  Chennai . There are two famous Islamic shrines on Mount Road – one is  Thousands Light mosque . The other one is Dargah-e-Hazrath Syed Moosa Shah Qadri Baghdadi (Rahmatullah Alaihi), also known as Mount Road Dargah. It is the most popular Dargah across the city. It draws devotees of all faiths and all walks of life. Especially every Thursday, a large number of devotees gather to the Dargah. A lot of city-based celebrities regularly visit the site. This Dargah is the shrine of a Muslim Saint named Hazrath Syed Moosa Shah Qadri Baghdadi. He was also known as Rahmatullah Alaihi. Hazrath Syed Moosa Shah Qadri Baghdadi arrived from Baghdad in the middle of the 17th Century CE. He made Chennai his home and lived here. It is believed that he had healing powers. During his time, he had so many devotees regularly visiting him. After his demise, his family buried him next to his house, which is the current Dargah. You can easily lo
Read more