Than Thondreeswar Temple - Kanchipuram

Than Thondreeswarar, which means self-manifested, is an ancient Shiva temple in Kanchipuram, the city of thousand temples. The temple believed to be from the Pallava era, lost its glory completely.

The 16 feet tall stucco image of Lord Shiva atop the entrance makes one wonder if it is located in Kanchipuram or in North India. This is probably put up to attract the North Indian devotees.

It does not stop with these nasty-looking modern-day idols. The entire structure has been spoiled in the name of renovation. The walls and floor of the Pallava period temple were replaced with mosaic tiles. The vimana has been reconstructed and painted in bright color. We now have the very later period Shiv Linga and Somaskanda panels in the sanctum. God only knows what happened to the original icons of the temple.

The current caretaker of the temple keeps adding up a lot of new sub-shrines and big stucco images, probably to pull more crowds to the temple. Similarly, the Koshta images are also recently made. In the name of devotion, the site's heritage value is completely destroyed.

Except for the seven panels on the prakara wall, there is no sign to claim that it is an old temple. As per the legend, Upamanyu Rishi worshiped Shiv Linga in this temple. There are differences of opinion on who built this temple initially. As the Pallava period panels are found, the Pallavas probably made it. Else, the temple could have been built later, and the panels excavated nearby could have been brought and installed here.

The seven panels in the temple probably depict the characters of Mattavilasa Prahasana, the satirical play by Mahendra Varma Pallava, in the 6th/7th century CE. The play made fun of certain aspects of Kapalikas, Pasupatas, Buddhists and Jains.

Let me discuss these seven panels now. (Most of the figures are partially or entirely eroded.)

1) Two females are standing in the first panel, one behind the other. The female standing behind does not wear a brassiere. She carries or holds something on her raised left arm; her right arm is around the waist of the first female. She has a flower or something else on her right arm. Both the females appear as if they are in motion. Both wear ornaments on their necks as well as waists.

2) The second panel depicts a male and a female. Both appear to be in motion. The male wears a thick thread in the place of janeu. Both hold something in their left arms. It could be a jar with liquor.

3) The third panel has a male and female who face each other. The male carries two jars (?) in both his arms.

4) The fourth panel has three males and a female. The first male appears to take up his sword. The second person standing behind him stops him by holding his arm. The female faces the first person, and she signals to stop him. Most probably, the female and the second male try to pacify and calm the first one to avoid a duel.

5) The fifth panel has two males standing. One person is holding something in both his arms. Not sure what these images depict.

6) The sixth panel comparatively looks attractive. It depicts a man with matted hair and an oversized earring. He also has a thick thread in the place of janeu. He appears to move forward very fast. Behind him, a beautiful lady with good physical features is found.

7) The last panel has a male and a female. They hold each other's arms and keep liquor jugs on their other arms. They appear to dance after consuming liquor.

Happy travelling.