The Wooden Carvings of Kantimati Temple

Art lovers may not enter the Kantimati sameta Nellayaippar temple and stay at the entrance. The incredibly made intricate wooden carvings would not let them proceed further. 

The claim to have visited Tirunelveli without seeing this temple is laughable. And the claim to have seen this temple without spending hours together appreciating the wooden carvings at the entrance is uproarious.

How many temples in Tamil Nadu have hundreds of wooden sculptures and designs like this splendid temple? None! No other temple - literally!

It is indeed unfortunate that the regular devotees and even the locals do not realize the significance of this unmatched wonder.

Throughout this series, I plan to dedicate a minimum of four articles to exploring the wooden architecture of the Kantimati sameta Nellayaippar temple. This specific post will focus on the wooden carvings at the Kantimati temple entrance.

Technically, the Kantimati sameta Nellaiyappar temple is a twin temple with two main entrances facing east, one for Nellaiyappar and the other for Kantimati. The entrance for Kantimati is situated on the southern or true right side of the Nellaiyappar entrance.

Before entering the Kantimati temple through the awe-inspiring Raja Gopuram, visitors must pass through a lengthy front-side mandapa. This mandapa, constructed in the 1700s, boasts a Kerala-style sloping wooden roof, with the ceiling's brackets, rafters, and beams thickly adorned with various wooden sculptures and designs, creating an exceptional and unparalleled sight.

The mandapa is oriented towards the east, resulting in brackets placed in both the north and south directions. Each side of the brackets is divided into four layers, with rows of sculptures or decorations on each layer. Vertically, there are sixteen sculpted rafters on each side of the brackets.

On the lowermost layer, the projections (rafters) are adorned with amorous couples, erotic figures, or ordinary people. The recesses between the projections are divided into two sub-layers. The lower sub-layer showcases Yazhis, the mythological creatures, while the upper sub-layer has soldiers riding on various animals.

The second layer from the bottom features sculptures of Gods or celestial beings on the projections. The recesses between the projections depict Puranic scenes or divine weddings through intricate carvings.

The third layer from the bottom displays miniature Yazhi (Vyala) pillars on the projections, while the recesses contain various architectural designs.

Lastly, the topmost layer comprises a balcony supported by octagonal pillars. Projected balustrades made of sculptures adorn the balcony, and the pillars serve as the meeting points of makara toranas.

One of the fascinating sculptures found in the mandapa is a Brahma Rakshasa, a figure with three legs, an elephant face, and breasts. On the lowermost layers, alongside the erotic figures, are sculptures of people playing various musical instruments.

Some of the sculptures that are found in the second layer from the bottom include Nataraja, Shanmukha, the dancing Kali, Lingodbhava flanked by tiny Vishnu and Shiva, Vishnu with Sri Devi and Bhoo Devi, Ganesha seated on a big munjuru, Rati riding a parrot, Manmada riding a parrot, Hanuman carrying the warrior Rama, Narasimha toring open the body of Hiranyakashipu, the coronation of Rama, Vali and Sugreeva fighting each other, Kaliya nardana Krishna, Krishna playing a flute, Veerabhadra, Bhadra Kali, Subramanya with Valli and Devasena, Uma seated on Nandi, Shiva and Uma seated on Nandi, divine couple, Bhikshatana Murti and Ravana Anugraha Murti. 

In addition to the common sculptures mentioned earlier, there are several unique carvings on the same row that are difficult to understand clearly. One sculpture appears to depict Viswakarma with five heads and ten arms, riding a bird-faced horse as his vahana. Another carving portrays a figure engaged in a fight with an elephant, although it is unclear what this represents. A multi-armed sculpture resembling Vishnu can be seen blowing a large conch, while a goddess sits atop a bird devouring a fish. One female figure stands amidst several shorter females, and another carving shows a character similar to Manmada riding a parrot. A male figure is also visible, with his right leg bent at a ninety-degree angle, and his consort by his side.

On the recesses, there are many miniature carvings such as the divine wedding of Shiva and Uma, Uma and Shiva seated together, Gopis losing their dresses to Krishna, Bhikshatana Murti, Shiva seated on Nandi, Icons of a few deities seated on panaquins, Dasavatars, Narasimha killing the Asura, Vishnu with his two consorts all under the serpent hoods, Ranganatha, Trivikrama, Rajamannar, Gajendra Augraha Vishnu, Ekapada Murti, Rama with Hanuman and a few others.

The extreme height of the mandapa and the low lighting makes it challenging to appreciate all of the intricate details of these sculptures using just the naked eye or a camera.

Happy travelling.

This article is Part 2 of the series of articles I write about Kantimati Sameta Nellaiyappar Temple.

The other parts of the series can be accessed through the below listed links.

Part 1