Beyond the Selfie: Immersing in the Rich Heritage of Kantimati Nellaiyappar Temple

Continuing our exploration of the magnificent Kantimati Nellaiyappar temple in Tirunelveli, let's delve deeper into the remarkable features of the outermost eastern prakara around Nellaiyappar shrine.

Stretching across 295 feet in length and 40 feet in width, the third outer eastern prakara of the Nellaiyappar shrine extends into a grand mandapa crafted by Sivanthiappa Naicker in 1654 CE. Naicker was serving under the the famous Tirumalai Naicker. This mandapa, adorned with intricate sculptures, stands as a testament to artistic excellence. I have already covered in detail about all captivating large sculptures in this part of temple in my earlier posts. I will cover all the remaining features of this eastern part of Nellaiyappar shrine in this article.

Dominating the space is a massive white Nandi, known as Maakkaalai, sculpted from limestone, facing the main shrine of Nellaiyappar.Adjacent to the Nandi, we find the imposing dwajastambha (flag staff) and bali peetha. The flag staff installed in 1555 CE. 

On the northwest corner stands the majestic Somavara mandapa, boasting 78 pillars intricately carved to resemble woodwork. Miniature sculptures adorning the outer wall depict Yakshagana performers. One pillar inside the mandapa  mimicks the temple gopuram. The mandapa hosts celebrations during the Purattasi Tamil month Navaratri and Kartikai month Somavara Mandapapadi.

On the west side of the mandapa, Vannimara Shastha along with his consort Pushkala is found. An icon of Dakshinamurti and an ancient murti of Nandi are seen next to him. 

Next to Shasta, a shrine housing a life-size icon of Bhairava, characterized by protruding teeth and a serpent coiled around his waist, is located. The lintel of the shrine's entrance has a relief image of hunter hunting down a monitor lizard. The shrine is topped by a beautiful Vesara vimana and has a front-side mandapa.

Further away towards south side of Bhairava, there is a shrine for Madurai Sundareswara (Shiva Linga) and his consort Meenkashi. It has a front mandapa too.

Opposite this shrine lies the Navagraha mandapa, adorned with intricate wooden carvings depicting various deities. There are so many beautiful miniature wooden carvings here which remain unnoticed by the common devotees. 

While the bottom layer of the panels have Shiva Ganas in various postures, the top layer has the images of Ganesha, Shiva Linga, Ranganatha, Nataraja, Bhairava, the dancing Kali, Nayanmars, Kartikeya with his two consorts, Shiva-Uma, Mohini, Bhikshatana, two more Natarajas, Gopuram, devotees worshiping Shiva Linga, ablutions done to Shiva Linga, Musicians playing various musical instruments, Purushamruga, Vanaras and others. A tall independent wooden sculpture of a lonely chamara bearing girl is captivating.A remarkable wooden sculpture of a lonely chamara-bearing girl commands attention.

Further east, we encounter a unique wooden sculpture of Bheema on a movable vehicle, used during processions in the Tamil Aani month. Near Nandi, sub-shrines dedicated to Nalvar and Sekkizhar, are found, along with a shrine for Anavaradanathar, traditionally attributed to a Muslim ruler named Anwar Khan.

Two four-pillared mandapas flank the main entrance of the temple, housing shrines for Ganesha and Subramanya-Valli. Outside the Subramanya's shrine, there is a south-facing subshrine for Devasena. Two stone images of Ganeshas are kept at the entrance of these shrines.

On southeast corner, there is a west facing sub-shrine for Shailappa (Shiva Linga) with a Nandi in the opposite direction.

The Nellaiyappar main entrance lintel features intricate stucco images depicting three-tiered Vimana, Kantimati seated on Nandi, Kantimati and Nellaiyappar together seated on Rishabha, Nataraja and the dancing Kali, Ganesha and Kartikeya, Bhikshatana and Mohini, Veerabhadra and the chamara bearing girl. 

As the photography is not allowed nowadays, I had to depend on the photos that I shot two decades ago. I know the quality of these pictures are not good.

Happy travelling.

This article is Part 33 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

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

Part 8

Part 9

Part 10

Part 11

Part 12

Part 13

Part 14

Part 15

Part 16

Part 17

Part 18

Part 19

Part 20

Part 21

Part 22

Part 23

Part 24

Part 25

Part 26

Part 27

Part 28

Part 29

Part 30

Part 31

Part 32