For the fans of Kalki's Ponniyin Selvan like me the name of Pazhayarai (old house/dwelling),Chozhan maligai evoke waves of pleasure and vivid memories of the Cholas especially Princess Kundavai who had her palace in in Pazhaya arai (Old dwelling). This was Emperor Sundara Chola's palace.The residue of those days sadly is seen in the ruins of this temple. Though the many Shiva Temples around still exist like Metralinathar temple even today, this temple is in ruins and in need of attention urgently. It is the only Vishnu Temple in this Chola capital.
How to Reach:
On the Tanjore Kumbakonam road in the outskirts of Kumbakonam about 7 kms before is the road to patteswaam, The first kilometer houses the ruins of this temple
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| Entrance of the Rajagopuram |
Legends and stories:
The grand father of Tamil ( Thamizh thatha) Sri U,Swaminatha Iyer referred to this temple as "Dwaraka of the South". It used to have a 7 tiered Raja gopuram and was housing the shrine for Krishna Rukmini and Sathyabhama, sadly only the main sanctum remains,
It was the place where Bhima saw Anjaneya and the famous realisation of who he was stuck Bheema
view from inside the Rajagopuram
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| main sanctum with enclosure for Anjaneya seen on the left |
These are two salvaged Anjeneyas seen in a enclosure in front of the main sanctum
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Dual Anjeneyas
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| View of the Rajagopuram from inside |
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View of the rear Gopuram
It is a monument that needs to be preserved and rebuilt to its old glory.
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