Famous Temples in India

Architecture

Venkatachalapathi Temple has 5 tiered Rajagopuram the temple's gateway tower is 110 ft. (34 m) tall. Constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture, the temple occupies an area of 1.8 acres and is surrounded by a granite wall. The temple is a storehouse of Nayak architecture and has a Teppakulam. 

Mandapams & Pillars : The Ardha mandapa is guarded by two Dwarapalas on either side. There are lots of halls in the temple namely the Pandal Mandapam, Vahana Mandapam, Ranga Mandapam and Nanguneri Jeeyar Mandapam. The Pandal Mandapam has pillars replete with architectural features displaying pushpaboikai, palagai and varikolam. The Unjal Mandapam is designed to accommodate the swing for the festival deities.The square shaped Vasantha Mandapam has Navarang style. The Veerappa Nayaka Mandapam situated north of the temple has two beautifully-carved elephants at its entrance. There are exquisite carvings in the pillars and life size images indicating various legends of Hindu Puranas. The six pillars at the mandapam exhibit 'Puranic’ scenes with dexterity. Another unique feature of the temple is the musical pillars that produce interesting sound, when tapped. When a pin is dropped from the top of the bow, it reaches the bottom and what is so special about it is that the bow is not straight but bent. This stone carving too has been damaged as only a part of the bow is seen. The Jeeyar Mandapam houses lots of pillars with images of ladies hold lamps as in Kerala temples. The seer of temples used to rest at this place during festivals. The Sorga Vasal (gateway to heaven) is located to the west of Yaagasaalai Mandapam and is open only during the ten-day Vaikunta Ekadasi festival. Manimandapam has numerous pillars with sculptures of elephants and Yalis.

Inscriptions : According to the inscriptions in the temple, the temple was built by Krishnappa Nayak (1563-72), the son of Viswanatha Nayak, the founder of Madurai Nayak dynasty. Krishnappa is attributed to the construction of the precincts around the temple and the soaring temple tower. The copper plates from Sadasiva Raya indicate grants to light lamps perpetually and lay gardens. The village was originally named Thiruvenkatapuram and got changed to Krishnapuram during the rule of Krishnappa Nayak. There is one inscription in the temple and five copper plates from the 16th century indicating various grants to the temple, a granite wall surrounds the temple, enclosing all its shrines.

Manmatha and Rathi opposite to each other : One finds Rathi and Manmatha right opposite each other. Rathi’s hands are so beautifully depicted that the veins on her left wrist are clearly seen, so much so that one is tempted to actually feel the wrist to confirm if it’s only a sculpture and not a living person. One look at the beetal chewing Rathi leaves us with the same stunning feeling - For a minute, it seems that Rathi is actually standing there in front of us – alive- and chewing the leaves, such is the depiction. To her right, is a small bowl for her to spit the beetal leaves. Opposite Rathi stands the 5 ½ feet Manmatha, with a bow in hand and truly handsome – The craftsmanship is of the highest order that it brings the sculpture to life.

Bheema, Vyakra Balaka (Shiva’s Devotees) and Dharma Raja : This is a remarkable structure of three men all from one stone. This sculpture depicts a fight between Bheema and Vyakra Balaka, with Dharma Raja presiding in to give the decision in Vyakra’s favour. One finds Dharma Raja all in peace with himself while Bheema is his arrogant self.

Veera Bhadra : Veera Bhadra sporting a big moustache is seen looking down at the devotee. The veins of the Lord can be seen clearly.

Ramba’s Beauty : At the entrance of the temple, on the right, is Ramba – depicted with a long sharp nose and with big ear rings- something quite unique at TN temples. One can well imagine her beauty from the depiction of Ramba at this temple. 

Princely Karna : A Sculpture of Karna with a big bow in hand (now partly broken) and a princely mustache. This takes us back to the days when Duryodhana crowned Karna the Prince.

Arjuna’s Penance : Right next to the Princely Karna is a (long long) bearded Arjuna in deep penance. A remarkable sight here is the long nail of Arjuna on his right hand (thumb) showing his many years of penance.

An elephant and a Cow in the same image : The other fascinating sculpture here is that of two animals made out of one stone.As one looks from the left, one sees an elephant lifting its tusk. From the other side, though, this same image shows us a cow- truly a terrific piece of art. 

Queen on King’s Shoulder : A king lifts his queen on his shoulder as he fights off his enemies. The (heavy) weight of his queen stretches the king and one sees the stretched muscles on his right hand as well as the expanding ribs. The breeze lifts one part of the Queen’s saree above her head, almost in a manner of protecting her from the scorching heat.

King saving the abducted Prince : Another remarkable piece of architecture is that of a king who undertakes a chase on a horse to get back his abducted prince. At the battle field, one finds the angry horse leaping forward with its front legs off the ground and high in the air.The king who is slightly unsighted is seen moving to his right to grab the attention of the abductor- this is an unforgettable visual and a treat to watch.