Thursday, 3 January 2019

Vijayanagara Period Mandapam in ruins at Dharapuram, Tiruppur District, Tamil Nadu – A Part of Kongu Heritage Visit.

06th December 2018.
This 16 pillar mandapam is very close Kolinjivadi Shiva Temple ( Kottaimedu ), part of Dharapuram. It was said that this was once in the middle of a Temple tank called “Neerazhi Mandapam” where the deity would be kept and poojas would be conducted. The mandapam is in ruins now and may collapse soon.


The Pillars are square and octagonal sections with floral designs. The corner pillars are a combination of two pillars in which the smaller pillar has the kumba, kalasa, and palakai arrangement. The Pothiyals are like simha design. The Pothiyals also have reliefs like Yazhi and Vaishnava saints like Ramanujar. Vishnu Avatharas like Kalinga Narthanar, etc. The adhisthana has the Oorthuva Padma, round kumudam (Pirati bandham).  There is a raised platform combining the central 4 pillars.

This mandapam is believed to have been built during the Vijayanagara Period and has 15th to 16th-century inscriptions on the kumudam surface (due to vegetation growth around the mandapam made it difficult to read what is inscribed on the kumudam). Due to high vegetation growth on the roof, the mandapam faces the threat of crumbling to pieces.







---OM SHIVAYA NAMA---

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