Airavatesvara Temple, Darasuram – Subsidiary Shrines
The main deity's consort Periya Nayaki Amman temple is a
detached temple situated to the north of the Airavatesvara temple. This might
have been a part of the main temple when the outer courts were complete. At
present, it stands alone as a detached temple with the shrine of the Goddess
standing in a single large court.
A sculpture of Shiva depicted as Dakshinamoorthy found
on every Shiva temples in the world.
There is a separate shrine for Sarabeswarar, a fusion of man, eagle and lion – the deity is
believed to have relieved the Devas (celestial deities) from the fury of Vishnu in the form of Narasimha after he slayed Hiranyakasipu.
The Veerabhadrar Temple is directly behind Periya Nayaki
Amman's shrine. This temple predates Airavatesvara Temple. It is now in ruins
as the raja gopuram was built of bricks and mortar and not stone.
Brief Details of these Subsidiary Shrines are given in
the below links;
Periya Nayagi Amman Shrine
Sarabeswarar Shrine
Dakshinamoorthy Shrine
Veerabhathirar Temple
