Talagirisvara Temple, Panamalai, Villupuram
Talagirisvara Temple is located in Panamalai which lies
23 kilometers from Gingee, Villupuram in Tamil
Nadu, India. The site is known as a location to various ancient
structural temples built during the Pallava dynasty. One of them is the Talagirisvara Temple.
Panamalai is again in the Senji-Villupuram belt. Here is
a stone temple – stated to be the first - built by Rajasimha. This temple is
atop a hill surrounded by scenic paddy fields. The shrine known as
Talagirisvara is for Lord Shiva. It has Pallava trade mark ‘Somaskanda panel’.
It has several ornamentally written Sanskrit inscriptions. It still
retains a small piece of original mural on one of the smaller shrine on the
left. Even after 1300 years, the paintings – however vandalized – are
beautiful.
Temple
Narasimhavarman II, also known as Rajasimhan is credited with constructing
structural temples of Pallava dynasty namely the Shore
Temple at
Mamallapuram, Kailasanatha and Talagirisvara temple at Panamalai. The
temple is built on a small hillock overlooking the Panamalai Lake. This
7th Century structure has a Vimana which resembles that of Kailasanatha temple
of Kanchipuram. The garbhagriha houses a Dharalingam and as in Pallava
temples of that time, there is a Somaskanda panel on rear wall of the sanctum.
There is an Ardhamandapam (half Mandapam). On the walls of the Ardhamandapam one can see
panels of deities such as Brahma with Saraswati and Vishnu with Lakshmi on either side. The shrine faces east and the
garbhagriha is surrounded on all the three sides by sub-shrines (Anga Kovil or
Limb Shrines – which are attached to the main shrine).
A few more sub-shrines and a Mahamandapam (a
big Mandapam) have been added to the structure at much later period. The Vimana
is three tiered and the top tier has been reconstructed. The pillars with
squatting lions, a typical Pallava signature can also be found.
The sub-shrine to the north has a small section of mural
painting which has survived over the years, bearing testimony to the Pallavas'
mastery of the art.
Connectivity
From Gingee: 21 km on SH4 towards Villupuram. At 21 km
turn right. After 6.5 km the end of the road would be reached. Turn left. In
2.5 km you would spot the temple to your right. After 2 km, the half km has to
be taken on a dirt track that deviates to the left, to reach the base of the
hillock, which has the steps to be climbed. The Panamalai Lake would be
to your right, from about 1 km.
References
