Annamalaiyar Temple – Sixth Prakaram – Thirumanjana
Gopuram
The southern tower of the outermost court is called
Thirumanjana gopuram. Thirumanjanam is the holy water for the bath of a deity.
Every day in the morning, before opening the gate of the temple, holy water is
brought through the southern tower and spilled near the flag post. Hence this
tower is called Thirumanjana gopuram. This tower has nine storeys and 157 feet
in height.
The base of the Thirumanjana Gopura is later than that
of the Pey Gopura (West Gopura). It also differs from the Western Gopura in
that it has a “yali” above the frontal lotus projection of the corbel clusters
of its upper course, more prominent lotus centres and wider niches.
The Thirumanjana Gopura is the most modern of all the
four Temple Gopurams because of the heaviness of the plastering and changes
introduced during an earlier restoration of its pilaster—which indicates that
it is in fact probably older than both Pey and Ammani Amman Gopuram spires.
The bases of all four towers of the outer court are
generally ascribed to Krishnadevaraya. The tower might have been completed by
later Nayak rulers.
