Soundararajaperumal Temple, Thadikombu – Temple
Architecture
The temple is located in Thadikombu, a village in the outskirts of Dindigul in the South Indian state of Tamil
Nadu. The main entrance of the temple faces the East and at
the entrance of the temple, there is a four pillared open hall.
The temple has
a 90 ft (27 m) tall Rajagopuram (temple tower) and is enclosed by rectangular
walls around it. The temple has two precincts. The temple is a Maadakovil,
with its plinth constructed in an elevated platform around 2 m
(6.6 ft) in height. The parapets in the steps are decorated with curled yalis,
the lion faced Vijayanagar sculptures.
The presiding deity, Soundararajan, is housed in the
sanctum. The first precinct also has shrines for his consort,
Soundaravalli, Andal and Viswaksenar. All the inner shrines face east,
leaving the shrine of Viswaksenar, which faces south.
The Dhwajasthambham (flag staff) and a hall are located in axial
alignment from the gateway tower to the sanctum. The South-west corner of the
second precinct houses the image of Chakrathaazhwar. The images of the Dasavatara, the ten avatars of Vishnu, are housed in the Anna Mandapa.
The Ranga Mandapam (also called Anna Mandapam) has
beautiful architectural representation of various forms of Vishnu. It is
located near the Soundaravalli shrine leading to the sanctum. It is believed
that similar architectural specimens of the Vijayanagar kingdom is found in Alagar
Koyil, Krishnapuram Venkatachalapathi
temple, Srivilliputhur Divya Desam and Jalakandeswarar Temple,
Vellore.
The temple occupies an area of 1.5 acres (0.61 ha)
and is surrounded by granite walls on all four sides. All four sides around the
temple are paved in such a way to accommodate movement of the temple car during
festive occasions. The presiding deity is housed in the sanctum in standing
posture and has a height of 5 ft (1.5 m). Bhudevi and Sridevi are
positioned on either side of him. The image of the festive deity is also housed
in the sanctum.
The Kalyan Mandapa has musical pillars, each of which produces
different musical sounds. The same are found in Meenakshi Amman temple, Thanumalayan temple, Kasi
Viswanathar temple, Tenkasi, Krishnapuram Venkatachalapathi
temple and Azhwar Tirunagari temple. The image of standing Ganesa holding Angusam in his
hands, Vishnu Durga containing exceptional features and Anjaneya occupying
pillars are noteworthy.
The fourteen life size images of the Sundarapandya
Mandapa are Vaikuntanatha, Stunanarasimha, Mahavishnu, Chakarathalwar, Madanagopala,
Manmadan & Rathi, Trivikrama, Nataraja & Kali, Agora Veerabhadra, Rama
and Kartha Veeryarjunan.
The entrance of the Soundararajan Perumal Temple is
covered by an impressive Rajagopuram (temple tower) that is 70 feet in height. A
mandapam (hall) with four pillars stands beyond it. The Soundararajan Perumal
Temple contains some exquisite sculptures and friezes. Lord Vishnu who is
called Soundararajan Perumal, the king of beauty, can be seen in a reclining
position in the sanctum with his consorts Sridevi and Bhudevi who stand next to
him.
The incarnation of Vishnu, called Hayagriva, who bestows
good education on his devotees can be seen in this temple. The deities of the Soundararajan
Perumal Temple are covered with gold and emeralds. There are images of
Adisesha, the serpent god along with his consorts.
The Soundarya Pushkarani is the source of holy water.
The Vasantha Mandapam is an added attraction at the temple. The Swarna (gold) Akarshana
(attraction) Bhairavar is believed to solve people’s economic problems.
Chakarathalwar, the Lord of the Discus, is present with other figures
associated with the Gayathri Mantra.
Lord Narasimha can also be seen along with the
Ashtalakshmis, the eight forms of Goddess Lakshmi, consort of Vishnu. There are
also shrines for Vishwaksenar, a twin Vinayaka (Ganesha), the Dasavatharam or
ten incarnation forms of Lord Vishnu, Lakshmi Narasimha, Venugopala and
Anjaneya (Hanuman).
There is a separate shrine for Lord Dhanvanthari,
considered to be a form of Vishnu, who appears as the healer and father of
Ayurveda. On new moon days, abishekam (ablution) is performed to Soundararajan
Perumal with a medicated oil and herbal paste known as Lehiyam.
Goddess Soundaravalli, a form of Lakshmi, is placed in
her own shrine. Lord Vinayaka and Vishnu Durga and the deities of prosperity
called Sanganidhi and Padmanidhi can be seen in her shrine. The sculptures in
this shrine are simply beautiful and include Lord Vishnu as Vaamana measuring
the three worlds, Lord Narasimha, the lion-man incarnation of Vishnu,
Vaikundanathar, Venugopala (Krishna, the eighth incarnation), Lord Vishnu on
his vehicle Garuda, Anjaneya carrying Lord Rama on his shoulders,
Chakarathalwar, Oordhvathandavar (cosmic dance of Lord Shiva), Oordhvakaali
(Goddess Kaali), Akora Veerabadra, Rathi and Karthaveeryarjuna.
Chakarathalwar graces with deities attributed to Gayatri
Mantra. Lord Narasimha graces with Ashtalakshmis.
Sculptures of Exquisite Beauty:
The sculptures in the corridor-prakara are noted for
their exquisite beauty and minute workmanship in nails, muscles and reflecting
even the inner veins.
A big feature at this temple is the beautifully crafted
sculptures on the Southern side of the temple similar to the one at
Krishnapuram near Tirunelveli - 14 in all including Anjaneya carrying Rama on
his shoulder, Vaikuntanathan sleeping atop Adiseshan, Maha Vishnu mounted on
Garuda, Battle with Hiranya and ‘Hiranya Samharam’ - quite a difficult one to
carve. There are also 7 musical pillars at the temple. Another unique
feature is the presence of a standing Pillayar and Vishnu Durgai.
There is an idol of Hayagriva, who is believed to bestow
good education on devotees, in this temple where vows that have to be fulfilled
in Azhagarkoil can be fulfilled. The Swarna Akarshana Bairavar here is believed
to solve people’s economic problems.
The sculptures in this temple speak of the artistic
skill of the builders and it is surprising to see even minute details like the
nail tip, muscles, nerves and eyelashes sculpted with such finesse.
