Thyagaraja Temple, Thiruvarur – Ancient Paintings
This temple has ancient paintings from the Chola Reign.
But later during the Maratha era, they had painted over the Chola Paintings in
17th Century. Actually there are very less number of places where
Chola paintings still exist. Chola paintings have been recently found in the
Tanjore Big Temple. Here in Tiruvarur, at places the Maratha paintings have got
peeled off and the Chola paintings are visible below them.
The Devasiriya Mandapam houses more than 50 panels of
17th century painting. The murals on the ceiling of the Devasiriya Mandapam
lift up the mind and spirit. They narrate the story of Sri Thyagaraja and how
the monkey-faced Chola king Muchukunda Chakravarti brought the image of Sri
Thyagaraja to earth. Through the portrayal of dancers, elephants and
processional scenes, the life of the 17th Century is revealed in these
paintings that belong to the late Nayak or early Maratha period.