Chandrasekhara Swamy Temple, Tiruchendurai – The
Temple
The east
facing temple has five-tiered Rajagopuram. The tower has a lot of stucco
figures. Some of them are unique and interesting. They are Devi with four
heads; her right head is of elephant and her left head is of lion. She has ten
arms and an Asura or Rakshasa is found below her feet. Female attendants are
seen on her either sides. This deity is called as Shakti Chatuska, the
combined form of Lakshmi, Kirti, Jaya and Maya), Narasimha with four heads and
ten arms, Urdhva Thandava - Shiva with ten arms with his leg raised towards the
sky, Kali in dancing posture and Trivikrama with twenty arms.
There is
a vast area between the tower and the superstructure of the temple. It is
dotted with a lot of trees. Nandi Mandapam and bali peetha are located here and
they face towards the sanctum. There is no flag staff in this temple. Presiding
Deity is called as Chandrasekhara Swamy. The east facing sanctum with a
beautiful vimana enshrines a big Shiva Linga, presiding deity. It is a self-manifested
Linga. The shape of the Linga is not polished and is very rough like a
jackfruit.
There
are two small Trishula signs in Ishana direction and Agni direction on this
Linga. The Vimana has two tiers and it is fully made of stone. In the
entrance of Ardha Mandapam, two big and beautiful Chola period Dwarapalas are
found. In Maha Mandapam, Nandi is found facing towards the sanctum. The west
facing outer wall of the sanctum has the beautiful niche idol of Vrushabhantika
Murti. He is found leaning over Nandi, with his right arm held between the
horns of Nandi. His head is also slightly tilted.
The
other two niches do not have the original Murtis. The not-so-beautiful stucco
idols of Ardhanareeswarar and Durga are found in those two niches. Durga also
holds deer and Mazhu in her arms. Mother is called as Maanendiya Valli. The
Goddess of the temple has a very beautiful Tamil name, Maanendiya Valli.
In Sanskrit, she is called as Mrigadharambika. (The word Maan in Tamil means deer).
Her shrine is facing the southern direction.
It is
said that she is the only Goddess in the entire world, who holds deer in her
arms. It is said that she is in the form of Ardhanari. She holds Mazhu in her
right arm and has Surya Prabhai behind the right side of her head. Her right
leg is thick like a male. She also wears Upanayana. She holds deer in her left
arm and has Chandra Prabhai behind the left side of her head. Compared to her
right leg, her left leg is thin and feminine.
There
are five female deities as the niche idols around the shrine of Maanendiya
Valli. All of them are found seated and interestingly they all hold Mazhu and
Deer in their arms. Nandi is found facing towards her shrine. The bronze
idol of Nataraja in this temple is in unique style called as Urdhva
Thandava It is one of the rare forms of Nataraja with his knee raised upwards.
The
original Chola period Chandikeswara is found in the Temple. The sub-shrines of
Ganesha, Vishwanathar and Subramanya-Valli-Devasena are located in the prakara.
It is said that Gaja Lakshmi shrine was also there, which is not found
nowadays. Navagraha is found, where Surya alone is found along with his
consorts.
The
idols of Surya and Bhairava are found facing towards the sanctum. They appear
to be of original period. Dhakshinamoorthi’s sub-shrine is located near
Vrushabhantika Murti. It appears to be a new unnecessary addition. Sthala Vriksham
is Jack fruit Tree. Theertham associated with this Temple is River
Cauvery.
