The temple town of Kumbakonam, about 3 kms from Darasuram, is where my grandparents live, and also where my mom grew up (more on that some other time). My dad and I went there on a 1-day trip, and squeezed in a visit to Darasuram, to see the Airavateshwara temple, built by the Chola king Rajaraja Chola II in the 12th century AD. The presiding deity of this temple is Airavateshwara, a form of Lord Shiva. The front portion of the temple is shaped like chariot, drawn by horses. I'll post in a little more detail about the temple on the Go-Unesco site soon. Some pictures, for now:
A flower-seller outside the temple who also keeps an eye on your footwear.
I want to do a trip to all temple in TN. There are some really beautiful temples and lot of mythology significance. Just imagine the number of stories you get to hear/learn...so exciting!
ReplyDeleteMy inspitration to do this is from a book called Smile of murugan :)
Awesome pics! Darasuram temple is one of my favourite temples!!
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