Airavatesvara Temple | Darasuram | Kumbakonam | Thanjavur | Tamil Nadu | History

The Airavatesvara temple is a large Hindu temple in the Kumbakonam area, Thanjavur District. The temple is dedicated to Shiva. It also reverentially displays Vaishnavism and Shaktism traditions of Hinduism, along with the legends associated with Nayanmars – the Bhakti movement saints of Shaivism. At present, parts of the temple such as the gopuram is in ruins, and the main temple and associated shrines stand alone. It has two sun dials namely morning and evening sun dials which can be seen as wheels of the chariot. The temple continues to attract large gatherings of Hindu pilgrims every year during Magha, while some of the images such as those of Durga and Shiva are part of special pujas. The temple was built by king Rajaraja Chola II. He ruled the Chola Empire between 1146 and 1172 CE. The established capital for his predecessors was Gangapuri, also referred in some inscriptions as Gangaikonda Cholapuram, named after the holy north Indian Ganges River and goddess. Rajaraja II, however, spent most of his time in the secondary capital city of Ayirattali, also called Palaiyarai and Rajarajapuri. This urban complex included Darasuram, the site of Airavatesvara Temple. He was a patron of Tamil literature and sponsored new Hindu temples in the empire, instead of enhancements and expansions supported by his father and grandfather. The temple at Ayirattali, which came to be known as Airavatesvarar temple in inscriptions is one of his legacy. The Airavatesvara temple was much larger than it is now. It had sapta veedhis (seven streets) and seven courts, similar to the Srirangam temple, according to the inscriptions. All are gone, except the one court with the main temple that survives. There are ruins of gopuram and some structures at some distance from the current visitor premises confirming that the site was badly damaged at some point like the other major Chola era temples and various Chola cities including the capital Gangaikonda Cholapuram. The reasons for this destruction are unclear. According to Vasanthi, the Pandyas who defeated the Cholas during the later part of 13th century "may have raged the city [Gangaikonda Cholapuram] to ground" to avenge their previous defeats. However, it is unclear why other temples were destroyed and this temple was spared, as well as why there are around 20 inscriptions from later Cholas, Pandyas and Vijayanagar Empire indicating various gifts and grants to this temple. An alternate theory links the destruction to the raids, plunder and wars, particularly with the invasion of the capital city and the territories that were earlier a part by the Chola Empire along with Madurai by the armies of Delhi Sultanate led by the Muslim commander Malik Kafur in 1311, followed by Khusrau Khan in 1314 and Muhammad bin Tughlaq in 1327. The period that followed saw wars between the Hindu kings and the Muslim Sultans who seceded the Delhi Sultanate and carved out new polity such as the nearby Madurai Sultanate (1335–1378). The Vijayanagara Empire defeated the Madurai Sultanate in 1378 and this temple along with other Chola era temples thereafter came under Hindu kings again who repaired and restored many of them. Airavatesvara Temple was added to UNESCO's World Heritage Site list of Great Living Chola Temples in the year 2004. The Great Living Chola Temples includes the Brihadeeswara Temple at Thanjavur, the Temple of Gangaikondacholisvaram at Gangaikonda Cholapuram and the Airavatesvara Temple at Darasuram. All of these temples were built by the Cholas between the 10th and 12th centuries CE and have a lot of similarities. #airavatesvarar #templecity #unesco Trichy city Must visit places in Tamilnadu Tourist places in trichy kumbakonam thanjavur Temple city thanjavur history thanjavur tourist places thanjavur palace thanjavur temple history thanjavur hotels agriculture in thanjavur thanjavur map thanjavur distance pondicherry to thanjavur tourist places waterfalls thanjavur salem to thanjavur tourist places places to visit in kumbakonam beach near thanjavur thanjavur sightseeing packages places to visit in trichy hill station near thanjavur brihadeeswarar temple architecture thanjavur temple timings brihadeeswarar temple facts thanjavur temple shadow tanjore temple secrets thanjavur temple images gangaikondacholapuram temple tanjore temple secrets images tanjore kumbakonam temples kumbakonam temple images kumbakonam navagraha temples list kumbakonam tourist places waterfalls near kumbakonam kumbakonam murugan temple mahamaham tank kumbakonam adi kumbeswarar temple Most Mysterious Temple Malayalam History Chola Dynasty ellora temple built by ellora temple conspiracy kailasa temple documentary