Airavatesvara Temple History, Travel Information, Hotels, Facts And More
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PERSONAL INFORMATION
NAME
Airavatesvara Temple
COUNTRY
India
ADDRESS
Gurunathan Pillai Colony, Dharasuram, Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu 612702
AIRAVATESVARA TEMPLE PICTURE
More Information
About Airavatesvara Temple
Airavatesvara Temple is a popular Hindu temple located in the Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu, India. The temple was constructed on the order of Rajaraja II in the 12th century. It is one of the temples included as Great Living Chola Temples by UNESCO alongside
Brihadeeswara Temple and
Gangaikondacholisvaram Temple . It is also dedicated to Lord Shiva like the other two temples and displays the Vaishnavism and Shaktism traditions of Hinduism. The temple has a chariot-like structure and has several deities like Vishnu, Durga, Agni, Ganga, Yamuna, and many others. The temple opens every morning at 8:00 and the morning darshan closes at 12 noon. For evening darshan, the temple remains open from 4:00 to 8:00 pm. No entry fees are charged by temple authorities from any pilgrim whether Indian or Foreign national.
How To Reach Airavatesvara Temple
The temple is located at a place that is four kilometers from Kumbakonam and 310 km from Chennai. Chidambaram is also 90 kilometers from Chidambaram. If you are on a tour of all Chola dynasty temples then you must know that this temple is approximately 40 kilometers northeast of
Brihadeeswara Temple
and 30 kilometers away from
Gangaikondacholisvaram Temple . Several means of transport are available which take you to the desired destination. Some of them are:
Bus
The temple is located on highway 22 and highway 36 connecting Tiruchirappalli and Thanjavur. Some of the nearby buses stands like Darasuram Bus Stop, Dharamsuram Pillaiyar Koli Mini Bus Stop, Kumbakonam Bus Stop, and Thiruvalluvar Bus Depot. After reaching there, you can easily arrive at the location.
Train
If you are going there by train then you can leave your train at any of the nearby train stations which are Darasuram, Swamimalai, Kumbakonam, Papanasam, and Tirunageswaram. After reaching these stations, you can opt for any of the local transport measures and reach the location comfortably.
Air
Tiruchirappalli International Airport is a nearby airport located at a distance of 90 kilometers from the temple. You can grab a taxi or any of the suitable means of transport after reaching the airport and reaching the temple.
Some Lesser Known Facts About Airavatesvara Temple
- The tank inside the temple is an important place on the premises. It has connected channels with the Cauveri River so the water inside the tank contains Cauveri River water. The pilgrims take a holy bath inside the tank. According to local mythology. Indra's (Malla) white elephant named Airavatta got his white and clean skin after taking a bath in the tank.
- The temple is popular for stone carvings. You can read the stories of the sixty-three Shaiva Bhakti saints on the relief. Also, there are inscriptions on the verandah. Though most of the sculptures of the temple are now broken or missing but inscriptions provide the knowledge that it had several sculptures of deities including Gangadevi, Maha Sata, and Vayu in the North; Brahmi, Rudrani, and Santa Devi in West; Daksha Prajapati, Kamadeva in South while Agni deva, Surya and Sri Devi in East among others.
- You will be proud to know that the temple was featured in a documentary named "Cosmos: A Personal Voyage" in its episode titled "The Edge of Forever" after American astronomer Carl Sagan visited the temple. He also narrated the legend of the god Shiva and displayed ancient art in the episode.
- According to the inscriptions, the temple is very large containing sapta veedhis (seven streets) and seven courts but not only one court of the temple is available. There is no clear reason for the destruction of the temple but it could be estimated that the temple is a witness of several wars including the war with the Delhi Sultanate.
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