While Brh and GKC have massive sculptures darasuram - ( rajarajeswaram - a name change happened after pandyan invasion) takes miniaturising to new heights. Panel work on the prAkArAs and miniatures on pillars (some Deccan rock mostly granite - harder to work)
1. On the eastern wall this keecaka vadham motiff..note keeckas body accordioned by bhima - draupadi as sairandhri on the right
2. On the southern wall this beautiful kAmadahanam - kAma is shown shooting the arrow at Shiva and as fallen (not depicted as ashes)
3. kala samharam. Deteriorated over time but u can make out the story
4. A padmini most likely
5. All the stories from the thirutondar puranam are depicted around the temple - will do another thread with the correct attribution to the nayanmars (didn't get all but a decent sample)
adding this pantheon to get @tskrishnan in to trouble for now - will do more as part of the thirutondar panel
Can u identify the number of yogic poses?
The circle of life
9. A dream scape
10. Look ma no legs!
Vali vadham note the sad tArA on the right panel
(Will add more )
To the question is your house chidambaram or madurai?
Finally in this thread - this rishaba hidden under the northern entrance and has somehow escaped the ravages of time invaders callous pilgrims and tourists and indifferent custodians - shows you how intricate the designs were in the original panels (this is granite!)
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Short thread of some Deccan rock cuts at darasuram. This is a depiction of kannappa nayanar at - kirata rupam - bow leather drape leather strapped footwear
rudraksha in hands
Contrast with nandikeshwara on the other side sword in hand bare foot
A thread on the dArAsuram depictions of the stories of the 63 nAyanmars
அன்று வன் தொண்டர் தம்மை அருளிய ஆரூர் அண்ணல்
முன் திரு வாக்கால் கோத்த முதல் பொருள் ஆனார் என்றால் 1. Thillai vaazh anthaNar
போற்றி நீள் தில்லை வாழ் அந்தணர் திறம் புகலல் உற்றேன்
நீற்றினால் நிறைந்த கோல நிருத்தனுக்கு உரிய தொண்டாம்
போற்றினார் பெருமைக்கு எல்லை ஆயினார் பேணி வாழும்
ஆற்றினார் பெருகும் அன்பால் அடித்தவம் புரிந்து வாழ்வார்
2.13
2. thirunIlakanda nAyanAr
சென்னியால் வணங்கி நின்ற தொண்டரைச் செயிர்த்து நோக்கி
என்னிது மொழிந்தவா நீ யான் வைத்த மண் ஓடு அன்றிப்
பொன்னினால் அமைத்துத் தந்தாய் ஆயினுங் கொள்ளேன் போற்ற
முன்னை நான் வைத்த ஓடே கொண்டு வா என்றான் முன்னோன் 2.2.24
This thread will have some potpourri stuff from GKC large deep well (right in pic current level in pic 2 so what is with the lion.. the simha kupa is actually a step well
When the water is abundant you just grab it from the entrance as it recedes you walk done (see the dome of the passage in pic 2 all the way down till the water reaches about 35 feet ( wondering if there are any secret passages around 😀)
The balustrades of darasuram are indeed iconic - the idea seemed to be to provide the effect of a ratha while retaining all the components of an agamic temple
This is the elephant in the southern entrance
The wheels are not monolithic but made with multiple stones - look at the alignment. The horse a victim of the southern onslaught of the Delhi sultanate
On the left is a Sivalinga - the square base represents Brahma the octagon Vishnu (both are unseen when installed ). The cholas tried to do that by creating an inner and outer corridor and aligning the stones to create a progression in the vimana. In the brahadeeswara at
the octagon was not acheived tapering squares leading to a circle (better viewed from inside at different levels). They achieved it in GKC... So the look of the tapering structure from outside. Inside each level is a transition from the square to an octagon to a circle. The
taper that u see in gkc is because of the additional attemtpt to get the vishnu piece in. This leads to the comparison that Brh is a male structure while GKC is a more feminine grace structure. When you look from the outside it would appear that the vimana is filled in. It's not
Many look at the progression of art in from brahadeeswara to tribhuvanam as a progression. If the former is sheer power darasuram is the expression of delicacy in stone
The famous musical steps now encaged - because of our callousness.. exit drainages blocked by us so the temple is not able to keep rain out - pumped now