Tiruchirapalli - The Destination
Contrary to popular belief, Tamil Nadu is not just
about swaying coconut trees, rice fields and spicy
rasam. Situated on the bank of river Cauvery, Tiruchirapalli,
the fourth largest city in the State was a citadel
of the early Chola dynasty.
Tiruchi
is famous for the Ranganathaswamy Temple
at Srirangam, 10 km away. Built around the thirteenth
and fourteenth centuries, centuries, this temple
has 21 towers and stone pillars with some of
the finest carvings. The temple is dedicated
to Vishnu, who is portrayed reclining image
on the serpent Adisesha, and is paid homage
to by thousands of pilgrims everyday. What is
particularly fascinating are the wall sculptures
that have been made with an acute sense of detail
- warriors stabbing their enemies where you
can actually see the stone tip of the
knife coming out through
the concrete skin of the victims |
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thigh. Or the veins standing out
on a delicate hand of a princess playing the tanpura
(a stringed musical instrument). Or the bangle that
moves up and down the arm of a maid, carved out of
a single piece of stone. Although the temple is not
open to Non-Hindus after the fourth enclosure, it
is still worth the time and effort, to explore the
life within the temple premises which nearly encompasses
all of the village area of Srirangam.
The Rock Fort is the center of the
city and is another remarkable structure. About 83
meters high, the fort dominates the landscape. The
Uchi Pillaiyer Temple is dedicated
to lord Vinayaka or Ganesha. A total of 344 steps,
cut into the rock lead to the temple. There is also
the Tyaumanaswami Temple of lord
Shiva half way up the hillock. There are also two
cave temples in the fort with sculptures dating back
to the 6th and 7th centuries. The Sri Jambukeswara
Temple, at Tiruvankkaikaval, Srirangam is
an island in the Kaveri river, north of Tiruchirapalli.
To sculpt with such love and devotion, such magnificent
and mammoth structures is not a task we can link
with the contemporary times. A moment spent here
is like a plunge into a time gone by, a time full
of faith and strength, inexplicable and phenomenal.
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