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Kailasamundaiyar
Temple
Location
: Cholamadevi, 12 kms away from Trichy city
Built in
: 1065 AD
Presiding Deity : Lord Siva
Amidst the lush green paddyfields and sylvan surrounding on the northern banks of the Uyyakondan channel in a sleepy hamlet named Cholamadevi near Thiruverumbur, 12 km away from Trichy City, stands a dilapidated temple. But for a trained eye, the historical importance of its majestic ruins wouldn't go unnoticed. The temple, dating back to the 11th century, is a virtual treasurehouse of historic information pertaining to the Cholas. The adhistana and the walls of the temple are fully covered with inscriptions belonging to the periods of Raja Raja Chola I, Rajendra Chola I and Vira Rajendra Chola I. A majority of the inscriptions belong to Raja Raja I. Further, the inscriptions contain the earliest known reference to Sankara Bhashyam, a commentary on Sankara's philosophy, written by Chidaananda Bhattaara. The inscription is in Tamil with a few Sanskrit words in between written in Grantha characters.
Apart from the importance of the inscription, the temple itself is rated as an architectural marvel and built as per specifications of the Silpa Shasthra. The Siva temple consists of a central shrine, ardha and Mahamandapas. The presiding deity, the Linga has a square base. The four-pillared ardhamandapa has exquisite in the front. Two dwarapala sculpture adorn the entrance of the ardhamandapa.
Accessibility
Trichy is connected with Chennai, Sharjah, Kuwait, and Colombo by regular flights. Besides, excellent rail and road networks connect it with Chennai, Thanjavur, Madurai, Tirupati, Tuticorin, Bangalore, Coimbatore, Mysore, Kochi, Kanyakumari, and Mangalore.
Staying
There are excellent accomodation facilities in and around Tiruchirapalli.
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