It is said that Pandyas built the Ambal sannidhi. RRC mentions abouth Bhuvanam Muzhududayal. Was this temple built with the RRC period ambal as a separate one or a new ambal installed?
If I am correct, except the Chandeswarar sannidhi, nothing was built by RRC. all are later additions, including the Nandi and Nandi mandapa. The original Nandi was in open which was removed by Nayaks later and replaced by a bigger one..the original is in the temple premises.
so when RRC built it, the campus would have beena vast open land, with the towering vimana in the middle and the nandi in the open, with the chandeswarar sannidhi on the northern side.
Venkatesh sir question is a valid one. and points a gap in our view of tiruppugazh.Thiruppugazh uses 2 words Tanjai and Rajagopuram. 1. Is there any Murugan image in the Rajagopuram or its base. Arungairinathar has sung on 2 Gopura Murugan of chidambaram also and both or in the gopuram base 2. Thanjai talikkulam was another vipputhalam - now a small shirine and most of its stones found in Periya kovil now ( refer Dr Padmavati's speech) including some inscription. Was Arunagirinathar refers that temple. We need to close that loop also.
could he have sung only about the murugan shrine in the rear. and though he mentions meru, its in reference to valli i guess and dating arunagirinathar would put him in 15th century one possible question that could be raised is dating th murugan temple. was it there when arunagirinathar came?
arunagiri sings 3 songs on thanjai. he mentions meru in 2 one of the last lines is 'thanjai managar rajagopurathamarntha perumaalE"
so sankar seems right to infer that arunagiri may have sung about the gopuram alone. and next comes the point, can a vimanam and the rajagopuram be different in those days?
I think yes. because there is special mention about the word 'Vimanam'..even Tanjai temple has the controversial 'vimanam pon mey....' kalvettu.. may be goupram is a later terminology and in those days they would have called it 'vayil' (entrance)...keralanthagan vayil..