This week end, i had been to Ponsei. I didn't hear about this temple when i was in Mayiladuthurai. It was just 6 kms from my college where i studied almost 6 years. Thanks to Varalaaru team, kudavoil Balasubramanian.
If somebody ask me to rename "Pulla Mangai" i would suggest "chinna Ponsei". Yes. there are lot of interesting things in Ponsei. compare to Pulla Mangai, Ponsei is big. Only the Karuarai is built in Adhitha Chola period, as told by the Gurukkal. In Praharam, we could see lot of amazing things like in Pulla Mangai. Most of the scenes i couldn't recoganize. I think, v can discuss lot about each and every things. There is one beautiful Dhakishna Moorthy statue. Also there is a big Ganapathy and Agathiyar. I never seen this much big Agathiyar statue in anywhere. I will write detailly about my visit in my blog with pictures.
Excellent info venkat & thanks for this topic Ramki ! I visited the temple with varalaaru team. The temple is called "Nal thunai Iaswaram" today - what a nice name ! The dwarapalakas are perhaps the finest among cholas in my opinion - No other dwarapalaka - not even raajarajeswaram icons - can even come near these two gigantic dwarapalakas.
There are extremely intricate and interesting miniatures not present in pullamangai - Kaali dancing in the graveyard in company of ghosts !! A scene from seevaga sindamani displaying competition between udayanan and vaasavadattai (with an ali nearby - exactly as per the epic !!) - and many others.
Yes dakshinamoorthy is a class of its own.
There should have been a sculptor - a master sculptor whom I use to call "vakeesar" in my stories - who actually did pullamangai and ponsai. Same hands or same team - no doubt !
> > There should have been a sculptor - a master sculptor whom I use to > call "vakeesar" in my stories - who actually did pullamangai and > ponsai. Same hands or same team - no doubt !
there is a legend that durgais at patteshwaram, thiru nageshwaram and pullamangai were done by the same sculptor.
I remember faintly that in punjai the space around the lingam in the sanctum is extremely large. the gurukkal said an elephant used to circle it in the hey days.
plenty of major temples in that area.tail end of kaveri very prosperous in the past. the dams have all changed the socio economics now.
one can count atleast 15 padal petra sthalams. sembanar koil, akkur( a capital of a fairly large state of the same name)
Dear Venkatesh, We had this discussion on Ponsei during our recent trip. I know for sure that the temple is refered as 'ponsey nalthuNai eeswaram'. I'm not sure if both thiru nani palli and nalthunai eeswaram are same. This doubt grows as u mention that the space around the lingam is extremely large (which as far a I remember isn't true). Are we taking abt. the same place?
the temple is same natrunaippar and parvathaputhri sung by all three perhaps the memory must be wrong. must be some other temple which i confused with.
The present durgai is a later icon - according to dr.kudavoil. I saw a palagani (Upper story) represented in sculpture - seems to be chola - with a lady standing - just near the garbagraha in pateeswaram. You will miss this icon unless you stand as first person for darshan. And you need to ask gurukkal to remove the cloth hanging
I've not heard abotu KEEZHACHALAI. I'm from proper Mayiladuthurai. I've gone in and around Akkur, Sembanarkoil &Poombukhar. It's not coming under this triangular area. It may be in Srikazhi - Akkur Road. Next time, i will check and it and inform you.
Venkatesh,
Yes u r correct. In Pon sei temple, that gurukkal said that once the elephants are used to make a round of Shiva. I've also seen that place. Place is not sufficient. Even kutti elephant can't make a turn. There is a good place nearby this temple called "Kidaram Kondaan". period of Chola. You can touch the Mayiladuthurai - Poombhukar main Mayiladuthurai is 12 Kms. Mid point!
Gokul,
I'm alsoo thinking that there is a strong relationship between Pulla Mangai & Pon sei. Perhaps the miniatures were made by the same artist. But, definitely the temple would have been built before Raja Rajan's period. Lot of modifications especially in the front side mandapam. If we see the Dwarabalakas, v can easily come to a conclusion that front side mandapam was built in later period only. Of course, i forgot to mention about these two Dwarabalakas. Compare to Big Temples dwarabalakas, it's small, but,looks like it was made in the recent days.