| The
Sarangapani temple is the principal and largest of the Vishnu temples in
Kumbakonam dating to the thirteenth-century. It is among the 108 Tirupatis
and is given third place next to Srirangam and Tirupati. The shrine is
in form of a chariot. A beautiful tank called Hema Pushkarni separates
this shrine and the Adi Kumbeshwara temple.
Entry, into
a hundred-pillar hallway from the seventeenth century (Nayak period), is
through a twelve-storied pyramidal gopuram, more than 40m high which is
considered one of the largest gopurams in South India.
Pass through
a smaller gopuram that leads into a second courtyard that contains another
columned mandapa and to the right, a shrine to Lakshmi. The central shrine
dates from the late Chola period with many later alterations. |
