What we see of The Venkataramana
Temple at Gingee in Tamil Nadu, is what is left after the French invaders
plundered this temple during 1761 AD! Many statues and monolithic ornamental
pillars from this temple were taken away by the French to Pondicherry. I am not
sure if they are there in Pondicherry today!
After the French onslaught, this
temple slowly decayed and its old archaeological wealth was plundered by
subsequent invaders. Sadly most of the Hindu temples in India have been
vandalized by several invasions!
This magnificent temple was built by
Muthyalu Nayaka between 1540 and 1550. There are many Tamil inscriptions in
this temple. This large temple is in ruins and it is under the care of
the Archeological Society of India. The sanctum sanctorum of this temple is
sadly empty! There is no God! No idea what happened to the God!
When we go around the temple we can
see a beautiful Kalyana Mandapam (Place where marriages are held), a Yaga Sala
(Place where worship with fire is done) and a Utsava Mandapam (Place where the
deity is kept outside the sanctum sanctorum on important festival days)
The temple’s carvings &
sculptures bear a testimony to the artistic skills of Nayakar Dynasty!
Gingee is 147 Kilometers from
Chennai.
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