Sunday, February 21, 2016

Annamalaiyar Temple – Sixth Prakaram – Thirumanjana Gopuram

Annamalaiyar Temple – Sixth Prakaram – Thirumanjana Gopuram
The southern tower of the outermost court is called Thirumanjana gopuram. Thirumanjanam is the holy water for the bath of a deity. Every day in the morning, before opening the gate of the temple, holy water is brought through the southern tower and spilled near the flag post. Hence this tower is called Thirumanjana gopuram. This tower has nine storeys and 157 feet in height.

The base of the Thirumanjana Gopura is later than that of the Pey Gopura (West Gopura). It also differs from the Western Gopura in that it has a “yali” above the frontal lotus projection of the corbel clusters of its upper course, more prominent lotus centres and wider niches.

The Thirumanjana Gopura is the most modern of all the four Temple Gopurams because of the heaviness of the plastering and changes introduced during an earlier restoration of its pilaster—which indicates that it is in fact probably older than both Pey and Ammani Amman Gopuram spires.

The bases of all four towers of the outer court are generally ascribed to Krishnadevaraya. The tower might have been completed by later Nayak rulers.