History

தமிழில் படிக்க

Peraiyur contains a temple of considerable interest. Dedicated to Siva in his Naganatha-swami (lord-of-the-snake) aspect. A tall stone Nataraja dances at the entrance to the main shrine. The sculpture of Siva and Parvathi seated on their bull are excellent pieces.

The oldest extant portion of the temple is the western gopuram behind the sanctum. It is of the 10th century and is done in the Chozha style. The specific Chozha architectural features of the structure coupled with the presence of a Sapta-matrika group in bas-relief on a single stone, and an inscription of Rajendra-chozha I (1012-44) on the rock near the tarn, show that the temple was originally a Chozha structure of the 10th century, but was later renovated in the 12th or 13th century. There are other Chozha and Pandya inscriptions belonging to the 13th century.

The present garbha-griham of the Naganatha-swami is a Pandya structure of the 12th-13th centuries. It stands on a moulded plinth with a vyala-vari at the top and a curved kumudam in the middle. The pilasters are octagonal with rectangular base but without nagapadam-s . The palagai-s is large and square and the padmam-s has well-defined petals. There are niches on the wall and contains images of Dakshina-moorthi , Lingod-bhava and Brahma. The vimanam is a modern brick structure.

There is in the precincts a subsidiary shrine for Goddess Brahadambal said to belong to the close of the 15th or early 16th century, and is in the Vijayanagara architectural style.

The eastern main gopuram is a Pandya structure, but the brickwork above is modern. The other mandapam-s in the prakaram are modern. The temple bears renovations, the last of which took place in during the reign of Ramachandra Tondaiman (1834-1886).

MUSICAL SOUND FROM POND:

There is a baffling phenomenon noticed in the tank. The Gazetteer of Pudukkottai District reports: 'From the tarn a musical sound is said occasionally to raise. The warblings, reported to resemble the sound of both stringed and percussion instruments, are held by the faithful to be the accompaniment of an invisible worship of Siva by Adisesha , the serpent-king). The musical emanations are heard for a day or two when the receding waters of the pond touch a particular level. At its loudest, the music is said to be audible even outside the temple walls.'