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Forgotten Piece of History from Kanchipuram


If you have visited Kanchipuram you would have heard about the town being spiritually divided in to two territories - Siva Kanchi and Vishnu Kanchi. Siva Kanchi was historically dominated by worshippers of Lord Shiva and is famous for Ekambaranathar Temple, Kamakshi Amman Temple and Kumara Kottam, whereas Vishnu Kanchi is dominated by worshippers of Lord Vishnu with Varadharaja Perumal Temple being its holy centre. Even today this division is followed for administrative purposes with Siva Kanchi and Vishnu Kanchi having its own Police station.
But most of the visitors may not be aware of Jaina Kanchi. Jaina Kanchi is basically the region in and around the village of Thiruparuthikundram, nearby Kanchipuram.The prominent temple in this region is Jeenaswamy Trilokyanathar Temple. Unlike the holy shrines of Shiva or Vishnu this temple didn't get much attention. Currently its being administrated by Tamilnadu Archaelogical Department and maintained by villagers.
Jeenaswamy Trilokyanathar Temple : Kanchipuram Jain Temple : Gopuram
Here is an excerpt from the temple’s notice board.
Thiruparuthikundram also called Jaina Kanchi is a well known shrine for Jains. There are two temples in the campus, one for Vardhamana and Pushpatantar and another for Padmaprabha and Vasupujya with seperate sanctum sanctorums. Ardhamandapa and Mukamandapa for each. Parsuvanathar and Dharmadevi have also separate sannadhis. The Sangeetha Mandapa was built by Irugappa, The minister of King Bukka during 1387 A.D. Paintings found in the ceiling of mandapa date back to the 17th Century A.D.
Hope that explains a plenty about this temple. The paintings in the ceilings of the mandapa are really astonishing and it will take a whole day to analyse them and they have a story to tell. They still look colourful and will even beat the present day synthetic arts. Having said this all let me show you some colourful shots from the temple.
Jeenaswamy Trilokyanathar Temple : Kanchipuram Jain Temple : Notice Board
Jeenaswamy Trilokyanathar Temple : Kanchipuram Jain Temple : Paintings
Jeenaswamy Trilokyanathar Temple : Kanchipuram Jain Temple : Paintings
Jeenaswamy Trilokyanathar Temple : Kanchipuram Jain Temple : Paintings
Jeenaswamy Trilokyanathar Temple : Kanchipuram Jain Temple : Pillar Paintings
Jeenaswamy Trilokyanathar Temple : Kanchipuram Jain Temple : Flag Pole
Jeenaswamy Trilokyanathar Temple : Kanchipuram Jain Temple : Flag Pole Carvings

Hope someday this place will get enough attention it deserves. If you are planning to visit Kanchipuram don't miss out this spot. Here is the coordinates : +12° 49' 49.23", +79° 40' 50.24"
Jeenaswamy Trilokyanathar Temple : Kanchipuram Jain Temple : Satellite Image
Most of the time the doors will be closed and an old maid living in the opposite house has the keys. In fact we were yelled and chased away by the old lady for trespassing the place beyond visiting hours.
Please feel free to share your thoughts on this post. Also if you'd like to share some clicks and stories please do here https://www.facebook.com/pages/I-love-Kanchipuram/175865812506144
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Comments

  1. AnonymousMarch 2, 2013 at 8:14 AM

    Thanks mate, we are planning to visit this now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rajarajan PMarch 2, 2013 at 9:10 AM

      You are welcome!!! :)

      Delete
    2. P.N. SubramanianApril 30, 2013 at 3:10 PM

      Beautiful post. I wonder how you coulod get the photographs since the old lady violently prohibits.

      Delete

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