Instagram story viewer> @kamal_archives> Tagged

Kamal Bharathi

@kamal_archives

56.8K

followers

791

following

Uncovering the sacred soul of Tamil Nadu—temples, deities, sculptures & untold stories.
History in stone. Devotion in frame.

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

The Hidden Goddess of Aiyarappar — Can You Identify Her? 🌺
ஐயாறப்பர் கோயிலின் மறைந்திருக்கும் அம்மன்! யார் இவர்? 🌺

This Navaratri, meet a goddess many devotees may have missed! 🙏

Have you visited the Aiyarappar Temple in Thiruvaiyaru? Many have had darshan of Aiyarappar, but only a few may have explored the hidden treasures along the sanctum’s circumambulatory path.

Here stands a captivating female deity, seemingly caught mid-stride — a sculpture that appears to walk! Look closely at the details.

🔱 What does she hold?
- Back hands: an ankusha (elephant goad) and what appears to be a pāśa (noose).
- Front left hand: a sugarcane stalk.
- Front right hand: damaged; could it have held a padmam (lotus) or nīlotpala (blue water lily)?

Her graceful walking posture and intricate details make this sculpture especially intriguing.
But who is she? Parvati? A particular form of Amman? Or someone else? 🤔

Put on your heritage detective hat! Examine the image, share your interpretation, and leave your findings in the comments. Let’s discover her identity together.

🛕 To learn more, join us for our heritage events and explore more hidden treasures like this.
📞 Call / WhatsApp: 79049 40981 | 98415 59338

Chithiram Pesuthada — Discover the unseen. Experience the untold.

#AiyarapparTemple #Navaratri #TempleSculpture #TamilHeritage #ChithiramPesuthada Aiyarappar Temple Thiruvaiyaru, Thiruvaiyaru Temple sculptures, hidden sculptures Tamil Nadu, female deity sculpture Tamil Nadu, Parvati sculpture Chola period, Amman sculptures Tamil Nadu temples, ancient Hindu temple sculptures, Chola temple iconography, Tamil Nadu temple heritage, ankusha and pasa in Hindu iconography, sugarcane holding goddess sculpture, Padmam Nilotpala iconography, Thiruvaiyaru heritage, Navaratri temple heritage, hidden temple treasures Tamil Nadu, heritage walks from Chennai, Chennai heritage events, Tamil temple architecture, Chithiram Pesuthada

589

14

Standing on the coromandel Coast, Mahabalipuram is where the Pallavas turned stone into art. Most of its famous monuments were created during the 7th-8th centuries, especially under Narasimhavarman I, the ruler knowns as Mamalla. From roc-cut caves and monolithic temples to the shore temple and massive stone reliefs, the whole place shown how pallavas architecture evolved over time. The shore temple with its shiva shrine and Vishnu shrine, stands rights beside the Bey of Bengal and UNSCO world heritage sites since 1984. #templesouthindia #mahabalipuram #architecture

41

0

What does a temple inscription reveal about the size of a medieval district?
ஒரு கோயில்… ஒரு அளவுகோல்… ஒரு வரலாறு!

📍 Thalapureeswarar Temple, Thirupanangadu (Thiru Vanparthan Panangattur), Thiruvannamalai District, Tamil Nadu

A quiet temple with a surprisingly rich stone archive. Here, an inscription records the length of the measuring rod used in the district—with a palmyra tree carved at either end. And that is only the beginning.

Highlights you should not miss:
✦ A Name in Stone — The inscription identifies the deity as Aludaiyar Tiruppanangavudaiya-Nayanar and the place as Tiruppanangadu.
✦ A District Measured in Stone — An inscription records the length of the district’s measuring rod, with a palmyra carved at each end.
✦ Cut the Palmyra, Face Punishment — A royal order warns that cutting a living palmyra tree was punishable.
✦ Dakshinamurti, But Not as You Expect — Look closely: the unusual folded-leg posture with Nandi below makes this sculpture stand apart.
✦ Twin Shrines • Gajaprishta • Thevaram — Thalapureeswarar & Krupanatheswarar, two Shiva shrines with Gajaprishta vimanas, form a Thevara Paadal Petra Sthalam.

Thirupanangadu was known historically as Thiru Vanparthan Panangattur and is praised by Sundarar in the Thevaram tradition.

🚶‍♂️ Don’t Just Visit. Walk Into History.
📲 For details & bookings: Call / WhatsApp 79049 40981
Walk with us on our heritage walks, read the stories written in stone, and experience the history beyond the usual tourist trail.

Our next Kanchi Heritage Trip is on October 2 — and this historic temple is part of our trail. 🛕
Block your dates. Join Chithiram Pesuthada.

#ChithiramPesuthada #SureshPriyan #Thirupanangadu #Thalapureeswarar #Thiruvannamalai Chithiram Pesuthada, Suresh Priyan, Thirupanangadu, Thiruppanangadu, Thalapureeswarar Temple, Thalapuriswarar Temple, Krupanatheswarar Temple, Thiru Vanparthan Panangattur, Thiruvannamalai heritage, Tamil Nadu temples, Chola inscriptions, Vijayanagara inscriptions, temple architecture, Gajaprishta vimana, Dakshinamurthy, Thevaram temples, South Indian inscriptions, heritage walks, Sapthasthana heritage trip

613

6

Isometric cut drawing of Amman shrine of Arulmigu Bhavaneshwarar Temple, Ponpethi, near Pudukkottai.

Drawing: @ragulravichandran

Built with stone, this small shrine shows the beauty of traditional Tamil temple architecture. The stone pillars, walls, and detailed corbelling work of vimana tell us about the skill of the craftsmen who built it.
Due to the root penetration and the vegetation growing in the temple, the external stones started moving and dislocating its position.

Today, the shrine is surrounded by plants and shows signs of neglect. But its beauty and history are still visible.

Every old stone has a story. Our responsibility is to document, understand, and protect these places for future generations.

📍 Ponpethi, near Pudukkottai, Tamil Nadu

#vaayil #heritage #documentation #photograph #traveldiaries

@toffuco @tourismgoi @tn_archaeology @tntourismoffcl @tnmuseumsdept @asi.goi @intach_heritage @unescoindia @icomos_india @letsshowitbetter @savaniheritage

366

4

Let the auspicious occasion of #ganeshchaturthi brings joy in everyone's life

Sharing the Lord Ganesha iconography on the 775 CE completed Sisireswara Temple in the Ekamra Kshetra of Bhubaneswar, Odisha

#lordganesh #ganpatibappa #odishatourism #odisha

770

16

1,500 years ago, Vinayagar looked like this!
1500 ஆண்டுகளைக் கடந்த மூத்த பிள்ளையார்!

Hidden in Alagramam, Villupuram, is the remarkable Mootha Pillaiyar of Yama Dhandeeswarar Temple.

Two arms.
A staff in one hand.
His broken tusk in the other.
And beneath him — three lines of ancient Tamil inscription.

Palaeographically dated to the 4th-6th centuries CE, this rare sculpture bears early Tamil Vattezhuthu and is described as the earliest known Vinayagar sculpture from Tamil Nadu.

A forgotten masterpiece that takes us back to the early history of Vinayagar worship in Tamil country.

🔥 The Mootha Pillaiyar — one of Tamil Nadu’s oldest known Vinayagars.

🙏 May this ancient Pillaiyar remove our obstacles, bring wisdom to our thoughts, and strength to every new beginning.

விநாயகர் சதுர்த்தி நல்வாழ்த்துகள்!

#AlagramamVinayagar #VinayagarChaturthi #TamilHeritage #AncientTamilNadu #ChithiramPesuthada Vinayagar Chaturthi, Vinayagar Chaturthi 2026, Vinayaka Chaturthi, Vinayagar, Vinayaka, Lord Ganesha, Ganesha, Ganesha Chaturthi, Pillaiyar, Pillaiyar Chaturthi, Tamil Nadu Vinayagar, Ancient Vinayagar, Alagramam Vinayagar, Mootha Pillaiyar, Alagramam Mootha Pillaiyar, Yama Dhandeeswarar Temple, Tamil heritage, Ancient Tamil Nadu, Tamil temple, Tamil Nadu temples, Chithiram Pesuthada

289

0

A Forgotten Shrine in Ponpethi.

This is the Amman shrine of Arulmigu Bhavaneshwarar Temple, Ponpethi, near Pudukkottai.

Built with stone, this small shrine shows the beauty of traditional Tamil temple architecture. The stone pillars, walls, and detailed corbelling work of vimana tell us about the skill of the craftsmen who built it.
Due to the root penetration and the vegetation growing in the temple, the external stones started moving and dislocating its position.

Today, the shrine is surrounded by plants and shows signs of neglect. But its beauty and history are still visible.

Every old stone has a story. Our responsibility is to document, understand, and protect these places for future generations.

📍 Ponpethi, near Pudukkottai, Tamil Nadu

#vaayil #heritage #documentation #photograph #traveldiaries

497

3

11th century Chola period bronze, Government Museum, Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Follow @hidden_history_explorer for more interesting posts

By @hidden_history_explorer

@lost_temples @templesofsouthindia @rudra.mystery79 @kamal_archives @namba_ooru_chennai_city_

#chola #bronze #nataraja #cholas #bharatfrommylens

112

2

தம்பி இங்க பக்கத்துல வா. அம்மா அடிக்க மாட்டேன். நீ அந்த தாளத்தை ஒழுங்கா போடு.

இசைக்கலைஞரை அரவணைத்து நடனம் ஆடும் அன்னை காளி.

பொன்செய்(புஞ்சை) நல்துணையப்பர் கோவில்.

4

0

श्री राधा जन्म भूमि मंदिर का विग्रह निर्माण कार्य

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
?
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

#radhakrishna #radha #radharani #krishna #iskcon

156

7

This photograph captures a finely detailed, monolithic stone statue of 𝐍𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢—𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐮𝐥𝐥 and mount (vahana) of the Hindu deity Lord Shiva—seated inside a traditional stone temple mandapa (hall) of Virupaksha Temple at 𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐤𝐤𝐚𝐥 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬.

#pattadakal #aihole #karnatakatourism #chalukya #incredibleindia

610

12

This is Lakshmi-Narayana, a sandstone sculpture of Vishnu with his consort Lakshmi. It belongs to the Chandella period and dates to the 11th century A.D. It was found at Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh, and is currently kept at the National Museum in Delhi, India.

The stone statue is 127 cm in height, 66 cm in width, and 29 cm in depth.

20

0