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The
great monument at Gangaikondacholapuram, the Second Brihadisvara
Gangaikkondacholesvara temple rears its head
nobly and bespeaks the imperial dignity of the capital that Rajendra
(1012-44), the son of Rajaraja, established after his victorious
march to east India up to the river Ganga. The capital itself has
disappeared:
even the place where the emperor dwelt does not exist except in ruins
marked by brick debris about 1.5 km away from the temple, at a place
known as Ulkottai, where a mound even now called Maligaimedu, ‘palace-mound’,
supplies bricks to the villages.
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At
the temple itself a ruined gopura greets the visitor: it is in
the inner compound-wall of the temple, the outer and largest wall,
with its gopuras, having been despoiled long ago. On entering through
the gopura, one sees, beyond the bali-pitha a huge bull, which,
unlike its counterpart at Thanjavur, is not monolithic.
The
temple is 54.86 m high and in arrangement follows its Thanjavur
predecessor. But while the latter is tall and stately, with its
contour straight and severe , suggestive of strength, the present
one is shorter and its contour more graceful and delicate and somewhat
feminine in its lack of angularity.
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| Siruvachur Mathurakaliamman Temple |
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Siruvachur
Mathura Kaliaman temple at Siruvachur in Perambalur taluk is one
of the most popular shrine in the district. The presiding deity
of the temple is known as Sri Mathura Kaliamman. She is one of
the forms of Kali. Poojas are performed on Monday and Friday of
every week. The main annual festival commences on the last in Panguni.
The Car festival is celebrated on the first in Chithirai.
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| Chettikulam Thandayuthapani Swami Temples |
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The Ancient Arulmigu Ekambareswar and Thandayuthapani
Swami Temples are situated in Chettikulam Village, Perambalur District.
The above temples were built by King Kulasekara Pandian, some 500 years
ago. These temples are situated 22 Kms. away from Perambalur and 8
Km west of Alathur gate in Tiruchi-Chennai National Highway (NH-45).
These temples reflect the architecture of the early days.
In Arulmigu Ekambareswarar temple the Thai Poosam festival is celebrated
every year in the month of January for 10 days.
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At
the time of above festival, people from various places visit the
temple and get the blessings of Lord Siva.In
the same way, Panguni Uthiram Festival is celebrated in Arulmigu
Thandayuthapani temple for 14 days in the month of April every
year. The above festival is celebrated in grand manner and various
cultural programmes are conducted at that time.The
rock outside of Chettikulam Village on the top of which is located
Balathandapani. It is an ancient and well-known shrine built by
the Chola. There are number of stone inscriptions giving the history
of the temple.
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Ranjankudi
( Lat. 11.21’ N. Long.78.57’ E.
) is located 17 K.Ms. North of Perambalur. The Fort was built by
a Jagirdar under Nawab of Carnatic in 17th century A.D. The Fort
walls
are built with neatly cut stone blocks. There are three fortification
walls at different heights and the bottom most is the main rampart.
It is oblong on plan with semi circular bastions and encircled by
a moat fed by a tank on the Southern side. The fort contains a
palace,
residential buildings, underground chambers, mosque and flag mast.
The fort was the
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| scene of the battle
of Valikondah between the English and Mohammad Ali on one side and
Chanda Sahib and the French on the other side in 1751 AD. This fort
is under protection of the Archaeological survey of India. |
| Karaivetti
Bird Sanctuary |
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The Karaivetti Bird Sanctuary located about
35 kms to the north of Thanjavur in Ariyalur Taluk of Perambalur District.
The total area of the sanctuary is 454 ha. This sanctuary is significant
in the sense that is has been attracting the largest congregation of
water birds after Pt. Calimere Sanctuary in Tamilnadu. The peak congregation
takes place in the month of November when over 2.5 lakhs birds arrive
in this sanctuary.
About 50 species of resident and migratory water birds visit this
seasonal lake. Important visitors include the highflying Barheaded
Goose, Rosy and Grey Pelican, Whitenecked
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stork,
Spoonbill, Ibis, Shoveller, etc. Another important aspect of this
sanctuary is the presence of water till the month of May as other
water bodies dry up by the month of March, this sanctuary offers
home to the water birds till May end.
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