Krishna Puram Temple- Tirunelveli

This temple is situated 12 Kms. from the Tirunelveli town and the deity worshipped here is Venkatachalapathy along with his two consorts Bhoodevi and Sreedevi. As we cross the main tower and enter into precincts of the temple there is a Dhwaja sthambam and in front of that sits Garuda the vehicle of Lord Vishnu facing the deity. As we move towards the sanctum sanctorum there is a mandapam with life size images of Arjuna with a beard performing penance with bow and arrow in hand, Bheema and Karna and a half man and half beast called purusha mrigam. There is a story behind each sculpture and one can really spend time taking in the beauty of each one.

Court scenes are depicted beautifully in stone and the mandapam on Northern side of the temple is called the Veerappa Naicka mandapam. It has beautifully carved scenes from puranas. During the festival crowds from nearby villages flock to these temples other wise visit by tourists are very low. When we come out of the temple we can go clockwise for circumambulation and here we find the two sannadhis of Sree and Bhoodevi on either side of the main temple. The corridor in front of both the sannidhis are wonderful with beautiful figures sculpted on it .

Another architectural marvel worth mentioning is the scenes of a prince and princess being abducted by Kuravan and Kurathi (gypsies) and the king giving a hot pursuit. These figures are really poetry on stone, sculpted to perfection with smooth and shining appearance. It doesn’t appear that these are age old sculptures, as one feels they would breathe life any time. The princess is sitting on the shoulder of the Kuravan and the prince is carried by the Kurathi in a basket kept on her head. A lance piercing and the blood oozing from the wound of the gypsy by the charger are depicted by a gash and shade of red stone.

This temple is an architectural marvel and each sculpture looks fabulous and terrific. Even the ornaments and clothes engraved on the figurines are looking grand and awesome. But this temple can be given little more attention maintenance wise. This temple is a real heritage which needs to be preserved for its art as it holds a charm of its own.

Corridor in front of Sreedevi shrine

Sreedevi shrine


Pictures- courtesy -Vinayak Bhat
Access

By air- Nearest airport- Madurai/ Tuticorin

Trains- Tirunelveli is well connected with all the metros.

By road-Cabs as well as regular bus service from Tiruneveli bus stand are available.

Accomodation- there are many hotels and restaurants available in Tirunelveli suiting to all sections of people.