Tantondresswara Temple is an ancient temple located in
Nedungadu
Nedungadu, formerly Nédouncadou, is a town and commune in the Karaikal District of Puducherry, India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second- ...
,
Karaikal district,
Puducherry Union territory. This temple was constructed by the
Chola rulers , who dedicated this temple to
Shiva
Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...
. This temple from 1971 is regarded as protected monument.
History
Tantondresswara Temple was constructed by the rulers of Chola. The main deity of the temple is Tantondreeswara (Lord Shiva). The area of Nedungadu got its name from Nedunthuyar Theertha Nayaki, the consort of Tantondreeswara. Her name means the one who redressed the long grievances of the people.
Protected Monument
In 1948, architectural excavations were conducted in this temple. The officials excavated about 14 Bronze sculptures belonging to 14th century. The excavated bronze idols were of
Thirugnanasambandhar
Sambandar (Tamil: சம்பந்தர்), also referred to as Tirugnana Sambandar (lit. ''Holy Sage Sambandar''), Tirujnanasambanda, Campantar or Jñāṉacampantar, was a Shaiva poet-saint of Tamil Nadu who lived sometime in the 7th cen ...
,
Lord Vinayaga,
Manickavasagar,
Lord Murugan, Goddess Uma and dancing postures of Lord Shiva such as
Aanandha Thandavam. This temple from 1971 is regarded as a protected monument.
Architecture
The entire temple is made up of Red sandstone. The sanctum enshrines the tall idol of Shivalinga which is the main deity, Tantondreeswara.
The temple has many inscriptions in the outer walls of the sanctum.
References
{{coord, 10.9676, 79.7714, display=title
Karaikal district
Shiva temples in Puducherry