Irumbedu Boondi Arukar Temple, Thiruvannamalai

Address

Irumbedu Boondi Arukar Temple, Irumbedu, Arani Circle, Thiruvannamalai- 632301

Diety

Ponnelil Nathar, Parsvanathar AMMAN: Jwala Malini Ambal

Introduction

Boondi Arugar Temple is a located in 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) from Arani, Tiruvannamalai district, Tamil Nadu, India. The temple was built by Cholas. It is one of the protected monuments in Tamil Nadu declared by Archaeological Survey of India. this temple was built in the 13th century AD in Chola architecture and is dedicated to the Jain Tirthankars. The foundation of the temple is made of black stone and the upper floor is made of bricks. An inscription of Sambuvarayan’s song refers to this temple as “Veera Veera Jinalayam”. Many of the Sambuvaraya officials who were Chitra kings during the Chola period are mentioned in the inscriptions of this temple. The temple is 900 years old.

Puranic Significance

The stone sculptures of Mahavira and more than twenty Jain sages in the Irumbedu Boondi Arukar Temple speak of the grandeur of the temple. The Moolavar sculpture, also known as Adinathar, Ponnelil Nathar, is carved in 3 feet high monolith. In the hall, the image of Goddess Dharma is carved on a slightly higher pedestal. The two child forms of the Goddess and the maid form are small. The temple also houses sculptures of Lord Brahma, Goddess Saraswati, Goddess Lakshmi, Goddess Chakraborty and Goddess Padmavati. The temple is adorned with various Jain statues. Boondi Arukar Temple was built in the 11th century AD by the Sambhuvarayas, the Chitra kings of the Thiruvannamalai region during the Chola period. The temple is dedicated to the Jain Tirthankars and is one of the finest examples of Southern architecture. This Dravidian style temple is also known as Veeraveera Jinalayam. Adinathar in the sanctum sanctorum is called Ponnelil Nathar. The Mahavira is seated under the umbrella. The temple has a sanctum sanctorum dedicated to the goddess Jwala Malini. The lines are located on the wall of the sanctuary plane. But they are empty lines. Jain sculptures are found on the body parts of the aircraft. They are all made of sutta.