Pananjadi Thirunelakandar Temple, Tirunelveli

Address

Pananjadi Thirunelakandar Temple, Pananjadi, Ambasamudram Circle, Tirunelveli District – 627413.

Diety

Thirunelakandar

Introduction

Temple is located at a distance of 560 km from Chennai, 125 km from Madurai and 50 km from Tirunelveli. The temple is located on the east bank of the Mottayandavar Pond in the town of Pananjadi. The temple is popularly known as the ‘Mottayandavar Temple’ and the ‘Thirunelakandar Temple’. It is an example of early Pandyan architecture. From the base of the temple to the roof, it is made of black stone. The sloping plane is located above the roof. The temple is dated 8th- 9th century AD / Early Pandiyar. It is only a sanctuary remains currently. There are no sculptures in the simple structure of the temple. It is the art of the Pandyas not to set up deities in divisions. The sanctuary is square in shape. So the reflection is embodied. There are semicircles on the wall of the sanctuary plane. The entire ruins of the temple show its remnants of antiquity. The elephant line at the base of the sanctuary plane and the ground line are significant. The carvings of Nanmugan, Yoga Narasimhan are presented in the temple. There are many stone shrines in front of the temple. It is a heritage site under the Archaeological Survey of Tamil Nadu.