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Krishnapuram is a small village in Tirunelveli
district at a distance of about six miles from Tirunelveli
town. In spite of the innumerable and wonderful temples in Tamil
Nadu, Krishnapuram's temple holds its own, as far as sculptural
splendour goes. Astonishing is the fact that 300 years later, the figures
look alive and young. Interestingly, the Arulnigu Venkatachalapati temple
houses statues of deities, as well as scenes from court life. Some of its
pillars emanate interesting sounds, when tapped.
Temple Of Lord Venkatachalapati
Lord Venkatachalapati has been installed here with Sri Devi and Bhoo
Devi. Pujas and abhishekam are being conducted to the Lord daily and some
important festivals are celebrated every year. There are a good number of
images and idols of sculptural interest in the temple, attracting hundreds
of visitors.
Veerappa Naick Mandapam
There is a Mandapam known as "Veerappa Naick Mandapam" on the
northern side of the temple. There are two beautifully carved elephants
adorning the entrance of this Mandapam. The six pillars at the centre of
the Mandapam bear images of exquisite beauty depicting scenes from the
Puranas.
Any visitor will be impressed by the dexterity with which each image in
the Mandapam has been carved out. They are so life-like and their features
and expressions so natural and real that a person will be under the
impression that he is actually in front of living beings. Such beautiful
idols can hardly be seen elsewhere. The stone for carving out the idols
has been selected with such care that they produce melodious musical
sounds when struck at different places. There are many good images of
ingenious and rare workmanship in the Mandapam, which is just opposite the
presiding deity.
Representation Of The Story Of The Adventure Of Bhimasena With
Purushamrigam:
One of the pillars represents the story of the adventure of Bhimasena
with Purushamrigam. To fulfill the ritual at an important yaga,
Yudhishthira required the milk of Purushamrigam, a half-man, half-beast
denizen of the forests, this creature is a devoted Shiva bhakta and
Bhimasena achieved his purpose when it was in deep penance. But it's
highly developed mental faculties found out the desecration committed by
Bhima and it gave an angry chase.
Lord Krishna, without whom Pandavas would have been nothing, handed Bhima
three stones, each of which was cast by him one after another. At each
stone, a Shiva shrine sprang up and consequently Purushamrigam, being a
sensitive Shiva bhakta, paused to offer worship to Lord Shiva and was
consequently delayed in the pursuit of Bhima.
In spite of these efforts, the Pandava prince was captured when, with one
foot already out of the forest, he was about to reach civilization again.
Bhima could not escape the powerful grip of Purushamrigam and they both
entered into an argument of jurisdiction and Purushamrigam, oddly enough
consented to an arbitration of the dispute by Yudhishthira.
The latter took the responsibility for the whole act, granted the
creature's right to act as it pleased in the forest region, and offered
half his body in lieu of that part of Bhima's which was within the jungle
when he was caught. Deeply touched by the devotion of Yudhishthira to
Dharma, Purushamrigam freed Bhima and changed its cannibal.
Representation Of A Princess And A Prince Being Abducted By A Kuravan
And A Kuratti:
There is another pillar containing the representation of a princess and a
prince being abducted by a Kuravan and a Kuratti (gypsies) write nouns in
caps, while an irate king or minister gives an angry chase and rescues
them. The princess sits serene on the shoulders of the gypsy as if
expecting rescue at any moment. The charger on one side of the pillar is
depicted as if it would leap into life any moment under the whip of its
rider. A lance has pierced the kuravan on his left flank and the blood
flowing from the wound is represented in a red shade of stone.
The whole body of the man is twisted in an agony of pain. It is a marvel
where the, sculptor got a model for his work. The other side of the pillar
shows the princess's mother consulting a female palmist. The curves of the
feminine body, its dress and ornaments have been depicted in luscious
glory and with pointed attention to detail.
The same affectionate care has been bestowed upon the statue of Rati
(Goddess of Love), the eternal beauty, full of an entirely human vanity,
admiring herself and bearing a look of mixed self-satisfaction and serene
contentment.
Representation Of Arjuna With A Flowing Beard Performing Penance With
Bow And Arrow In His Hands:
There is also another pillar with Arjuna with a flowing beard performing
penance with bow and arrow in his hands. Though a monk, the representation
impresses it with an appearance of a great and powerful knight.
On the other side of the pillar, a sage is shown to be molesting a lady
who, out of anger, is pulling down his beard. A lady is carrying away a
handsome prince and an old lady with a sword in her hand is attacking a
man who has been caught between her legs.
Representations On Other Pillars:
Karna (of Mahabharata) is shown in another pillar. A monkey is sitting on
the shoulders of a beggar who is playing with it. On the other side there
is a beautiful girl with a parrot in her hand.
A girl is dancing with a bouquet in her right palm and a fruit in her
left palm. A knight is lying at her feet with a sword in his hand and a
gypsy is sitting by her side with snakes around him. On the other side of
this pillar, two lovers are found to be making gestures of love to each
other.
Crowning another pillar is a remarkable carving combining an elephant and
a bull. On the left is seen the tusker with its trunk raised, while on the
right is the bull. The eyes are common, the lip of the elephant
corresponds with the ear of the bull and the lifted trunk forms the hump
of the bull. The two figures are thus interlocked in a clever composition
of a tricky picture.
Air: The nearest airport is at
Madurai, at a distance of
151-km.
Rail:The nearest railway station is at Tirunelveli,
which is an important railway junction on the southern railway and is well
connected to all major cities within and beyond the state.
Road: A good network of roads serves Tirunelveli.
From Tirunelveli, there are regular buses
to the temple. Taxis are also available.
Accommodation is available at the moderate class and small budgeted hotels and lodges in Tirunelveli.