Near the Vaishnava temple of Sri Bangam is one dedicated to Jumbukeswara, a title of Siva. In architectural beauty it far surpasses the Vaish nava structure.
The pagoda at Tricullore in S. Arcot is hand some, and many natives of S. India retire to this town to spend the evening of their days.
Coujeveram is said to have been at first founded by Adondai, the illegitimate son of Kolotunga Chola, in the 11th or 12th century, and to have succeeded Combaconum as the capital of Chola mandalam. Great and Little Conjeverani are contiguous towns. There is a Salve and a Vaish nava pagoda. The great temple at Great Con jeveram has some large gopuras, also a hall of 1000 columns, several large and fine mantapas. It is said to have been at one time a Jaina pagoda.
Vellore has a temple inside the fort, which has been converted into an arsenal. It has one of the most elegant as well as one of the oldest porches or mantapas in the south, with many Yali and mounted warriors. The porch is supposed to be of date a.n. 1350. The lingam there indicates its dedication to Siva.
Tarputry has two temples, one now in use dedi cated to Vishnu, the other, deserted, on the banks of the neighbouring river. It has two gopuras, one of them unfinished, the whole of the perpendicular part covered with the most elaborate figure sculp ture, cut with exquisite sharpness and precision iu a fine, close-grained hornblende rock in a rich and tasteful style,—two handsome temples elabor ately decorated with aculptures representing IIindit mythological events. Among the bas reliefs is a figure holding a Grecian bow, rarely seen in Hindu sculptures.
Combaconum has a temple dedicated to Sri Rama, and there is a small but flue gopura in the town 84 feet across and 130 feet in height.
Madura has many temples, most of which were erected during the long and prosperous reign of the tenth Naik king, Trimul Naik, A.D. 1621-1657. The most important was a choultry, which ho erected at a cost of a million sterling, between 1623 and 1645, to receive the presiding deity when taken in procession. Ite ball is 333 feet long by 105 feet wide. The facade of its hall is sculptured
with the monster-like Yali and mounted warriors. In front of the choultry is a gopura left uncompleted by the same king. The sanctuary of the great temple is said to have been built by Viswanath, the first Naik king, A.D. 1520, but it owes all its magnificence to Mugu Virappa, the eldest brother of Trimul Naik, and to Tnmul Naik, 1622-1657. It has a hall of 1000 (985) columns, whose mar vellously elaborated sculptures surpass those of any other known temple hall. There is a small shrine dedicated to Minakshi, the tutelary goddess. The Perumal pagoda at Madura was erected in the 18th century.
The great pagoda at Tanjore was converted by the French armies in 1777 into an arsenal, and has not been re-appropriated to sacred purposes. The temple stands in a courtyard 500 feet square, the distance between the gateway and the temple being broken by the shrine of the bull Nandi. The perpendicular part of its base measures 82 feet square, and is two storeys in height, of simple outline. Above this the pyramid rises in 13 storeys to the summit, which is crowned by a dome, and reaching a height of 190 feet. All the sculptures on the gopuras belong to the religion of Vishnu, while everything in the court yard is dedicated to the worship of Siva. It is supposed to have been erected by Kadu Vettiya Soren or Chelan, a king reigning at Conjeveram in the beginning of the 14th century. Besides the great temple and the Nandi porch, there are several other smaller shrines in the enclosure, one of which, dedicated to Subrainatiya, a son of Siva, though small, is as exquisite a piece of decorative architecture as is to be found in the south of India. The bull and this temple are of the 15th or 16th centuries.
At Tinnevelly is a double temple ; the great square, being 508 feet by 378 feet, is divided into two equal portions, of which one is dedicated to the god Siva, and the other to his consort Parvati, with three gateways to each. Its great hall has 1000 columns, a forest of pillars.