Brahmadesam
| Brahmadesam பிரம்மதேசம் |
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 India
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| State : | Tamil Nadu | ||
| District : | Viluppuram | ||
| Sub-district : | Viluppuram | ||
| Location : | 12 ° 7 ′ N , 79 ° 29 ′ E | ||
| Height : | 60 m | ||
| Area : | 3.84 km² | ||
| Residents : | 1,946 (2011) | ||
| Population density : | 507 inhabitants / km² | ||
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Brahmadesam ( Tamil : பிரம்மதேசம்) is a village with around 2,000 inhabitants in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu . In the vicinity of the village there are two medieval temples from the Chola period .
location
Brahmadesam is located approx. 27 km (driving distance) north of the district capital Viluppuram and approx. 23 km southeast of Gingee at an altitude of approx. 60 m above sea level. d. M. The climate is warm to hot; Rain falls mainly during the monsoon months from July to December.
population
The vast majority of the almost exclusively Tamil- speaking residents of the place are Hindus ; other religions hardly play a role in the rural regions of India. The female and male proportions of the population are roughly the same.
economy
Agriculture and, to a lesser extent, cattle breeding (cows, chickens) form the livelihood of the population. Small traders, craftsmen and day laborers also live in the village.
history
How far back the history of the place goes is unclear; its heyday is in any case strongly linked to the person of the Chola ruler Rajaraja I (r. 985-1014), whose inscriptions can be found on both temples, although he is not explicitly named as the founder.
Attractions
- The Patalesvara Temple is dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva . There is an inscription in it from the year 1009, but the temple, which was built on an approx. 2 m high base zone, was probably built in the late 10th century due to its architecture. The outer walls of the flat-roofed vestibule ( mandapa ) and the cella ( garbhagriha ) are richly structured ( pilasters bevelled at the edges , wall niches, etc.). Above an eaves cornice with small windows ( kudus ) are Nandi bulls lying in the area of the cella 8 . In between rises a round building-like tower made of bricks and originally covered with a thin layer of stucco with 4 false portals, which ends in a dome that is extremely unusual for Hindu architecture . In the vicinity of the temple there are numerous stones that suggest that there were further buildings that were once in existence.
- The Brahmapurisvara Temple stands in the middle of a walled temple area. It is likely to have been built a little later than the Patalesvara Temple, because its architecture and figural decorations are somewhat more developed than its counterpart. The round tower structure, surrounded by lying Nandi bulls, also ends in a dome shape. The figures show the three-headed god Brahma , but Shiva is also represented as Nataraja or in the pillar of fire ( lingam ).