Darasuram

Darasuram ; தாராசுரம்
State :	India
State :	Tamil Nadu
District :	Thanjavur
Sub-district :	Kumbakonam
Location :	10 ° 57 ' N , 79 ° 21' E Coordinates: 10 ° 57 ' N , 79 ° 21' E
Height :	25 m
Residents :	15,326 (2011)
	Airavatesvara Temple

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Darasuram (also: Dharasuram , Tamil : தாராசுரம் Tārācuram [ ˈd̪aːɾaːsuɾʌm ]) is a small town with a population of around 15,000 in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu in the Thanjavur district .

location

Darasuram is only about 4.5 km (driving distance) southwest of Kumbakonam at an altitude of about 25 m above sea level. d. The coromandel coast on the Bay of Bengal near the city of Karaikal is about 65 km to the east.

Residents

The residents of the small town are about 93% Hindus and about 5% Muslim ; approx. 2% are Christians or members of other religious minorities ( Buddhists , Jains ). They speak mainly Tamil , but also Hindi and the regional language Saurashtri and a little English. In contrast to what is common in northern India, the male and female proportions of the population are roughly the same.

economy

Agriculture in the surrounding villages still forms the economic basis for the settlement of craftsmen, small traders and smaller service companies in the city.

history

The today rather insignificant place was originally called Palaiyarai . Around the middle of the 12th century, Chola ruler Rajaraja II (ruled 1146 or 1150–1173) moved the capital of the Empire from Gangaikondacholapuram here and commissioned the construction of the Airavatesvara temple , which is one of the most important buildings of the Chola- Architecture belongs. As one of three " great temples of the Chola dynasty ", the Airavatesvara Temple has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2004 .

Attractions

The existing of a large and several smaller temples temple area of Airavatesvara temple is surrounded by a high wall, which on the east side by a Gopuram - Torbau is pierced; In front of it there is a small shrine with a Nandi bull - an indication that the main temple is dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva , who according to tradition was worshiped here by Airavata , the white elephant Indra . Similar to the vestibule ( mandapa ) of the sun temple of Konarak ( Odisha ), the vestibule of the Airavateswara temple apparently rests on stone wheels and thus simulates a wooden temple chariot ( ratha ) . The actual pyramidal temple tower ( vimana ) is horizontally divided into several levels, on each of which there are numerous smaller shrines; the top consists of a dome covered with imitation shingles - the temple is a masterpiece of Chola architecture.
About 100 m north of the Airavatesvara Temple stands the temple, which was built at the same time, but is much smaller for Airavata's companion, Periya Nayaki .