Darasuram Airavatheswar Temple

Darasuram Airavatheswar Temple is a famous ancient Hindu temple located in Darasuram. Darasuram is a town located near the Kumbakonam district of Tamil Nadu. Among the different PLACES TO VISIT IN KUMBAKONAM, this temple is one of the most visited places. This temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. Currently, the temple has been converted into a UNESCO World Heritage site.

You will find very delicate architecture, features and styles in this temple. Along with all this, you will find beautiful Mandapas, Gopuram and Vimanas.

There is a main shrine inside the center of the temple, which is dedicated to Lord Shiva. Along with the main Shrine that is present in the temple, you will find various other shrines also. The other shrines are dedicated to different deities. Some of the shrines are of Lord Ganesha, goddess Parvati, and Lord Murugan. Many tourists from all over the world come to visit this place all over the year.

The carvings and sculptures inside the temple are so real that they will make you feel as if they are coming outside. Not only this, but the paintings will depict the beautiful stories of Ramayana and Mahabharata.
 
Darasuram Airavatheswar Temple 

Darasuram Airavatheswar Temple was built during the Chola Kingdom rule. King Raja Raja Chola 2 was a famous king of the Chola dynasty. He ruled the place during the 12th century, and the temple was constructed during his rule only. He constructed various other beautiful temples under his Kingdom along with this Temple.

A very beautiful Dravidian style architecture is followed inside the temple. You will find that the people also refer to this Temple as Rajarajeshwara Temple. This is because they named the temple after the name of the king who built it.

The whole temple is constructed with the help of granite stones. Along with this, very beautiful carvings are also done on these stones.

Various towers are inside the temple, but the main tower stands at a height of 85 feet. All over the tower, you will find beautiful carvings. Different mandapas are also present inside the temple. Among those mandapas, one is the main Mandap, which is known as Maha Mandapa. 64 pillars support this Mandapam. All over the Mandap, you will find carvings of God, goddesses and mythical creatures.

Some frescos are present on the walls of the temple. You will find that the frescoes depict the scene of Mahabharat and Ramayana.
 
Darasuram Airavatheswar's musical steps
 
Along with the beautiful architecture and design for which the temple is known, you will find that many people are amazed to know about the musical steps of the temple. These steps are located in Mandapam. These musical steps are made with the help of granite, and you will find them in a circular pattern. There are a total of 13 steps. You will find that the steps have different thicknesses and heights. When you tap it with a stick, it will give you different types of musical notes. So, these notes depict the seven notes in the music system. Along with the seven notes, five additional notes are also present.
 
Overall, Darasuram Airavatheswar Temple is a very beautiful temple that was constructed under the rule of the Cholas dynasty. This temple is full of beautiful architecture. So if you are going for your Kumbakonam tour package, remember to visit this beautiful temple.