Architecture of Dhandeeswarar temple - part 1

The centerpiece of the Dhandeeswarar temple is the inner sanctum of Shiva Linga along with his consort. This inner sanctum is not particularly spacious to accommodate more than twenty people at a time. This is a limiting factor on auspicious days which is pretty much the only time this extraordinary temple is crowded. The considerably sizable Shiva Lingam is usually adorned with a silver ornament in place of the usual vibuthi (holy ash).

Inner sanctum of Dhandeeswarar


Dhandeeswarar (zoomed and sharpened image)

The structure hosting this inner sanctum is the core of the temple and this is core structure is further adorned with a number of incarnations of Shiva, including Dhakshinamoorthy and Lingeswarar. Apart from Shiva, the walls of the core structure possess iconic images of Brahma and Durga. The peculiar Lingeswarar shown below is characterized by the iconic Shiva lingam with the anthropomorphic image of Shiva carved at its center.

Lingeswarar: Anthropomorphic image of Shiva carved within the Lingam on the walls of the central structure of Dhandeeswarar temple.

Base of the Lingeswarar photographed in the light of the oil lamps.

Additionally, there is also an interesting sculpture of Dhakshinamoorthy on the walls of the core structure housing the inner sanctum, in addition to an assortment of what look like relative recent additions of Saraswathi, Lakshmi, Murugan and other gods and godesses in a separate surrounding structure.

Dhakshinamoorthy on the walls of the central structure at Dhandeeswarar Temple