Sri Jambukeswara Temple

Sri Jambukeswara Temple Review

About 2½ km (1½ mi) east of the Great Temple, Sri Jambukeswara Temple is in some ways more impressive than its mammoth neighbor. The architecture of this temple, with five walls, seven gopurams, and a large central court, is among the finest Dravidian work still in existence. Courtyard pillars are remarkable for their rampant dragons, elaborate foliated brackets, and royal Nayak portraits. The temple is also known as Thiruvanaikkaval for a legendary elephant that worshipped the linga, the phallic stone that's Shiva's primary sign. In the temple's Mambukeswaram pagoda, the linga is submerged in water. Video cameras are not allowed.