REACH team comprising Chandrasekaran and Parandaman visited the Panchapatti village (not drought but should have been named after 5 villages that were governed together, we believe), at the request of the local heritage enthusiast Shri.Balan, who is a retired Physical Education teacher in a local school and the one who has almost found some 4-5 inscriptions on his own and have got them registered in the Aavanam repertoire, some 12 kms from the city Karur, known for the famed Karur Siddhar Samadhi in the Pasupatheshwarar Temple and also the single stone Vishnu temple, nearby.
We visited the Maduranthaga Choleeswaramudaiyar temple in Panchapatti, which really is standing tall all these years, after it was built in the riegnal years of Rajendra-I.
A huge neem tree is trying its best to wither off the temple, but surprisingly the Garbagruha and the Arda mandapa are standing apart, yetretaining its main frame work of stones,with some fading inscriptions read out by ASI epigraphists, Mr. Karuppaiah and Mr. Alagesan, just a week before our visit on 14th March 2012, which gives us the name of this temple.
Set amidst thick Sunflower filed, the village VAO and the villagers were very cooperative and were willing to work out a plan to renovate this small but beautiful temple.
Some surprises were in store as we saw a small hillock at a village called Sengal (சேங்கல்) with a closed Shiva temple, with some stunning stucco work atop the Vimana, and a patch of grantha script!
Next was a thriller one could not imagine! And that story comes in the next blog! Don't miss it out!
