Varadaraja Swamy Temple,
Kanipakam, Andhra Pradesh
Varadaraja Swamy Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to
Lord Vishnu located in Kanipakam Village near Chittoor City in Andhra Pradesh,
India. The Temple is situated very close to Kanipakam Vinayagar Temple.
History
The temple was constructed in the early 11th century
CE by the Chola
Emperor Kulothunga Chola I and was expanded
further in 1336 by the Kings of Vijayanagara dynasty.
The Temple
The temple faces east and is surrounded by a prakara
wall. The entrance into the temple is through a gopura in the east. On plan,
the temple consists of garbhagriha, antarala, Muhamandapam and Mahamandapam.
The Garuda Shrine is situated in front of the Mahamandapam. Behind this shrine
are the Balipitha and dhvajastambha. The main shrine of Varadaraja faces east
and contains garbhagriha and antarala. The adhisthana is of padabandha type. It
contains the mouldings of upana, tripatta-kumuda, gala, patta, gala and
alingapattika with lotus design.
The outer walls of the garbhagriha contain empty niches
which are flanked by pilasters and surmounted by makara torana. Above the
walls, the cornice is decorated with simhalalata gables. The vimana above the
garbhagriha is of an ekatala type with the series of kuta, panjara and Sala
elements. The niches of the griva contain deity figures like Matysavatara on
the north, Narasimha on the west, Vamana on the south and Sri Rama on the east.
The griva and sikhara are circular and belong to the
vesara order. The garbhagriha houses the stone image of Varadaraja and his
consorts Sridevi and Bhoodevi. The Outer Walls of the antarala contain empty
niches which are flanked by pilasters. In the interior of the antarala there is
an image of Andal. The door jambs are adorned with floral design. The
Muhamandapam is rectangular and has four pillars with Chola capitals. In the
interior of the mandapa, there is a vedi which contains nine loose stone images
of Alvars.
There is a stone image of Vishnu in one corner of the
mandapa. The ceiling of the mandapa has the Padmasila. There are Dwarapalakas
on either side of the entrance of this mandapa. The Muhamandapam contains
sixteen pillars with two square sections and one rectangular block alternating
with two octagonal shafts in between. The pillar capitals are in Chola style.
The rectangular and square blocks of the pillars are adorned with deity
sculptures.
Garuda Shrine is situated to the east of the
Mahamandapam. It is a square structure with plain walls. It has an ekatala
vimana with circular griva and sikhara. Inside the shrine, Garuda stands in
samabhanga with his hands in Anjali pose. The Varadaraja temple, as evidenced
by its architectural features, was built during the later Chola period i.e., 12th
- 13th Centuries A.D. The loose stone images of alvars, Vishnu and
Andal may be dated to 14th - 15th century A.D.
Prayers
People believe that if newly married couples perform Satyanarayana
Vrata in this temple their life will be happy.
Connectivity
For brief details, please refer below link;
Location
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