Parasurameswara Temple, Attirala – The Temple

Parasurameswara Temple, Attirala – The Temple

This temple is facing towards west, but the entrance is from the eastern side. The temple measures 51 metres in length and 35 metres in breadth. The main shrine consists of sanctum, antrala and a pillared mukha mandapa. The pillared mukha mandapa surrounds the sanctum and the antrala. Thus, providing circumbulatory path around the sanctum. The mukha mandapa is completely enclosed by walls on all sides except the entrance doorway on the southern side.

The base of the doorjamb have dvarapalas. An image of Gaja Lakshmi can be seen on the lalata bimba of the doorway. The mukha mandapa consists of 44 pillars. Each pillar contains a plain round shaft crowned by a capital with roll and leaf corbels. The sanctum has an oblong exterior and an apsidal interior. The doorjambs of the sanctum entrance are decorated with creepers, pilasters, and lotus petal carvings. The dvarapalas are represented on the lower portions of the door jambs and Gajalakshmi motif in the lalata.

The lintel is adorned with makara torana topped by simhamukha. The torana consists of a warrior with a sword and shield in the centre and on either side of the simhamukha there are two human figures kneeling in a fighting pose. The ceiling of the sanctum is not flat as seen in the other temples. It rises conically like the barrel vaulted roofs. The sanctum houses an image of Shiva consecrated in recent times. A broken image of Parasuramesvara now lying in the mukha mandapa seems to be the original image of the sanctum.

The wall of the sanctum consists of a series of projections and recesses carried out from the adishtana level to the kapota. The walls are adorned with Chola style pilasters and niches surmounted by simhalalata makara toranas. The niches house no images. There are some sculptures on the walls in between the pilasters and in the recesses, which include Kankala Murti, Venugopala, Kaliyamardhana and Kalyana Sundaramurti. The kapota above is decorated with simhalalata gables.

Above this kapota there is a wide gala consisting of the projections and recesses corresponding to those of the wall portion. This gala portion is also decorated with Chola type pilasters niches topped by simhalalata makara toranas, the sculptures of vidyadharas, apsarasas and divinities. The niches house the deity images like Uma Mahesvara, Dakshinamurti, etc. The upper register of this wide gala consists of bhutamala in which the dwarfs are represented in different poses.

The kapota above is decorated with simhalalata gables which have human heads inside. The vimana, structure over the sanctum is in the form of Gajabrusta, the shape of an elephant in its sitting posture. There is an open pillared mandapa on the southwestern side of the outer prakaram. This mandapa is facing towards east. It is a rectangular structure and measures 22 metres in length and 11 metres in breadth.

This mandapa stands on seventy two pillars arranged in six rows and each consisting of twelve pillars. The pillars of the mandapa are of three varieties i.e., a pillar of the first variety has a lower rectangular block and a tapering octagonal shaft, a pillar of the second variety has three square blocks, two octagonal sections in between and the pillars of the last variety consists of round shafts. All the pillars have roll and leaf corbels. The idol of Ekatatayya, a saint who lived during the regime of Matli Chiefs can also been seen inside the temple.