Kutralanathar Kutralam is a unique temple with a Conch shaped layout. It is situated right next to the Kutralam main falls and is a joyous sight when the place is not too crowded. The entrance is through a small gopuram in the east. The temple faces east. The outer Prakaram has a long corridor and a 100 pillar Mandapam on the right side. The inner Prakaram houses the sanctums of the main deity and goddess. The Parasakthi Peedam believed to have been installed by sage Agastya is one of the 64 Sakthi Peedams in India. Kutralanathar Kutralam has 5 temple cars, one each for Ganesha, Muruga, Nataraja, the main processional deity, and Amman. To the north of the temple above, across the road, a little distance away is the Chithira Sabhai – one of the 5 places where Lord Shiva is believed to have performed his cosmic dance.
The Five Sabas are:
Rathina Sabhai at Vada Aaranyeswarar Temple in Thiruvalangadu (Dance – Oorthuva Thandavam)
Por Sabhai at Natarajar Temple in Chidambaram (Dance – Ananda Thandavam)
Velli Sabhai at Meenakshi Amman Temple in Madurai (Dance – Sundhiya Thandavam)
Thamira Sabhai at Nellaiappar Temple in Tirunelveli (Dance – Muni Thandavam)
Chithira Sabhai at Kutralanathar Temple in Kutralam (Dance – Thripura Thandavam)
In front of the east-facing Chithira Sabhai is a large and beautiful temple tank with a Mantapam in the middle. The Chithira Sabhai here at Kutralanathar Kutralam was constructed in the 15th Century CE by Parakrama Pandya. The Chithira Sabhai is filled with paintings created with natural herbal colors in the olden days. Over the years they have been touched up with the same kind of material and look as good as new. A large wooden gateway leads into the stone structure of the Mukha Mantapam. The wooden doors are divided into panels each having beautiful carvings including those of Sakthi Peedam, Parvati feeding milk, Krishna, Dakshinamurthy Veerabadra, Murugan, Ganesha, Meenakshi Gajendra Moksha, Rishabaroodar, Vishnu, and more. The Mukha Mantapam has several sculptures of dancing girls. This is followed by the outer Prakaram housing the Sabapathi Mandapam and the sanctum sanctorum. The outer walls of the sanctum sanctorum are filled with paintings including Dwarapalakas, Natraja performing Oorthuva Thandavam, Churning of the ocean by Devas and Asuras, Mohini distributing Amrut to Devas, Badrakali, Muruga fighting with Surapadma, Rama fighting with Ravan, Parasakthi, and more. Coming around the Prakaram you enter the Sabapathi Mandapam which is topped with a pyramidal roof and is plated with copper. The walls and roofs of this mandapam are made of wood and have been painted with colors very nicely. There are 14 stone pillars with 16 faces each. In the southeast corner of this Mandapam is a slot where a scale used during its construction is slotted in and cannot be taken out. The Inner Prakaram has several paintings of Muruga, Ashta Durgai, Vali Samharam, Veerabadhra, Gajendra Moksham, Kutralanadar with his consorts coming in procession on top of the Bull mount, Nataraja performing the Sandhya Thandavam, Ashta Bhairava, Ilanji Murugan with consorts, Sastha, and others. This is followed by the Ardha Mantapam which has paintings of Chokkanadar, Meenakshi Amman, History of Kutralanadar temple, Nellaiappar, Gandhimathi, Ramalingar, 16 forms of Muruga, 15 forms of Ganesha, and others. The inner Sanctorum has a painting of Lord Nataraja facing south. around him are seen Sage Pathanjali, Karaikkal Ammaiyar, Sage Vyagrapadar, and Manicka Vasagar. Also seen are Sri Chakra, Ashta Sakthi, Lalitha Parameswari, Parasakthi Peedam, Meenakshi Sundareswarar wedding scene, Nataraja performing the Oorthuva Thandavam, Badrakali, Wives of the Darugavanam Sages, Krishna, Kangala Nadar, Kannappa Nayanar, Kurumpala Nadar, Nandeeswarar, and more. An official caretaker acts as a guide and explains the details of the paintings very well to the visitors who are willing to spend quality time here.
