Category:Udayamperoor Ekadashi Perumthrikovil Temple

Udayamperoor Perumthrikkovil Temple 

A 12th century Shiva temple with largest circular plan vimana in Kerala
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Instance of	Hindu temple (Shiva)
Location	Ernakulam district, Kerala, India
9° 55′ 13.3″ N, 76° 21′ 40.34″ E
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The Peruntirukkoyil temple of Udayamperur near Kochi is a 12th century Hindu temple notable for the largest circular floor plan in Kerala. Udayamperur means "village of the Udiyan or the Cheras". The Perunthirukovil Shiva temple attests to rapid scale up of temple architecture design and ideas under the Chera dynasty. The temple has several inscriptions, the earliest of which is from the 12th century and describes a gift of land and food offerings to this temple. This helps date this temple.

The Perunthirukovil Shiva temple faces east, has a namaskara mandapa and a circular vimana with gigantic copper clad conical roof. According to another inscription dated in the 14th-century, a Narayanan Ravi added the copper roof and the mandapam to the pre-existing temple in the 14th century while Vira Kodai Ravivarma Kilapperur was king. The temple has a 12th century nalambalam, prakara wall and the lower section of the circular plan vimana.

The inside of the circular vimana is notable for the square plan, co-axial Dravida-vimana. The sanctum is dedicated to Shiva, with space for a Parvati shrine facing west. The vimana includes a jagati (platform), an octagonal kumuda, a kantha with dentils, and a pattika. A ghana-dvara demarcates the center of each wall. A six step stair leads into the garbhagriham. This sanctum is surrounded by two concentric rows of pillars, with the inner row containing twelve pillars and the outer row including fourteen pillars. The pillars are an alternating pattern of square and octagonal. The space with these pillars serves as the circumambulation passage.