Have you seen Vasantha Mandapam?

Good old Pudhu Mandapam unveils its hidden treasures during heritage walk by ‘Madurai Green’

Awe-inspiring:Historian C. Santhalingam speaks about sculptures at Vasantha Mandapam during a heritage walk on Sunday.— Photo: G. Moorthy

Amid the din of whirring sewing machines of tailors and haggle and gaggle of shoppers and shopkeepers at Vasantha Mandapam – Pudhu Mandapam in popular parlance – city residents and tourists fail to notice the intricate sculptures and design of the grand premises hidden from their view.

So it was a good chance to see and hear about the splendour of Vasantha Mandapam on the eastern side of Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple complex during a heritage walk organised by Madurai Green early on Sunday morning. Vasantha Mandapam is believed to have derived its name from ‘Vasantha thiruvizha’ of yore celebrated in the Tamil month of Vaikasi every year.

“The locals refer to it as Pudhu Mandapam since it was constructed much after the Meenakshi temple, and also because the sculptures and craftsmanship were unique at that time,” explained C. Santhalingam, secretary, Pandya Naadu Centre for Historical Research. Built during the reign of King Thirumalai Nayak, it has sculptures of 10 rulers and co-rulers of Madurai from the Nayakar dynasty.

“The sculptures here are great works of art. Those with an eye for detail can see many intricate things. Students of fashion design can get ideas by observing motifs on garments carved in these sculptures,” Mr. Santhalingam said.

Atop Rayagopuram

The participants got an opportunity to get to the top of Rayagopuram. Located opposite Pudhu Mandapam, it is the only unfinished gopuram of the Meenakshi temple. Many said that though they had passed by Rayagopuram many times, they were unaware of its significance.

The steps leading to the Rayagopuram are out of bounds for the casual visitors as one must get special permission from the temple authorities. There are two textile shops there which have occupied the space there which has partially sealed the route. “There are different versions of stories as to why the gopuram remains unfinished — that there were many other gopurams coming up simultaneously to divert the attention of the builders, and that one of the stones of the foundation got damaged and the work was stopped midway…etc.,” said S. Saravanan, one of the participants.