The Colas c35.55

c35.55

The Kampahareśvara, called Tribhuvanavīrēśvara in its inscriptions, is clearly the work of Kulōttunga III as testified by the undated duplicate Sanskrit inscription of his reign on the walls of the *garbhagṛha* and the *gōpura* of the temple (X, fig. 19). Its traditional name is due to the belief that the god removed the quaking (*kampa*) of a Cōḷa king who was afflicted with the sin of having killed a Brahman. This has much in common with the Dārāśuram temple including the *agramaṇḍapa* and entrance epoch. The pilasters of the basement carry scroll work (*koḍikkarukku*) while the recesses are adorned by dancing figures representing Bharata-nāṭya poses accompanied by drummers and other musicians constituting the *mela*; there are riders on *yāḷis*, lions and elephants as elsewhere. In the pillars of the temple, the square abacus (*palagai*), as in Dārāśuram and other later Cōḷa temples, is thinner in contrast to the thick massive *palagais* of the Pallava and early Cōḷa temples including Tanjore. The corbel is also an early type of *puṣpabōdigai*, the earlier angular central tenon being transformed into an inverted bell-shaped 'palastara' and the bevellings on either side developed into curved up and foliated 'maḍalais.' This marks a definite advance over the corbels of the Airāvateśvara. There is even more elaborate imitation of woodwork in the handling of the *kapōta* and the adjacent members of the roof. The recesses on the sides of the central bays on the outer walls of the *garbhagṛha* carry rectangular windows (*jālaka*) framed by semi-pilasters on the sides and a *toraṇa* arch above.