Airavatesvara Temple

The smallest of the three UNESCO Great Living Chola Temples, Airavatesvara at Darasuram compensates for its modest scale with the finest miniature stone carving of the Chola period. Built under Rajaraja II in the mid-twelfth century, its front mandapa is carved as a stone chariot drawn by horses, with steps designed to ring musical notes when struck. Detailed relief panels narrate episodes from the Periya Puranam, the canonical lives of Tamil Shaiva saints, giving the temple unusual value as sculpted scripture. Less visited than Thanjavur, it rewards visitors who want to see Chola artistry at its most intricate rather than its most monumental, and is easily combined with the other two Chola sites on a single day's circuit.