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There are in the
mukha mantapa also, a number of mural paintings showing the story of the Kiratarjuniya,
Lord Krishna as Vatapatrasayi etc. There is an excellent painting of the famous story of
the legendary king Manuchola, granting justice to a cow at the cost of the life of his own
son. This is also found painted in the temple at Tiruvalur in the South. The story, which
is a popular one, is as follows.
Manuchola was a
great king who noted for the evenhanded justice meted out by him. In order that he should
be available at all times of the day and night, to any one who sought justice, he had a
large bell erected at the outside of his palace, which any one could ring at any time, if
he wanted to attract the personal attention of the king for any injustice done to him. One
day the bell rang furiously and the king ran out to see a cow rignging the bell. He
followed in the cow and found that the clf of the cow had been accidentally killed by the
chariot driven by the King’s son and in its deep sorrow at the death of its calf, the
cow was weeping and seeking redress at the hands of the King.
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