Others
say that it is the figure of Roland
Crape of Denmark, a friend of the Nayak king who reigned in the early part of the 17th
century. Yet others say that it is the figure of Marco Polo. Though we cannot with any
certainty particularize theindividual represented there, it may well be some European
merchant, as foreign trade flourished in the land at the time of the Cholas.
The Goddess in the temple is known as Brihannayaki. The usual shrines for Ganapati,
Nataraja and Chandeswara are there in the court. A great critic of art and sculpture has
said that the figure of Nataraja in this temple is the best of its kind in the South.
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