Samanar – Site 4
Map: 9° 56′ 44.93″ N, 77° 59′ 17.94″ E, 168m
Location: Oothukulli (ஊத்துக்குழி), 12km east of Madurai city, Tamil Nadu, India
Main passage.
A lone samanar idol. Located on cliff side a few meters west of the main entry.
+9° 56′ 45.00″, +77° 59′ 15.60″, 187m
The Samanar is almost always shown seated with a multi-tier mandalam over their head (in contrast to the Buddha who is shown with an orb or halo around his head), and juxtoposed by devas (the lesser gods or celesitial beings) and apsaras (celestial nymphs who try to distract the Samanar from his concentration). The row of recessed blocks on top of the Samanar is fairly common, for holding oil lamps. Long gone are the days when these lamps were lit. I can only close my eyes and imagine this lone idol on this distant cliff-side lit by flickering oil lamps at a time when there was no city surrounding the area.
Shrine on top of Samanar hill.
+9° 56′ 45.60″, +77° 59′ 17.40″, 222m
Vandalism on top of the hill, at the mouth of the cave having stone beds. Must be some really crazy Christian zealots to really go out of the way to climb this hill and vandalize it (and that too, this particular hill marked as a heritage site by the Archaeological Society of India).
Hallelujah! another Jesus! Along side stone steps carved by Samanars (see Samanar Site 2).