The niches flanking the entrance contain Dvarapalas.
The antrala front has two Dvarapalas, one of which,
but for their stone adhishthanas and sculptures of gods, Dvarapalas, etc.
and their carved devatas and Dvarapalas who flank both real and false doors.
The four doorways of the shrine are flanked by large Dvarapalas and other accompanying sculptures.
The Dvarapalas hold trident in their left hand
and their right hand is in varada mudra.
But for these and the Dvarapalas at the mandapa entrance, the sculptures on the four faces at
The antrala front has two Dvarapalas, one of which,
curiously enough, is Hanuman while the other is sage Bhiringi.
The eldest ones, because of the perishable fabric of construction, have been lost,
but for their stone adhishthanas and sculptures of gods, Dvarapalas, etc.
deep plain niches cut into the rear wall, the two Dvarapalas are found one on either side of the facade of the mandapa.
The Dvarapalas are cut almost in the round- out of the side walls
on the eastern and western sides, a little behind the median east- west axial line.
The temple towers are known for their decorative elements, including their false doors, their carved lintels,
and their carved devatas and Dvarapalas who flank both real and false doors.
The Dvarapalas either face full-
front or are in semi- profile or half- turned towards the shrine door and stand resting on a massive club entwined by a serpent.
In the Orukkal mandapam, however, there are relief sculptures of standing Brahma and Vishnu on the rear wall,
one on either side of the shrine entrance and beyond the Dvarapalas.
In the case of the Vishnu cave at Mamandur and the cave- temple at Pallavaram,
there are Dvarapalas neither on the flanks of mandapa facade nor on the flanks of the shrine- cells.