Later Chola Temples

by S. R. Balasubrahmanyam | 1979 | 143,852 words

This volume of Chola Temples covers Kulottunga I to Rajendra III in the timeframe A.D. 1070-1280. The Cholas of Southern India left a remarkable stamp in the history of Indian architecture and sculpture. Besides that, the Chola dynasty was a successful ruling dynasty even conquering overseas regions....

The village of Udaiyarkoyil is close to the village of Tiruchchirai, about 12 km. from Kumbakonam on the road to Kodavasal. Other important centres of interest close by are Nalur and Tirumayanam, where there are fine Chola temples (see my Early Chola Art, Pt. I, pp. 186-88).

Vishnu temple (Kulottungasola Vinnagaram)

The earliest inscription found on the walls of this temple relates to the 16th regnal year of Kulottunga I, the record beginning with the introduction pugal sulndapunari (dated in a.d. 1086); the sabha of Sribhuti chaturvedimangalam met in the temple of Kulottunga-sola vinnagar and gave to the temple good land, easy of cultivation, in exchange for old gifts of land made by them which were not so good. Signatures in the record affixed by the donees are called sayijnai at the end of each name (ARE 399 of 1902; SII, VII, 1032). The next record relates to the 14th year of Kulottunga II, beginning with the introduction pu mannu padumam. The sabha of Tribhuvana mahadevi chaturvedimangalam is seen here accepting 8 kasus for making some land iraiyili. The interest rate was ¼ tiramam per month per kasu (?) (ARE 401 of 1902; SII, VII, 1034). The name of the village obviously underwent a change during the intervening period from Sribhuti- to Tribhuvana mahadevi-chaturvedimangalam. A sixth year record of Rajaraja 11, beginning with the introduction pu tirumadum, mentions that the sabka of the same chaturvedimangalam made iraiyili lands given by a donor to the temple of Tirukkalavudaiyar for lamps for adhyayana on festival days when the God was seated in the yaga-mandapa and for punyaha and adhyayana on other specified occasions (ARE 407 of 1902; SII, VII, 1040). Another instance of conversion of lands to iraiyili comes from a tenth year record of the days of Rajadhiraja II which the sabha of Tribhuvana mahadevi chaturvedimangalam did, in lieu of interest on thirty kasus yielding interest at ¼ sinnam per month per kasu (ARE 402 of 1902; SII, VII, 1035). And, finally, there is an interesting record of the days of Kulottunga III dated in his 18th year. The sripitha of the temple was presumably of brick masonry and there had been unsuccessful efforts (of engineering) earlier to replace it by a stone sripitha; and land was gifted to a person (name not mentioned) who successfully substituted a stone sripitha in the temple, called here that of Tirukkala Udaiya Perumal, in place of the old masonry one (ARE 408 of 1902; SII, VII, 1041).

From these records, it is clear that Udaiyarkoyil was originally called Sribhuti chaturvedimangalam and later on was re-named Tribhuvana mahadevi chaturvedimangalam; and that a temple for Vishnu was built here by about the 14th year of Kulottunga Chola I’s reign and named after him, Kulottungasola vinnagaram. Later, in the days of Kulottunga II, the name of the deity was changed to Tirukkala Udaiyar.

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