Temples in Sivankudal

Sivankudal is a village in the Kanchipuram taluk of the Chingleput district and bore the name of Sivak-kudal in ancient days. There is a local temple dedicated to Sivakkolundisvara.

Sivakkolundisvara temple

On the south and west walls of this temple, there are a large number of inscriptions of the days of Kulottunga I, ranging from his fifth year (ARE 284 of 1912) through his 25th, 28th, 49th and 50th years (ARE278,280,281,282);and all of them are either mutilated or disposed in disorder. There are, however, three Vikrama Chola records on the walls of the central shrine and they are in order; they relate to his 9th, 10th and 11th years respectively (ARE 283, 285 and 286 of 1912). There is, besides, one stray record dated in the third regnal year (ARE 289 of 1912) of Parakesarivarman Rajendra I which is found on a pillar lying in the temple.

It would seem that this temple was in existence even in the days of Rajendra I and possibly also earlier, as this record mentions that the Assembly of Sivakkudal in Nirvelur nadu, in Urrukkattuk kottam, a district of Jayangondasola mandalam, received money from a private citizen and declared certain lands, below the tank of Brahmadhiraya-putteri, rent-free in order to provide for offerings and lamps in the temple of Mahadevar of Sivakkudal.

The records of Kulottunga I all refer to gifts of land and sale of land for gifts to the temple; and the deity is called Sivakkolund-udaiya Nayanar (ARE 287 of 1912).

Of the three records of Vikrama Chola, one refers to a sale of land to the temple for conducting a festival of seven days beginning with Ani-Uttirattadi, the asterism under which the king was born; and another refers to the purchase of some land which was later gifted to the temple of Mahadevar or Sivakkolundandar at Sivankudal. The third record of Vikrama Chola is unimportant.

The Amman shrine called that of Maragatavalli Nachchiyar in the temple of Sivakkolundudaiya Nayanar came into existence perhaps during the time of Vijayagandagopala deva, as we have a reference (in his 25th year record: ARE 287 of 1912) to the purchase of some land in his days.

I would infer that the temple was possibly in existence even in the Middle Chola period, how much earlier is not known, and that during the days of Kulottunga I, it received extensive attention and gifts and that the srivimana of the temple either underwent major repairs or was altogether rebuilt before the tenth year of Vikrama Chola. This conclusion is based on the fact that all the records relating to Kulottunga I are jumbled and mutilated, while those of Vikrama Chola on the walls of the srivimana are intact. If this surmise is right, the present structure could be attributed to Vikrama Chola and must have been built between a.d. 1120 and 1128.

The Amman shrine is a foundation of the mid-13th century.