Temples in Argal (Argalur)

Argalur is in the Attur taluk of the Salem district. It is 4 km. south-east of Talaivasal on the right bank of the river Vasishta uadi. In the Chola days, it is said to have been located in Magadai mandalam.

Tiruk-kamisvaram-udaiya Nayanar temple

There are a number of temples in this village; the most important of them is the temple of Tiruk-Kamisvaram Udaiya Nayanar. Apart from Chola records, many Pandyan and Vijaya-nagara period inscriptions are also found on the walls of this temple.

The earliest inscription found on the walls of the Kamisvaram Udaiyar temple is one of the 13th year of Kulottunga III (ARE 417 of 1913). It records the sale of the village of Ilattipadi to the trustees of the temple by Melaiyam udaiyan Sambaiyalvan for 135 port. This village was made tax-free by the trustees (of the temple) in favour of the temple for maintaining worship, conducting festivals and undertaking repairs. In the 29th year of Kulottunga III (a.d. 1206), a gift of 5000 kasus was made for the sacred bath, twilight lamps, garlands, clothes and offerings to the icons of the three nayanmars (emperumakkal), Appar, Sambandar and Sundarar, set up in this temple (ARE 418 of 1913), An inscription of the 35th year of Kulottunga III records a political compact between Sengeni Ammaiyappan Alagiyasolan alias Edirilisola Sambuva-rayan and the chiefs Ponparappina Vanakkovaraiyar, Kulottunga-sola Vanakkovaraiyar and Kadavarayar for mutual protection. This again reflects the state of political unrest and lack of security in the kingdom, already referred to—a foreshadowing of the impending collapse of Chola rule (ARE 435 and 440 of 1913). We get to know of the existence of a number of temples in the neighbourhood—Tayilum-nalla-solisvaram, Ponparappina-solis-varam, Vairavana Isvaram and Kulasekhara Udaiyar (Pandya) temple, as they find mention in the inscriptions here (ARE 434, 454,453, and 441 of 1913).

The temple has two prakaras. There is a three-tier (munru - nilai) gopuram in the eastern side of the first wall of enclosure. The outer gopuram is without a superstructure.

In the covered verandah round the first prakara there are installed icons of Surya, the four Tamil Nayanmars and the Saptama-trikas in the south, Ganapati, Shanmukha and Gajalakshmi m the west, and Virabhadrar, the sixty-three nayanmars, Rishabha-vahana devar, Durga (lifesize), Bhairavar and Nataraja in the north. Surya and Bhairavar are placed in the north-east corner of the first prakara.

The main shrine consists of the garbhagriha and the ardha-mandapa (slightly damaged), guarded by dvarapalas. There are a number of bronzes in the northern wing of the ardhamandapa—Chandrasekharar, Sattanathar, Bhikshatanar, Tripurantakar, Nataraja, Sivakami, Tani-Amman, Ayyanar and Kali. Tjhe outer walls of the garbhagriha are adorned by the devakoshta images of Dakshinamurti, Lingodbhavar and Brahma. There is a standing Ganapati on the south wall of the. The front portion of the ardhamandapa serves as the snapanamandapa. On its northern side there is a gateway to the first prakara.