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....
Temples in Turaiyur
The small town of Turaiyur is situated in the taluk of the same name in the Tiruchy district. It lies north of Namakkal. There are three temples here, which have to be assigned to the thirteenth century a.d. According to a local inscription, this place is said to be on the banks of Kilp-palaru in Panchil kurram, a subdivision of Rajaraja valanadu. It finds mention in the Karandai Tamil Sangam Plates of Rajendra I.
1) Nandikesvarasvamin temple and Nallanayaki Amman shrine
Of the three temples, the most important is the one dedicated to Nandikesvara. In ancient days, it went under the name of Tiruvalisvaram Udaiya Nayanar temple (ARE 701 of 1908). It consists of the garbhagriha, the, the snapana-mandapa, the mukhamandapa and the mahamandapa. There is a gateway in the east and a five-storeyed gopuram in the south. There are subshrines for Ganapati, Subrahmanyar and Chandesvara. Bhairavar is installed on the north side of the mukhamandapa. There is also a Nataraja shrine in the campus. It seems to have been built by a local Chief.
A third year inscription of Rajaraja (III) mentions a gift of land to the shrines of Nallanayaki and Subrahmanya Pillaiyar in the temple of Valisvaram Udaiya Nayanar at Turaiyur. This temple must have come into being by about this time. Is this Amman shrine the same as the one of Mahasapta-Gauri Amman found in the north-west corner of this temple? This shrine faces east and has devakoshtas in which are installed the icons of Ichcha Sakti, Mahesvari, Vaishnavi, Brahmi and Durga (ARE 701 of 1908).
2) Kasi Visvanathasvamin temple
Six hundred metres north-east of this temple is another called Kasi Visvanathar temple. It has a two-storeyed srivimana with a round griva and sikhara. The figures in the devakoshtas are Ganapati, Dakshinamurti, Lingodbhavar, Brahma and Durga. There is a shrine for Amman to the north of the ardhamandapay and another for Nataraja further east.
3) Venugopalasvamin (Vishnu) temple
South-west of the Nandikesvara temple is the Vishnu temple of Venugopalasvamin. There is an inscription of Rajaraja III on its north wall. There is also an inscription of the eleventh year of Jatavarman Sundara Pandya I (acc. a.d. 1251). (Pls. 363-73).
All these temples may be attributed to the days of Rajaraja III.