Individual Donors

There are names of 14 military officers of Rajaraja I who would appear to have dreaded the prospect of incurring the displeasure of the king in the event of defeat in the operations at Koli (i.e. Uraiyur, the ancient Chola capital) and to have vowed to put up lamps in the temple in case their fair names were not besmirched. This is indicative of the high standard of efficiency of Rajaraja I’s army and the strict code of discipline and conduct enforced on the members of the armed forces. Among these 14 are eight persons with the designations perundanam prefixed to their names, viz., Uttarangudaiyan Kon Vidividangan alias Villavan Muvendavelan, Marayan Rajarajan, Kandarachchan Pattalagan alias Nittavinoda Villuparaiyan, Alatturudaiyan Kalan Kannappan alias Rajakesari Muvendavelan, Logamarayan, Ra-jakesari Muvendavelan (same title as for no.4 above), Vayiri Sangaran and Kovan Tayilaiyan.

Among the others were some brahmanas who were presumably royal arbitrators (naduvirukkaiseyda), two from Kamarasavalli chaturvedimangalam and one from Kadalangudi.

There were other donors whose gifts were spontaneous efforts at acquiring merit. Among them are:

Amudan Tevan alias Rajavidyadhara Vilupparaiyan Ulaga-landan, Senapati Kuravan Ulagalandan alias Rajaraja Maha-rajan, Adittan Suryan alias Tennavan Muvendavelan, the headman of Poygai nadu, Irayiravan Pallavayan alias Mummadi-sola Posan of Araisur in Pambuni kurram, a sub-division of Nittavinoda valanadu and Karayil Eduttapadam, the headman of Rajakesarinallur and royal secretary.

The name of a royal lady also finds mention as a donor. As we have already seen, Ilada Madevi, a queen of Rajaraja I, set up an image of Pasupatamurti in the temple: her gifts of cows and she-buffaloes for lamps to the image are recorded here.