Temples in Olagapuram

Olagapuram village lies about 3 kms south-east of the Tindi-vanam-Marakkanam road and is connected by a village track taking off in a southerly direction at the 16 km stone from Villu-puram. Alattur and Perumukkal are not far from here. The village derives its name from that of one of the queens of Rajaraja I, Loga Mahadevi who bore the alternate name of Danti Sakti Vitanki. During the Chola days it bore the name of Ologamadevipuram.^[1]

There are two ancient temples in this village one dedicated to Vishnu, now called Devarava Perumal and the other to Siva, now called Kailasa temple. According to the inscriptions, the Siva temple was called the Kailasamudaiyar alias Arikulakesari-Isvaram Udaiyar temple and the Vishnu temple which is in the western outskirts of the present site of the village was called Arinjigai vinnagar.

Siva temple (Sri Kailayattu Paramasvamin)

This temple, which is now in the eastern part of the village is unfortunately in ruins. The earliest inscription here is engraved on the south wall of the central shrine and is dated in the third regnal year of Rajakesarivarman, who has to be identified with Rajaraja I. This inscription deals with an endowment of 96 sheep for burning a perpetual lamp in the temple of Sri Kailayattu Paramasvamin of Ulogamadevipuram, a taniyur in Oyma nadu made by one Ambalavan Gandaradittanar, a nobleman of the days of Rajaraja I; we also learn that the same nobleman built this temple in stone.

The relevant portion of the record reads as follows:

Svasti sri: Kovirajakesarivarmarkku yandu. 3 avadu Oyma nattu taniyur Ulogamadevipurattu sri Kailayattu tirukkarrali yeduppitta udaiyar Perundarattu Ambalavan Gandaradittanar... nundavilakku otiru... (ARE 129 of 1919).

Thus this temple in its present structural form in stone can be attributed to the early years of this ruler. In another inscription from the same temple found on the south wall of the central shrine and dated in the seventh year of the king Rajaraja I, this chief again donates a flower garden to the temple (ARE 127 of 1919). It records a sale of land by the Magarattar (merchant guild) of Ulogamadevipuram to Gangan Ambalavanana Gandara-dittasola Villuparaiyan of Kuvalalam (Kolar town in Karnataka State) in Gangarusayira (the Ganga Six Thousand) province, who in turn endowed it for the flower garden. From an inscription in the Anantisvara temple at Udavargudi, we find a reference to the same nobleman from Kuvalalam who is said to have endowed over 19 velis of land lor feeding 56 brahmanas in the said temple. The same officer or chief is said to have hailed from Kuvalalam and to have belonged to the perundaram of Mummadi Chola (Rajaraja I) named Ambalavan Paluvur Nakkan alias Vikramasola Maharajan. He built of stone the srivimana of the temple at Govindaputtur and endowed land for worship therein in the third year of the king (ARE 168 of 1928—29; also SII, XIII, 76). This chief figures largely in the reign of Uttama Chola under this title. In another record from the same place dated in the second year of Rajaraja I, he is mentioned with the title of Rajaraja Pallavaraiyan (ARE 175 of 1928-29; SII, XIII, 124).

Thus this temple is a foundation of the early years of Rajaraja I and was already in existence by the third year of his reign (a.d. 988).

From a late record of the Middle Chola period found in this temple we get to know that the deity of this temple was called Arikulakesari Isvaram Udaiyar; the temple was said to be situated in Ulogamadevipuram in Peraayur nadu, a subdivision of Oyma nadu; found on the south wall and belonging to the third year of Rajakesarivarman alias Udaiyar Sri Rajamahendra deva, beginning with the introduction ‘manu neeti mural valaral, it records the sale of land by the nagarattar of this village for being presented to the temple in order to meet the expenses connected with the shrine of Rajendrasola Vitankar built in it (ARE 130 of 1919).

The temple is eka-tala and faces east; the garbhagriha is built of stone and the superstructure is of brick; the garbhagriha is a square of 5.60 ms side externally. The southern wall is intact but the western and northern walls have collapsed bringing down with them a part of the superstructure. The vertical face of the southern wall is divided into three vertical segments, by pilasters; while in the middle is the main dev housing a fine specimen of Dakshinamurti, there is asymmetry in the distribution of the niches, there being a niche to its east and none to its west. In the eastern niche is a beautifully carved figure of Bhikshatanar. Dakshinamurti is in the original devakoshta, while the image of Bhikshatanar appears to be a later insertion in an improvised niche. On the antarala wall, the southern niche where Ganapati should have been, is now empty and on the northern side, the niche houses an icon of Durga. This also appears to be a later insertion. In front of the garbhagriha is a mukhamandapa with an entrance from the southern side.

The entire group of buildings was surrounded by a wall of enclosure 50 ms by 27.7 ms, of which only the plinth remains. Within the temple campus, there are the structural remains of three shrines, one in the north-west corner perhaps of Jyeshtha, another close to the mukhamandapa on its northern side housing Chandesar and a third shrine in the north-eastern side but adjoining the eastern enclosure wall with the entrance facing west, where now a loose image of Surya is kept. The full complement of the ashtaparivara-devatas might have existed in the past.

Vishnu temple (Arinjigai Vinnagar)

This temple renovated by local effort is situated in the western approaches to the village. The earliest inscription is found on the north-west and south walls of the central shrine and belongs to the third year of Parakesarivarman alias Rajendra Choladeva I; it mentions that grants made in previous years but not registered were now inscribed on the temple wall; they related to grants of lands for offerings and sribali to the temple of Arinjaya-Vinnagar-alvar in Loga Mahadevipuram in Peraayur nadu and in this connection we get references to local lakes called the Kalikantakap-ptfrm and the Gandaradittan-^rm (ARE 140 of 1919). The other record of the same king refers to a palace woman belonging to Rajendrasoladevar Mummudisolat-terinda tiru-manjanattar velam (south wall of the central shrine, record dated in the twenty-fourth regnal of Rajendra I; ARE 142 of 1919). An inscription dated in the third regnal year of Rajamahendra gives information about the existence in this village of a Jaina temple called Sundarasolap-Perumpalli, named evidently after Sundara Chola and set up by Rajaraja I in memory of his father. One Samantabahu Acharya, a worshipper of the deity of this temple buys some land from the nagarattars of Ulogamadevipuram to present the same to the temple of Arinjigai-Vinnagar-Virri-runda-Alvar in order to meet its expenses (ARE 141 of 1919). From some other records we gather that in this township, there were other temples and shrines some of which were the temple of Komani-undaar, Gokarnisvaram Udaiya Mahadevar temple, and an Ayyanar temple called that of the Terkil-vasal-Mahasat-tanar; for the last mentioned temple the nagarattars of this township made a gift of land for offerings, vide a record of Rajaraja I dated in his eleventh regnal year, found on a slab set up in front of the Ayyanar temple (ARE 144 of 1919).

Under the inspiration of Logamahadevi, the chief queen of Rajaraja I were built at Ulogamadevipuram, a Siva temple called Arikulakesari-Isvaram and a Vishnu temple named Arinjigai Vinnagar, both named after the names of Rajaraja I’s grand-father and a Jaina temple called after his father; this would demonstrate the catholic spirit of Logamahadevi, an echo of what we find at Dadapuram under the inspiration of Kundavai (Pls 114 to 118).

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Ologamadevi and Ulogamadevi are the Tamil equivalents of Loka-mahadevi.