Temples in Tirumalpuram (Tirumarpperu)

According to local legends, Vishnu is said to have worshipped Siva for obtaining his chakra, with a thousand lotus flowers. When the last flower was missing, Vishnu pulled out one of his own eyes to complete the required number. Then Siva was pleased and the boon was granted. Hence the old name of this place Tiru-mal-peru or Tirumarpperu.

Tirumalpuram is 7 miles (11.23 km.) from Kanchi on the road to Arakonam in North Arcot district. A local inscription of Vikrama Chola (272 of 1906) mentions the existence of three temples here: of Aludaiyar, Tirumarp-Perudaiyar and Uttama Cholis-varam Udaiyar. An inscription of Rajakesarivarman alias Mummudi Chola (Rajaraja I) mentions a temple called Agnisvaram at Tirumalperu, the ancient name of Tirumalpuram. An inscription of Rajadhiraja mentions the (now-ruined) temple of Ninrarulina Perumal Uyyakkondalvar at Govindapadi, a suburb of Tirumalpuram. The identification of all these temples is unfortunately not possible. We shall here consider two of them: Manikantesvaram and Ninrarulina Perumal temples.

1. Manikantesvaram (Siva) of Tirumalpuram

The existence of this temple in the days of Parantaka I is attested by an inscription of his 37th year, which mentions a sale of land (298 of 1906). An inscription of the 3rd year of Parthivendradhipati-varman (267 of 1906) records the building of the temple and the surrounding verandah by the Virata king Anayaman alias Paramandaladitya. He is either a Chola feudatory or a member of the Chola royal family of the post-Parantaka I period. Another of his 13th regnal year (266 of 1906: SII, III, no. 197) mentions the gift of 25 kalanju of gold for two lamps by Vijaya Mahadeviyar, the daughter of Nandivarma Kadupattigal (queen of Parantaka I).

The most important inscription in this temple is one of the 14th year of a Konerinmaikondan, which does not mention the name of the ruler; but, on the strength of the names of a number of signatories found in this inscription who also figure in other inscriptions that could be definitely attributed to Uttama Chola, it has been concluded that it is one of Uttama Chola’s (286 of 1906: SII, III, no. 142). According to it, the village of Sirriyarrur, with the exception of the kani of Sangap-padi Kilan, with its income of 3,000 kadi (as) plus 561 kadi and 26£ kalanju of gold (as iravu) had been made devadana iraiyili (a gift of land to a temple after its being made tax-free), and the sabha of the neighbouring village of Puduppakkam had received the lands and agreed to make the prescribed payments to the temple of Mahadevar at Tirumalperu; this grant had been made in the 21st year of Tondaiman Arrurt-tunjina udaiyar (Aditya I), and in his 22nd year the ceremony of circum-ambulation by an elephant (‘pida-gai-nadandu’) had been performed as customary in the case of donation of lands or villages, and the trust-deed was thus completed. But it had later been found that the sabha of Puduppakkam had not honoured their obligations and had made no payments to the temple. So, in the 4th year of Parantaka I, the endowment had been re-registered and entered into the accounts. Here is the relevant part of the inscription: “Tirumalperru Mahadevarkku Manavil Kottattu Manavil Nattuch -Chirriyarrur Sangappadi Kilan kani nikki puravu muvayirak kadiyum iravu 561 kadiyum pon 26£ kalanjaraiye manjadiyum devadana iraiyiliyai ip puravum iravum ponnum devarkku iruppadaha ik kottattu Purisainattup Piramadeyam Puduppakkattu Sabhaiyarkkut devadana brahma-desamahat Tondaiman-arrurttunjina Udaiyarkku 21-avadu kuduttu, 22-avadu pidagai nadandu, sasanam kuduttu variyi-lidadey kidanda ivvurai M konda Kop Parakesari-panmarkku yandu devadanam brahmadeyam aha variyilitta...

Again, in the 36th year of Parantaka 1, a fresh grant, namely the remaining kani of Sangappadi Kilan, which had been excluded from the previous grant, yielding an annual puravu of 3,000 was also made over to this temple as devadana and the same sabha of Puduppakkam was also placed in charge of the additional endowment. The minister of Uttama Chola, called Chola Muvenda-velan, received complaints from the devakanmis (priests), unnaligai-udaiyar (those in charge of the store-room of the temple and of the supply of daily requirements for the temple: now called padik-kattalai) and the (temple-trustees) of Tirumalperu that the of Puduppakkam had defaulted their obligations and had fraudulently misappropriated the temple funds; this complaint was duly reported to the king, Uttama Chola, in the 14th year and 216th day of his reign, while he was residing in his palace, the ‘Golden Hall of Kachchippedu’, i.e., Kanchi (‘Kachchippettup The king thereupon summoned the devakanmis, the unnaligai-udaiyar and the mahesvaras of Tirumalperu, and the members of the sabha of Puduppakkam; after a thorough enquiry, he found the sabha guilty of misappropriation. The sabha was fined, and its members were further directed to fulfil their obligations according to their old commitments. Accordingly, increased scales of expenditure were ordered for the total income of 6,561 kadi of paddy and 26½ kalanju of gold. As in the case of copper-plate grants (for instance, the ‘Madras Museum Plates of Uttama Chola’), the document was signed by a number of royal officers—the royal Secretary, anatti, vaikkelvi, olainayakan, puravu-vari, mukhavetti etc.

That the region round about Tirumalpuram was already in the possession of Aditya I even by his 21st year and that Aditya I died at TondaimanArrur(modern Tondaimanad) are established by this very interesting document, apart from the light that it throws on local administration under the Cholas.

There was a royal officer, Madurantaka Gandaradit-tan Tiruvadigal, perhaps a son of Uttama Chola, who figures in the days of Uttama Chola and in the early years of Rajaraja 1 (upto his 12th year). He made inquiries into the administration of temples here and elsewhere, as well as donated costly gifts to them. He seems to have wielded great influence and enjoyed the confidence of Rajaraja I himself. In the 14th year of Uttama Chola, he makes an endowment for a ceremonial bath of the principal deity of this temple with 108 pots of water on one day every month (280, 285 and 292-A of 1906).

Both he and Solamadeviyar alias Panchavan Made-viyar, queen of ‘Mummudi Chola’ (Rajaraja I) made grants of land for two lamps to this temple in the 3rd year of Rajaraja I (294 of 1906). Another inscription of the 4th year of Rajaraja I found in this temple refers to an inquiry conducted by the same royal officer into the affairs of another local temple of Agnis-varar, now no longer in existence. An inscription of the 12th year of this king mentions an inquiry and the imposition of a fine on the men in charge of the storeroom of the temple.

An image of Uma Bhattarar alias Adi Sundra Deviyar was installed in the 11th year of Rajaraja I. An image of Uttama Cholisvaram Udaiyar is said to have been set up in the 34th year of Tribhuvana Vira devar i.e., Kulottunga III.

The villages of Sirriyarrur and Puduppakkam mentioned here are the modern villages of Sittattur and Puduppakkam in the Walajapet taluk of North Arcot district.

2. Ninrarulina Perumal (Vishnu) temple of Govindapadi

The ruined Vishnu temple in this village is called ‘Ninrarulina Perumanadigal temple at Govindapadi’, the latter village being a suburb of Tirumalpuram. The temple contained inscriptions of Parantaka I from his 12th to his 41st year, Among them is one concerning a gift of a lamp by prince Parantaka Uttama-sili a son of Parantaka I (301 of 1906). Another records the gift of a lamp by the Chola queen, Amani-madeviyar from Pandinadu to Ninrarulina Perumanadigal at Govindapadi in Vallanadu, a sub-division of Damar Kottam in Tondai-nadu (314 of 1906). In the 31st year of Parantaka I, the Chola queen Amudam Perral alias Pallavan Madeviyar of Kunnattur in Umbala-nadu made a gift of a lamp to this deity. A Parakesari inscription whose date is lost mentions a gift to this Lord made by the Chola queen Panchavan Madevi (338 of 1906).

There are four inscriptions of ‘Parthivendravarman who took the head of Vira Pandya’ (3rd to 13th years). One concerns a gift of gold by Vaidumbaraditta Brahmadhirajan. Another records the building of a mandapa. The king’s mahout buys land in Sirriyarrur from the temple and assigns it for feeding a brahman in the matha attached to the temple.

There are two inscription of the 17th year of Madiraikonda Rajakesari, perhaps to be assigned to Sundara Chola. They concern gifts for lamps (307 and 308 of 1906).

An inscription of the 14th year of Parakesarivarman, perhaps Uttama Chola (321 of 1906), mentions that an idol of Manavalap-Perumal was set up and a gift was made for offerings to Him. In the days of Rajaraja I (11th year), an idol of Hanuman was installed (335 of 1906). provision was made for the recitation of the Vaishnavite sacred hymns, Tiruvoymoli Nammalvar Prabandham in the temple (326 of 1906).

The deity is called ‘Uyyakkondalvarat Govindapadi’ in an inscription of Rajadhiraja I. The temple has now gone out of existence.^[1]

Both the Siva and the Vishnu temples belonged to the days of Parantaka I.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

In the name of renovation, the character and beauty of these ancient venerable monuments have been irretrievably destroyed. It was a tragic sight to see the destruction of the invaluable inscriptions on the Siva temple, as a result of thoughtless renovation and the total disappearance of the equally historic Vishnu temple at Govindapadi.