Temples in Tiruvorriyur

The existence of a temple dedicated to Mahadeva Bhattarar at Tiruvorriyur even in the days of the later Pallavas is attested by two inscriptions on stones built into the pavement of the Adipurisvara temple. One is of the 18th year and 29th day of Nandivarman III (162 of 1937-38). It concerns a gift of gold received from the king for two lamps. The second is of the 5th year of Aparajita (165 of 1937-38). It also concerns a gift of gold for a lamp. The Pallava temple was perhaps a brick structure.

Adipurisvara temple

The region round about Tiruvorriyur in Tondainadu should have been annexed to the Chola empire only in the days of Parantaka I, and his inscriptions found here range from his 20th to his 35th year. It is likely that it formed the effective northern limit of the Chola empire under him. Though there is a reference in an inscription of the 34th year of Parantaka I (160 of 1912) to theconquestof Sitpuli-nadu (sippuli-nadu), Madanap-palli region, and the destruction of Nellore by Maran Paramesvaran alias Sembiyan Soliyavaraiyan of Siru-kalattur (as well as to a gift of a lamp to this Lord on his return from the campaign), it had not resulted in the permanent annexation of this territory to the Chola empire. An inscription at Little Kanchi (of the 6th year of Rajaraja I) states that one Kurukkadi Kilan Paraman Malapadi alias Mummudi Cholan captured (among his booty) 900 sheep in the course of the war for the conquest of Sippuli-nadu and Pakkai-nadu, and that they were, with the permission and under the orders (tiru-mukham) of the king, given over for the maintenance of ten perpetual lamps to be called Raja-rajan (after the king) and to be burnt in the shrine of Ainjandi Durga Bhatari at Kachchippedu (Kanchi). This is a clear reference to the reconquest of this territory under Rajaraja I (79 of 1921: SII., XIII, no. 149).

In the 29th year of Parantaka I, one Iravi Villi, daughter of the Chera king Vijayaraghava-deva, made a gift of gold for a lamp to the Mahadevar of Tiruvorri-yur. This is one more instance of the friendly contacts between the Cholas and the Cheras in the days of Parantaka I.

In the 30th year of Parantaka I, Sri Kodandaramanar, the eldest son of the king, made a gift of 60 kalanju of gold for two lamps.

Another son of the king, ‘Pillaiyar Arindagai Peru-manar’ (Arinjaya), made a gift of 30 nikshas (gold coins) to the ‘Purari of Adigrama (the old name of Tiruvorriyur).

The annexation of the northern part of the Chola empire by the Rashtrakuta Krishna III (in the later years of the reign of Parantaka I) is attested by three inscriptions of his (177, 179 and 181 of 1912). One of them mentions a gift of 100 nikshas of gold for the Sri-bali ceremony by ChaturanaPandita(of theLakulisa sect) and another concerns a gift for a lamp by the mother of Kannara-deva.

According to an inscription of the 5th year of Madirai-konda Rajakesari, Sundara Chola, one of the nobles of Udaiyar Uttama Chola made a gift for a lamp to this deity. There are two inscriptions of the period of Uttama Chola, of his 15th and 16th years (166 and 245 of 1912). According to one of them, Uttama Chola is said to have presented (out of the taxes due to him) to the temple of Mahadevar at Tiruvorriyur, an idol of Sri-bali-devar in gold, also eight trumpets and 24 fly-whisks (chauris). The other mentions a gift (made by the officer of the king who was looking after the administration of the temple) of a gold salver weighing 885 kalanju of gold for offering food to the Lord.

All these early records are found, on the walls of the central shrine but on pillars of the mandapas built round the central shrine or on stone-slabs imbedded in the pavement; the earlier temple was reconstructed in the reign of Rajendra Chola I. He is said to have erected, with fine black stone, the to Devesa at Adipuri (Tiruvorriyur) as a three-tiered vimana at the instance of Chaturana Pandita.