Temples in Tindivanam

Tindivanam is the modern name applied to the area formerly known as Gidangil where flourished a local chief called Kidangil Koman whose glory is sung by by the poets of the Sangam age. Even now the big tank in the southern part of the town near the railway station is called Gidangileri. The early Chola Siva temple here was known as Tirut-tindisvara devar temple at Gidangil. The name of the deity came to be given to the town itself and so it is named Tindivanam, a railway station on the main line (Madras-Dhanushkoti) of the Southern Railway.

Tintrinisvara temple

The oldest inscription on the walls of this temple seems to be one of the 5th year of a Rajakesarivarman who is perhaps to be identified with Sundara Chola alias Parantaka II. This inscription is built in and seems to record a gift of a number of lamps to the temple by different persons.

An inscription of the 10th year of Rajaraja I refers to a gift of land for two musicians, one a player on the vina and the other a vocalist who were to sing before God Tiruttindisvara-devar (“vinai vasippanuk-kum udan paduvan oruvaraukkum”; SIT, VII, no. 154; a.r. no. 141 of 1900).

The central shrine and the ardhamandapa can be regarded as the original temple of Pre-Rajaraja I’s days (10th century). As in the case of temples of this period, we have devakoshtas with idols of Ganesa and Dakshinamurti on the southern, Vishnu on the western and Brahma and Durga on the northern side.