Temples in Kilpakkam

Rajaditya (or Rajaditta) was the eldest son of Parantaka I. He was ruling the northern portion of the Chola empire with his military headquarters at Gramam. He was in charge of the northern command helped by a Kerala Commander named Velan Kumaran and his Malayalee soldiers and his retinue. They were responsible for the rebuilding of stone of the two ancient temples at Gramam and Tirunamanallur.

Another temple named after Rajaditya is found at Kilpakkam near Arakonam in the Chingleput district. In this place there is a temple now called Narendes-varam. There are four inscriptions on the walls of this temple. One of them on the south base of the temple (A.R. no. 37 of 1911) ofthe 19th year of Rajendra Chola 1 is incomplete. It mentions that Kilpakkam was the eastern hamlet of Nittavinoda Chaturvedimangalam and that there was in it a temple called Rajadittisvaram enshrining the deity of Rajaditta Vithankan.

From another inscription on the south wall of the same temple of the 17th year of Parakesarivarman alias Udaiyar Rajendra Chola deva (I) (A.R. no. 38 of 1917) we learn that the Mahasabha of Nityavinoda -Chaturvedimangalam met in the temple of Sri Kailasam alias Mummudi Sola Isvaram Udaiyar and borrowed twenty kalanju of gold from the temple of Rajaditta Isvaram Udaiyar which was placed in the hands of the village committee (ur variyam) for the supply of oil to the temple by way of interest on the amount borrowed.

Mummudi Sola seems to be a surname of Rajaditya himself and it is likely that these two temples at Kilpak-kam were built in the days of Rajaditya and named after the Chola heir-apparent.