Temples in Neyvennai

The village of Neyvennai, in the South Arcot district, is 6.5 km. away in a northwesterly direction from the Ulundurpet railway station of the Southern Railway, on the Madras-Tiruchy chord line. In the days of the Devaram hymnists, it went under the name of Tiruvennai-nallur or simply Nel-vennai, and has associations with the saint Sambandar.

Svarnaghatesvara (Vennaiyappar) temple

The deity of the main temple is called Vennai Appar or Svarnaghatesvara and the Amman is called Nilamalar kan Ammai: the ‘goddess with the blue-lotus eyes’.

We have already seen that the region comprising the Tiruk-koyilur taluk of the South Arcot district and neighbouring areas was administered by the Malaiyaman Chiefs of Kiliyur and Kilur, who were feudatories of the Cholas, over a couple of centuries and more. (For further details on these Chiefs, see under Arakanda-nallur). The village of Neyvennai and its temples were the recipients of their attention.

From a 9th year record of Kulottunga I found on the south wall of the central shrine, we come to know of the existence of a shrine of the Goddess, for which a gift of land for offerings is made (ARE 379 of 1908). In the 48th year of the same king, Rajendra Chola Chediyarayan, a native of Kiliyur in Tirumunaippadi nadu of Gangaikondasola valanadu, set up an image of Nataraja (Kuttadum devar) in the temple of Tirunelvennai (ARE 375 of 1908). One Vikkirama Chola Chediyaraiyan of Kiliyur made a gift of land to the God at Tirunelvennai, in Kurukkai kurram, a district in Miladu alias Jananatha valanadu, in the 8th year of Vikrama Chola (ARE 371 of 1908). In the 12th year of the same king, (Malaiyan Malian alias) Rajendra Sola Malaiyaman of Kiliyur makes a gift of land for offerings to various shrines in the temple (ARE 373 of 1908). It is for the merit of the same benefactor that, in the 10th year of Rajakesarivarman alias Udaiyar Sri Kulottunga Chola deva—obviously a reference to Kulottunga II, a gift of 64 cows is made for maintaining two lamps, to the temple of Mahadeva at Tirunelvennai (ARE 376 of 1908).

In the days of Kopperunjinga, the deity is called Porkudan-kuduttu Aruliya Nayanar (36th year, ARE 370 of 1908). And by the 15thcentury (Saka 1384 = a.d. 1462), Tirunelvennai is described as located in Adanurparru, a sub-division of Kurukkai kurram, in Tirumunaippadi nadu.

The earliest inscription found on the walls of the central shrine is one of the 3rd year of Kulottunga I.

The temple including the Amman shrine can be attributed to the days of Kulottunga I.