Later Chola Temples

by S. R. Balasubrahmanyam | 1979 | 143,852 words

This volume of Chola Temples covers Kulottunga I to Rajendra III in the timeframe A.D. 1070-1280. The Cholas of Southern India left a remarkable stamp in the history of Indian architecture and sculpture. Besides that, the Chola dynasty was a successful ruling dynasty even conquering overseas regions....

Trisulam is a small village situated about 3 km. from the railway station of Pallavaram near the city of Madras. The local Siva temple faces east. The original temple consisted only of the garbhagriha and the ardhamandapa. It is apsidal both in the garbhagriha portion and in its superstructure. The Amman shrine and the madil are later additions.

Dharmapurisvara (Tiruch-churam Udaiya Nayanar) temple

There is an inscription on the lintel of the entrance to the temple. It reads “Tiruch-churam Udaiyar”, which seems to be the old name of the deity of this temple. With the exception of an inscription of the 38th regnal year of Maravarman Kulasekhara Pandya of the 13th century, all the other (thirteen) inscriptions belong to the Later Chola period. They range from the time of Kulottunga I to that of Rajaraja III. The earliest is one of the 36th year and 107th day of Kulottunga I (SII, VII, No. 538; ARE 312 of 1901). It concerns a tiru-mukham (a royal order) of ‘Sungam tavirtta Kulottunga sola deva’. The temple is called that of ‘Udaiyar Tiruchchuram Udaiya Nayanar situated in Pallapuram alias Vanavan Mahadevi chaturvedimangalam in Churattur nadu, a subdivision of Puliyur kottam alias Kulottungasola valanadu, a part of Jayangondasola mandalam. According to the inscription, the priest and the temple servants petitioned that the worship in the temple had come to a stand-still and prayed for the revival of the celebration of the temple festival. At the request of Vanarajan, the king made a gift, as devadana, of 41 velis of land in the village of Munnalur which was renamed Tiru-nirru-chola-nallur (after one of the surnames of Kulottunga I). Another, of his 38th regnal year (ARE 317 of 1901), makes provision for two twilight lamps, while a third inscription (whose regnal year is lost) mentions a gift of land by the local Mahasabha for the midnight service of the Lord (ardhajamam).

There are four inscriptions of the days of Vikrama Chola in this temple. In the inscription of his ninth regnal year, the ‘Urom of Manarpakkam made a gift of land (972 kuli in extent) called Tiruch-chura-vilagam for food offerings (ARE 314 of 1911). One, of his 14th regnal year, mentions a gift of land for food offerings to Palliyarai Nampirattiyar,the Consort of the Lord. In the 37th regnal year of Tribhuvana Vira deva (Kulottunga III, a.d. 1215), the Vanigar-nagar attar of Poondamalli alias Uyyakkondasolapuram made a gift of various temple utensils to Tiruchchuram Udaiya Nayanar; all other inscriptions relate to gifts for lamps.

The following chart brings out the features of the devakoshta figures and the respective torana figures of this temple:

Devakoshta figures: Ganesa
Description of features: with chhatra and chamara
Torana figures: Vali-Sugriva fight.

Devakoshta figures: Dakshinamurti
Description of features: seated figure with right leg on Apasmara; sages on either side; aksha-nala and fire are held in two hands; front right hand in abhaya pose and front left hand resting on the thigh.
Torana figures: Somaskanda

Devakoshta figures: Lingodbhavar
Description of features: with Vishnu in boar-form with sankha and chakra at the bottom; with Brahma as a flying swan at the top; with a ketaka flower.
Torana figures: Rishabhantika with Uma

Devakoshta figures: Brahma
Description of features: a standing figure with three heads and four arms, akshamala and kundika held in two arms.
Torana figures: Ardhanarisvara

Devakoshta figures: Durga
Description of features: a standing four-armed figure on a pedestal, with sankha and chakra with flames.
Torana figures: Kaliya-Krishna.

The kirtimukha of the sikhara has an inset figure of Subrahmanya, and the other niche-figures of the griva are: Vinadhara Dakshina-murti in the south, Yoga Narasimha in the west and a seated Brahma in the north. Brahma has lotuses in the two upper hands, and the other two hands are in the abhaya and the varada poses. There are some interesting panels of sculptures above the and in line with the vyala-vari at the corners; they are, on the right: a cow pouring milk over a Linga (Gokarnesvara), Brahma worshipping a Linga, and Kannappa pulling out his eye; and on the left: an elephant worshipping a Linga, Vali worshipping a Linga, and a monkey riding a crocodile.

This temple, built in the northern part of the (Chola) empire, in the region known as Tondaimandalam, also belongs to the days of Kulottunga I, and its interesting feature is its apsidal structure, a regional characteristic of Tondaimandalam.

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