Temples in Sugatur

Sugatur (also spelt Soogutoor in the old records) is a small village in the Sidlaghata taluk of the Kolar district (in Karnataka State). When this region was under Chola suzerainty, Sugatur is said to have been a flourishing local political centre with palaces and pavilions, and the regional chief lived here.

Somisvara temple

There are three inscriptions from this village (Car., Kolar dist., Siddhalaghata, nos. 8,9 and 10). They relate to a Somisvara temple; they are however not found in any temple but in the fields.

No. 9^[1] is dated in Saka 1042, corresponding to a.d. 1120. It is in Tamil. It says that in the second year of the reign of the king of Puli, the head of the family of the Cholas (Koliyar kula pati) Sri Vikrama Choladeva alias Sri Rajayar, the renowned Udayamartanda Brahmamarayan alias Kuvalaiya Tantiran, the head of Mallur, with his residence in Arumolideva-chatuppedimangalam, the child born of Vichchamai, the senior wife of Paappanapperumal Samundaiyan, who was well-versed in Tamil, caused to be constructed, in the name of the older brother Selumaraivanan, the temple of Somichchara, the holy god with golden matted hair, praised by the celestials, in the village of Sugattur, where damsels learn dancing, situated in Kaivara nadu in Nigarilisola mandalam; he also presented a footstool made of gold and caused to be set up the images of Siva and Parvati so that these might be worshipped by all the world, and had a tank dug to the west of the temple for the priests. He also provided for worship to the other deities in the temple like Ganapati and Suryadeva.

Another inscription dated in a.d. 1120 (no. 16 ibid.) mentions that the members of the Assembly favoured certain lands to the goldsmith Savai Aasaari and confirms that Sugattur was called Arumolidevach-chatuppedimangalam in Kaivaara nadu of Nigarilisola mandalam. Sugutur, Hosapete, Sundrahalli, and Dodda-chokkandahalli seem to be near one another. At Hosapete there is a ruined temple called Kallesvara temple. There is also another temple called Channarayasvami temple. At -Doddachokkandahalli, there is a Basavanna temple. We are unable to say if any one of these three is the Somisvara temple; or has the Somisvara temple gone out of existence? We may assign this temple to the early years of Vikrama Chola’s rule.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

This reads as follows: Svasti Sri Saka vat sham ayirattu narppattirandu; Pu Magal punara pugalmadu valara..... Vikkiramasola devarkku yandu Irandadanil nara nigarilisola-mandalattuk-karavayal sut kaivara nattul mada maligai mandapam ongiya....... Sugutturil Arvmolideva-saduppedi mangalattu udaya Marttanda Biramma Marayan... Somichchura tiruk-koyil edupitlu...