Temples in Tirupperundurai

Tirupperundurai is a village in the Kumbakonam taluk of Tanjavur district.

Pranesvara (Mahadevar) temple

The local temple dedicated to Pranesvara was an Early Chola foundation. The earliest inscription found in this temple belongs to ‘Madiraikonda Parakesarivarman’ dated in his 22 nd year; it is engraved on the north wall of the mandapa in front of the central shrine, being a copy of an earlier grant made before its reconstruction, and registers an agreement made by the Sabha of Tirup-perunturai and the temple servants for burning a perpetual lamp in the temple of Mahadevar in the village which was a ‘dwadana-brahmadeya in Tirupperunaraiyur nadu’, in return for the sheep received by them from a barber named Pirantakan Adittan (ARE 135 of 1931-32).

However, on the central shrine itself, there is an inscription of the days of Kulottunga III beginning with the introduction puyal vayppa, and is much damaged and incomplete. It seems to contain an inventory of the temple lands and ornaments. It further purports to contain a copy of an inscription engraved on stone when the original brick temple of Tirupperunturai Udaiyar was converted into a stone temple in the reign of ‘Karikala Chola’, on which occasion the inscriptions previously engraved on the doorjambs and the eaves in stone were copied on the temple walls (ARE 134 of 1931-32).

During the Early Chola period, prior to the 22nd year of Parantaka I (Madurai-konda Parakesari), the mandapa in front of the central shrine was added. The central shrine itself was rebuilt in stone in the days of Karikala Aditya II and became old and dilapidated in the intervening two centuries, and in the reign of Kulottunga III was renovated; and at that stage, the old inscription was re-engraved on the wall of the central shrine and a complete inventory of the temple lands and ornaments of the deities of the temple was prepared and recorded on the wall. Thus the central shrine as seen today is a Later Chola structure while the mandapa in front of it belongs to the Early Chola period.

From a Rajaraja inscription of the 14th year, we get to know of the existence of processional images for the Goddess, Periya devar and Astradevar. It records that provision was made for offerings after their ceremonial bath in the (river) Arasilaru by a lady of Araisur in Arkattuk-kurram, a sub-division of Pandi-kulasani valanadu (ARE 137 of 1931-32).