Temples in Vaniyambadi

Vaniyambadi today is an important commercial centre and town in the Ami sub-division of the North Arcot district. It is on the Madras-Coimbatore rail link, about 200 km. from Madras City in an almost westerly direction and about 20 km. south of Jalarpet rail junction.

Atithisvara temple (Vidugadalagisvaram Udaiyar shrine)

There is a temple here called the Atithisvara temple. In the 11th and 12th centuries, this area was ruled by a set of powerful local Chiefs known as the Adigaimans owing allegiance to the Cholas. This temple received much attention during their rule.

In the second prakara north wall of this temple there is an inscription dated in Saka 1143 (a.d.1221) which mentions that Vijayanallulan Singan Aludaiyan Nulambarayan of Arumbakkam in Tirumunaippadi nadu caused the construction of a shrine upto the stupi for the deity Vidukadalagisvaram udaiyar for whom he made a gift of ten cows and one bull for thr lamps and

entrusted the charity to the Sivabrahmanas for maintenance. From the same inscription we get to know that another sandhi lamp was set up by Kuttadum pillai, son of Urandai, for which purpose the Sivabrahmanas received 1½ pon (ARE 185 of 1963-64). We have already seen that Vidugadalagiya Perumal was the son and successor of Rajaraja, the Tagadur Chief, and was a feudatory of Kulottunga III. This local Chief evidently outlived Kulottunga III and continued as a nominal feudatory of Rajaraja III, though it seems more likely, from the recording of the inscription in the Saka era, that he was virtually semi-independent after the third Madurai war and the defeat of Kulottunga III in the last years of his reign.