Temples in Tiruvennainallur

In addition to the famous Saivite temple of Kripa-purisvara associated with Sundaramurti Nayanar, there is a historic Vishnu temple at Tiruvennainallur in the Tirukkoyilur taluk of the South Arcot district, built by the local Kadava Chiefs (the Later Pallavas). The old Alagiya Pallava Vinnagar was perhaps named after Alagiya Pallavan alias Manavalapperumal, the father of Kopperunjinga.

(According to me, there was only one Pallava king of this name, who ruled a large part of South India between a.d. 1243 and 1279: see my thesis published in the Journal of the Madras University and my fuller version in Tamil “Kopperunjingan”—published by "Paari Nilayam”).

This temple was renovated in the eleventh year of Kopperunjinga (SII, XII, 170; ARE 486 and 487 of 1921). The earliest records and the ones engraved before the renovation of the earlier structure were copied and re-engraved on the north and south walls of the renovated temple. Its renovation seems to have been started about the 29th year of the Chola king Tribhuvana Vira Deva (Kulottunga III) (circa a.d. 1207, ARE 320 of 1932). The first of the copied inscriptions mentions that in the 12th year of Rajaraja II (a.d. 1158), a gift with the object of being blessed with a son was made by Atkolli Kadavarayar (the second Chief of the Vriddhachalam record) (ARE 74 of 1918 and Chapter 3 of “Kopperunjingan”) who is said to have set up images of Tiruvaykkulattalvar and His Consort and to have made a gift of land for offerings and worship. In this inscription, the temple is called Vaikuntha Perumal temple.

Vaikuntha Perumal temple (Alagiya Pallava Vinnagar)

The next copied inscription belongs to the 35th year of Tribhuvana Viradeva (Kulottunga III—a.d. 1213). It refers to a gift of land at Senji as tiruvidaiyattam to the image of Periyapirattiyar set up in the name of the mother of Alagiya Pallava Kopperunjinga (Alagiya Pallava Sri Kopperunjinga Devar Irasakkal Tiruttayar) in this temple of Vaikuntha Perumal.

An original inscription (not dated) is an order of ‘Kadava-rayar’, who should be none other than Kopperunjinga, (recorded on the north wall of this central shrine) to the trustees of the temple whose deity is called for the first time Alagiya Pallava Vinnagar Emperumanar. The work of its reconstruction formerly started by his mother (Engal Achchi) remained suspended on account of the death of his father (Ayyan Manavalapperumal abhavathiley ittiru-murram novupadugaiyaley); he had it reconstructed in his name (nammudaiya peyaral ugandarulappanni) and made a gift of land for effecting repairs as tirundaiyattam (see SII, XII, 257; ARE 484 of 1921).

In the 11th year of Kopperunjinga, corresponding to a.d. 1254, the renovation of this Vishnu temple at Tiruvennainallur was completed by Kopperunjinga himself (SII, XII, no. 170), and named the Alagiya Pallava Vinnagaram. (Pls. 382-87).