Temples in Chakrapalli (Suburb of Ayyampettai)

Chakrapalli which is an eastern suburb of the small town of Ayyampettai on the southern bank of the Kodamurutti, is about 27 kms in a westerly direction from Kumbakonam. It can be reached from Tiruvaiyaru by travelling 9 kms eastwards along the northern bank of the Kaveri and then crossing the Kaveri and Kodamurutti in a southerly direction.

Chakravakesvara temple

The temple faces east and has a high brick wall of enclosure. It consists of the garbhagriha, the ardhamandapa and the dapa. The garbhagriha is a square 4.75 ms to a side and the ardhamandapa, which is supported inside by two round pillars projects 3.35 ms eastwards. The mukhamandapa is 8.95 ms across the axis of the temple and 15.21 ms along it. It is supported by eight pillars and eight pilasters.

The devakoshta images in the clockwise order are: Ganapati on the ardhamandapa wall, Dakshinamurti in the garbhagriha south wall, Lingodbhavar in the rear (western) devakoshta, Brahma, in the northern side and Durga on the north ardhamandapa wall.

The adhishthanam of the garbhagriha consists of the jagatippadai, the tri-patta kumudappadai and the varimanam. The sikhara over the garbhagriha is circular as also the griva; the srivimana is a dvi-taia structure (Pis 393 to 397).

A very fine torso of Surya was found half-buried in the northern prakara during our visit and the temple authorities have been requested to take care of it, in view of the association of the temple with the shrine of Surya, as given out in the inscription of Rajaraja I (PI 396).

There are two very fine and large-sized dvarapalas in the ardhamandapa typical of the decades preceding the accession of Rajaraja I.

Two inscriptions have been recorded by the Archaeological Department from this temple. One, found on the south wall and tiers of the central shrine, is dated in the third regnal year of a Rajakesarivarman, to be identified with Rajaraja I and records the sale of land, made tax free, to the deity of Surya Devar for whom a shrine was built in Chakkarappalli by Adittan Suryan alias Sembiyan of Vettakkudi, the kilavan of Poygai nadu by the sabhaiyar of Agalimangalam, evidently the ancient name of Ayyampettai in Kilar kurram. The epigraph further clarifies that the lands thus endowed by this donor had been rendered fallow by breaches occurring in the embankment of the river Kaveri to the west of the temple at Tiruchchakkarap-palli in the fifth regnal year of a king described as Rajakesari who died in the golden palace (pon tunjina Ko-Rajakesari) (ARE 308 of 1965-66). He is none other than Sundara Chola Parantaka II, the father of Rajaraja I and Kundavai. Thus the central temple must have been in existence even in a.d. 961, corresponding to the fifth year of that ruler. To the proper right of the above inscription is an epigraph of the eighth regnal year of Rajendra I (ARE 309 of 1965-66) which records the exemption from taxes of several pieces of land belonging to God Maha-devar of Tiruchchakkarappalli receiving money in lieu thereof from the temple itself by the sabhaiyar of Agalimangalam, which is described as a brahmadeyam in Kilar kurram in Nityavinoda valanadu. It is mentioned in the inscription that the sabhaiyar met in front of the Ganapatiyar shrine in the temple (ARE 309 of 1965-66).

On the basis of these two inscriptions and his reading of them, the Government Epigraphist has come to the following conclusion:

“... a temple for Surya devar was raised in Tiruchakkarap-palli by Adittan Suryan alias Sembiyan of Vettakkudi, the kilavan of Poygai nadu, in the reign of Rajakesarivarman who was evidently Rajaraja Chola I. The builder of this Surya shrine is well known as Tennavan Muvendavelan and he became the sri karyam officer of the Rajarajesvaram temple at Tanjavur later in the reign of Rajaraja I and continued so till the early years of the reign of Rajendra I (SII, II, p. 39). The present inscription does not endow him with the title of Tennavan Muvendavelan, whereas we find him bearing it in an inscription of the ninth year of Rajarajal (SII, V, 611). So it may be surmised that this inscription which is damaged could be placed earlier than the ninth year of the king’s reign.... It is a very interesting fact that this inscription records the construction of a shrine for the Sun God even early in the reign of Rajaraja I.”

The Government Epigraphist goes on to note:

“It has been so far held that the first temple dedicated to Surya was built during the time of Kulot-tungal.... (SII, II, p. 39). Though instances of the setting up of the images of Surya were known in the later years of the reign of Rajaraja I and later, this is the earliest reference to a temple dedicated to Surya. It may be observed here that at present there is no Surya image in the temple nor is the actual location of the Surya devar temple in Tiruchchakkarappalli indicated in the record” (ARE for 1965 - 66, pp. 7, 8).

From the description of the temple, it is clear that the main deity of the temple, now called that of Chakravakesvara is in the form of a Linga and thus the central shrine could not have been dedicated to Surya. In fact the second inscription quoted above refers to the deity as the Mahadevaroi Chakkarappalli. So the deity of the main shrine is Siva. Adittan Suryan consecrated a Surya deity only in a sub-shrine for one of the ashtapanvara devatas, along with the ones for Ganapati and Chandesvara. It is not correct to say that there is no trace of the Surya shrine in the village. In fact, during our visit we discovered the beautifully carved torso of the image of Surya lying half-buried in the northern courtyard of the temple (PI 396).

The temple seems to belong to the days of Parantaka I. The last year of Parantaka I is a.d. 955 and the temple was definitely in existence by a.d. 961, on the basis of the inscription. The temple received the attention of Tennavan Muvendavelan, a senior member of the royal court of Rajaraja I. He was evidently a worshipper of Surya as his name implies and he set up Surya images in some temples and in addition also set up a shrine for Surya in the temple of the Mahadevar of Tiruchchakkarappalli. A similar shrine for Surya was built in the fourth year of Rajendra I in the Svarnapurisvara temple at Alagadriputtur (ARE 289 of 1908; also see sec. 4 under Chapter 2). Thus the unique position of the temple at Suryanarkoyil exclusively dedicated to Surya with the other planetary deities occupying subsidiary shrines surrounding the garbhagriha where the Surya image is enshrined, stands.

Sambandar has sung a hymn on the Lord of Chakrappalli. The redactors of the Devaram call the Lord Chakkaravakesvara and Pasupati-nayakar. It is a place surrounded by fertile fields watered by the Kaveri. The place should have once been dominated by Jainas as suggested by the suffix palli. It was a colony of Vedic scholars (nan-maraiyalar) and the local inscription calls the place Agalimangalam. Sambandar’s hymn refers to Valanagar Chakkarappalli. So there was a settlement of the mercantile community.

The Lord is supposed to have been worshipped by Surya, and on the full moon day in the month of Panguni, the rays of the Sun fall on the Lingam; on that day a festival is celebrated. The Lord is said to have been worshipped by Vishnu for getting the gift of his chakra. The mythical bird Chakravaka gained its salvation here. Hence the name of Chakravakesvara for the deity here. Like Tiruvaiyaru, it is the centre of another group of seven temples with a common festival—another sapta-sthana group to which the neighbouring temple of Pullamangai belongs.

In the days of Sambandar, this temple should have been only a brick structure. There is no foundation inscription to establish when it was re-built of stone. Of the two inscriptions on the walls of this temple, the earlier is that of the third year of Rajaraja I, and it mentions only the construction of the shrine of Surya; but it reveals the existence of this temple even in the fifth year of Sundara Chola. How much earlier, we have to guess.

In the western devakoshta of the central shrine there is the image of Lingodbhavar. Hence it seems reasonable to assume that the temple should have been reconstructed of stone during the reign of Parantaka I (tenth century a.d.).

Agalimangalam seems to be the ancient name of Ayyampettai. Ayyan was the pet name of Govinda Dikshitar, the celebrated minister of the Nayak rulers Achyutappa and Ragunatha of Tanjavur (later part of the sixteenth and early seventeenth century a.d.). He was a great statesman and philanthropist. Many places like Ayyan-teru, Ayyan-kadai were created and named after him. Ayyan-pettai seems meant to perpetuate his association and memory.