Exploring the ancient Siva temples of Pazhaiyanur
The ancient village of Pazhaiyanur, located very close to Thiruvalangadu which is famous as the home of Siva worshipped as Vataranyeshwarar, also has two ancient Siva temples, one for Kailasanathar and the other for Thazhuvi Kuzhandishwarar. Pazhaiyanur village was famous and the entire area, in the Chola times, was called Pazhaiyanur Nadu. Inscriptions from the Vataranyeshwarar temple in nearby Thiruvalangadu mention that it was part of Pazhaiyanur and situated in Menmalai Pazhaiyanur Nadu, which was part of Jayankonda Chola Mandalam. A famous 11th century copper-plate inscription from Thiruvalangadu, belonging to the reign of Rajendra Chola I mentions that Pazhaiyanur was also called Puranagrama. Interestingly, the same inscription mentions the name of Vataranyeshwarar as Pazhaiyanur Amma. It is also noteworthy that an epigraph in the Thirusaktimutram temple, close to Kumbakonam, mentions a gift of livestock and lampstands by Vedavanam Udaiyan Karunakara Devan from far away Pazhaiyanur, clearly mentioned as being located in Pazaiyanur Nadu in Jayankonda Chola Mandalam.
Over the centuries, Pazhaiyanur has become far less famous than Thiruvalangadu. The Kailasanatha temple in Pazhaiyanur village, which is small in size and much modernised, faces east, but the entrance, which is only a gate, is on the south. The central sanctum, enshrining a Siva Lingam, has a mandapam in front. Adjacent to the main shrine is one for Parvati, worshipped as Parvartavardini, facing south. In the prakaram (enclosure), are sanctums for Ganesa and Subramanya. A Chola inscription discovered on the east wall of the Kailasanatha temple refers to an agreement by people connected with the temple of Kailayamudaiya Nayanar for a lamp in this shrine.
Another temple in Pazhaiyanur for Siva, worshipped as Thazhuvi Kuzhandishwarar, is also small in size. Once again, the entrance is from the south with no gopuram but only a gateway, while the temple faces east. The wide prakaram has an entrance leading to the sanctums inside. Straight ahead is a mandapam which leads to the south-facing shrine for Goddess Parvati, called as Anandavalli Amman while to the right is the sanctum enshrining the Siva Lingam worshipped as Thazhuvi Kozhundishwarar, facing east. The mandapam enshrines the images of the four important Siva devotees — Appar, Thirugnanasambandar, Sundaramurti and Manikkavachakar, collectively called Nalvar and also Vinayaka. Shrines for Lakshmi Narayana, Vinayaka,
Subramanya and Chandikeshwara are seen in the prakaram and also a lovely Nandi on the east who gazes at Siva in the principal sanctum through a perforated stone window in the wall.
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New Indian Express
6 days ago
- New Indian Express
Exploring the ancient Siva temples of Pazhaiyanur
The ancient village of Pazhaiyanur, located very close to Thiruvalangadu which is famous as the home of Siva worshipped as Vataranyeshwarar, also has two ancient Siva temples, one for Kailasanathar and the other for Thazhuvi Kuzhandishwarar. Pazhaiyanur village was famous and the entire area, in the Chola times, was called Pazhaiyanur Nadu. Inscriptions from the Vataranyeshwarar temple in nearby Thiruvalangadu mention that it was part of Pazhaiyanur and situated in Menmalai Pazhaiyanur Nadu, which was part of Jayankonda Chola Mandalam. A famous 11th century copper-plate inscription from Thiruvalangadu, belonging to the reign of Rajendra Chola I mentions that Pazhaiyanur was also called Puranagrama. Interestingly, the same inscription mentions the name of Vataranyeshwarar as Pazhaiyanur Amma. It is also noteworthy that an epigraph in the Thirusaktimutram temple, close to Kumbakonam, mentions a gift of livestock and lampstands by Vedavanam Udaiyan Karunakara Devan from far away Pazhaiyanur, clearly mentioned as being located in Pazaiyanur Nadu in Jayankonda Chola Mandalam. Over the centuries, Pazhaiyanur has become far less famous than Thiruvalangadu. The Kailasanatha temple in Pazhaiyanur village, which is small in size and much modernised, faces east, but the entrance, which is only a gate, is on the south. The central sanctum, enshrining a Siva Lingam, has a mandapam in front. Adjacent to the main shrine is one for Parvati, worshipped as Parvartavardini, facing south. In the prakaram (enclosure), are sanctums for Ganesa and Subramanya. A Chola inscription discovered on the east wall of the Kailasanatha temple refers to an agreement by people connected with the temple of Kailayamudaiya Nayanar for a lamp in this shrine. Another temple in Pazhaiyanur for Siva, worshipped as Thazhuvi Kuzhandishwarar, is also small in size. Once again, the entrance is from the south with no gopuram but only a gateway, while the temple faces east. The wide prakaram has an entrance leading to the sanctums inside. Straight ahead is a mandapam which leads to the south-facing shrine for Goddess Parvati, called as Anandavalli Amman while to the right is the sanctum enshrining the Siva Lingam worshipped as Thazhuvi Kozhundishwarar, facing east. The mandapam enshrines the images of the four important Siva devotees — Appar, Thirugnanasambandar, Sundaramurti and Manikkavachakar, collectively called Nalvar and also Vinayaka. Shrines for Lakshmi Narayana, Vinayaka, Subramanya and Chandikeshwara are seen in the prakaram and also a lovely Nandi on the east who gazes at Siva in the principal sanctum through a perforated stone window in the wall.
Indian Express
28-05-2025
- Indian Express
Writer's Corner: Anirudh Kanisetti's latest sheds light on how Chola empire's women and village assemblies shaped history
Around the turn of the previous millennium, in the wake of the decline of the Pallavas and the collapse of the Rashtrakutas, a new power had arisen in the lands watered by the Kaveri. The Cholas would go from strength to strength, their influence felt far up the eastern coasts and across the seas in Southeast Asia. As the Cholas declined in their latter days, new social and cultural trends arose amid the political changes. It is this diverse history that historian Anirudh Kanisetti tackles in his latest book, Lords of Earth and Sea: A History of the Chola Empire. Kanisetti first explored the history of the Cholas as part of his previous work, Lords of the Deccan, before devoting an entire book to the dynasty's history. Speaking to The Indian Express, he said, 'I became aware that my perspective was a very Deccan perspective. That's not all they were… They were an empire of the crossroads. They ruled over a large chunk of the East Coast, were connected to Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia. They were also well-connected to South Karnataka. I wanted to supplement this with the latest scholarship.' He added, 'While a lot of actors and politicians have been speaking of the Cholas of late, I wanted to present a history extensively steeped in the primary source. The Cholas were remarkable for their extensive inscriptions on temple walls. Simply absorbing that immense mass of material was quite a challenge. Across medieval Tamil Nadu, for all donors, there was a tendency to make inscriptions when a gift was made. This allows us to read deeply into the social history of this region… How temple donation practices and socioeconomic systems changed over centuries.' Apart from the help rendered by existing translations of Chola inscriptions and the latest research on them, Kanisetti's fieldwork also involved visiting Chola temple sites in Tamil Nadu and South Karnataka. The border region in South Karnataka, known as Gangavadi, was ruled by the Cholas after being captured by Raja Raja Chola. Recent archaeological discoveries were also of value. Kanisetti recalled, 'There have been very interesting findings at the Chola Palace in Gangaikonda Cholapuram (the Chola capital built by Emperor Rajendra I) besides the presence in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia. To understand the Cholas, you must not look just at literary claims but also the hard evidence. Archaeologists working in Anuradhapura (in Sri Lanka) and Sumatra have really transformed our understanding of how the Chola world operated. On the Chola footprint in South Karnataka, he noted that it had manifested in multilingualism by way of the presence of the Tamil language, such as in temple inscriptions. Their presence was also felt in architecture, such as at the Kolaramma Temple where Chola officials and rulers had made proclamations. He added that the Begur Temple also had a shivalingam known as the 'Choleswara', possibly after a Chola general. An interesting topic covered in the book is that of Chola queens such as Sembiyan Mahadevi as well as those women who did not have similar means. Kanisetti said, 'The popular understanding does not do justice. They were primarily seen as pious women. Quite a lot of scholarship and inscriptions shows that these women also had very intelligent political minds and were sophisticated patrons of art and architecture. It was evident while looking at the history of temple bronzes and patronage that, in a lot of ways, women were the pioneers.' Kanisetti also noted that space in history ought to be given to those women smaller in stature than the queens, such as temple donors and politicians of various social classes, and those who did not leave as deep a mark on the historical record. He added that it was an eye-opener as to how often people who might be considered less important had influenced Tamil devotional culture. 'Many of the famous gopurams (towers) that you see across temples were actually commissioned as the empire was declining. They were commissioned by generals and aristocrats who were attempting to break away from Chola authority. Their wives and children made gifts to these sites. The way that Tamil temples developed into sprawling compounds was really a development of the late Chola period.' In his book, Kanisetti also highlights the role that village assemblies played, noting that often even Chola kings and princes took efforts to stay in their good graces. He noted that assemblies of cultivators such as the 'Shining Plough' would often take their own decisions on taxation without consulting royal officers. He said, 'The voices of the smaller people insisted on being heard and leaving a mark on the historical record… It really opened my eyes to the fact that medieval India was vast and politically diverse. These were intelligent people capable of holding their rulers to account and taking their own decisions. In a way, it makes you appreciate how deep India's democratic roots go.'
The Hindu
22-05-2025
- The Hindu
Reference to a Tamil book deciphered from a stone inscription
A team of historians, led by the Sarasvati Mahal Library Tamil Pandit, Mani Maran deciphered the name of a Chola period Tamil work – Thiruvadukoorpuranam – from the stone inscriptions found at the Thirukandeeswaramudaiyar temple in Cuddalore district. According to Mr. Mani Maran, he received information about the stone inscriptions found at Thirukandeeswaramudaiyar temple in Nellikuppam Municipal domain from councillor S. Selvakumar and subsequently inspected the same along with historians Thillai Govindarajan and G. Jayalakshmi. The reading of the inscriptions revealed that a person name 'Vanathiban' had coined the 'Vadukoorpuranam' – the 'sthalapuranam' of the Saivite temple at Vadukoor, which was mentioned in the 'Thevaram' hyms sung by Thirugnanasambandar. However, neither the palm manuscripts nor copper plates carrying the 'Vadukoorpuranam' were available now, he added.
