IT is in the beginning of the last century, the Archaeological survey of India undertook the project of locating inscriptions in the various temples of South India, and transcribing them, under the guidance of Dr. Hultsch, and the temple in Tiruchendurai came to their attention very early in their attempts. The inscriptions copied by the ASI from the Temple and published in the volumes of the Epigraphica Indica were however limited to a dozen or so, and most of these inscriptions described the gifts of Pudi Adicha Pidariar to the temple on one occasion or another.
It is possible that the Epigraphists took notice of only those inscriptions that were visible to the naked eye, and did not go deeper in the other temple areas. Dr.M.Rajamanikkanaar Historical Research Center, located at Tiruchi, have in their attempts found more than fifty inscriptions (actually fiftytwo) and they have been really digging below ground level to bring forth hidden inscriptions. (Kudos to this Institution, and the Researchers Drs.R. Kalaikkovan, M. Nalini and M. Laavanya, et al. who made the front page of the Hindu this week with their discovery of Udaiyaloor inscriptions recently)
Out of the Tiruchendurai inscriptions, two come into prominence as these helped to identify the person who built the temple, and the period a little more definite.. The second inscription reads as follows (first we have seen in Part I) :
*** Swastisri Ko Parakesari varmarku aandu irandaavathu – tiruchenduraik katraLip perumaanadigalukku - Pudi Adithapidaariyen Kaachuvan Dattanarayananidai naan irandaavathu konda thottam muppathiainchu kazhanchu ponnukku konda thottamum Baarathayan Isaanamaaranidai vilai konda thottamum – ivvirandu thottamum naan vilai kondudaiya parisai suryagrahaNathukku Tiruchenduraip perumaanadigalukku thiruvizha-ppuramaaga thottathil bogam kondu thiruvizhappuramaaga neerodu attik koduthen naan eduppiththa Katralip perumaanadigalukku – Pudi Aditha Pidaariyen – Ithu Panmaheswara Rakshai !! (transliteration of Inscription No.126 of South India Inscriptions – volume III – reproduced in Vol.XIV p. 262 – reprint – Inscriptions of Parakesarivarman Uththama Chola )
Translation:
Hail! Prosperity! In the second year of (the reign of) King Parakesarivarman. I, Pudi Aditta pidari, gave with libation of water, these two garden (lands) as per the same terms under which I purchased (them) viz. the garden (land) which I purchased for 35 kazhanchus of gold in the second year (of king’s reign) from Kachuvan (Kaasyapan ?)Datthanarayanan, and the garden (land) purchased from Paradayan (Bharadwajan ?) Isana Maaran, to the Lord of the stone temple at Tiruchendurai for maintaining festivals (thiru vizhappuram) of the lord of Tiruchendurai on (the day of) the solar eclipse, (stipulating that) the maintenance of the (said) festivals of the lord of (this) stone temple constructed By me Pudi Adithapidari - (should be met only) from the produce of the (said) gardens.(The Assembly of) all Maheswaras shall protect this (charity)
As you all have noticed from above, this inscription, dated in the second year of King Parakesarivarman, registers a grant of land by the lady Pudi Aditha Pidari, to the stone temple built by her, at Tiruchendurai to meet the cost of the expenses of a festival in connection with the solar eclipse.. The other inscription we have seen in Part I of this article, distinctly identifies the lady as the daughter of Tennavan Ilangovelar (another Name of Maravan Pudhiyar) and queen of Arikulakesariyar.. Arikulakesari is the son of Sola Perumaanadigal (Paranthaka I).. The Epigraphist has commented as under:
***The King Parakesarivarman himself has to be identified with either Madhurantaka Uttama-Chola or Aditya karikala II, both of whom held the tile ‘Parakesarivarman” The provision made for the festivals on the day of the solar eclipse might suggest that in this second year of King Parakesarivarman, there should have been at least one such eclipse. If Parakesarivarman is identified with Madhuranthaka Uttama-Chola, who succeeded to the throne in A.D. 971, we find that according to Dr. Schram’s “Eclipses of the Sun in India”, there were two solar eclipses in the year 972 A.D. which happens to be the second year of reign of Uttama-Chola . Consequently it is not unlikely that the King referred to in this inscription is King Uttama-Chola ***
The above inscription and interpretation have presumably caused some confusion in the minds of researchers about the actual date/year the temple was built. Particularly Amrith Ram, a g.g.grandson of the Tiruchendurai V.Seshagiri iyer family, and an ardent ‘son of the soil’, now in the U.S.A., who has gone through the historical ephigraphical records held in the Stanford University Library wrote to me in one of his emails “ One of the interesting things I found there, was the date of construction of the temple. It seems that the Govt. of India archaeologists have given an incorrect later date for its construction, whereas it was actually built around 900 AD” -- There is however a possible explanation about the confusion.
In all inscriptions of Pudi Adicha Pidari, there appear the words “Naan eduppicha Katralip perumaanadigalukku” – and this has been translated as ‘built by me, Pudi Adicha Pidaari’ -- It is likely that the temple may have been built earlier, in an ordinary way with brick/mortar/lime by Aditha Chola, who, according to legend, built Siva temples on both banks,of the River Cauvery all the way; but this was made into a “Katrali” – built by stones completely, a renovation or rebuilding – by Pudi Adicha Pidari
Another inscription found in the temple, where there is a mention of a gift by Aditha himself, on the occasion of the ‘Annaprasanam’ of his son Paranthaka would perhaps support/confirm this view .. And the Epigraphists have only identified the date/year of the donation, with the help of the solar eclipse, and I do not see any statement from the Epigraphist for the year of construction (do any of the other fifty odd inscriptions mention?)
The inscription also displays that people resident in the village were not only identified by their names alone, but also by their gothras – ‘Kasyapa’ – this Sanskrit word has undergone a change when written in Tamil as “ Kaachuvan” and the other one “Bharadwaja” as “Paradhayan”.. and it also brings out the fact that on important occasions like an eclipse, there were special poojas performed at the Temple.
கி.பி.900ல் தொடங்கி சுமார் 400 ஆண்டுகள் சோழர் தமிழ்நாட்டை ஆண்டார்கள்.சோழ வள நாடு அக்காலத்த்தில் நாடு முழுவதிலும் ஏராளமான கொயில்கள் எழுப்பப்பட்டன ..செங்காற்களால் கட்டப்பட்ட பல கோயில்களைக் கருங்கல் கட்டடங்களாக மாற்றிப் புதிய கட்டிட அமைப்புகள் கொண்ட பெரிய திருக் கொயில்களாக அமைத்தனர்
The above statement is made by Mr. Subramaniam Kandaswamy (of Canada) in his book ‘Thennagath Thirukkoilgal thotramum valarchiyum’
Published by Manimekalai Prasuram, Chennai 600017 in 2002.
Mr. Kandaswamy goes further to say that the medieval Cholas had a golden era for four hundred years of reign, commencing from that of Vijayalaya in 850. Paranthakan’s grandson Uththama Cholan (another Parakesari by tradition) and Paranthakan’s daughterinlaw Sembianmadevi rebuilt many of the earlier built temples, into that of a ‘Katrali” Kandaradhithan (949-957 AD) is the second son Paranthakan. Sembianmadevi is the spouse of Kandaradithan and their son us Uththama Cholan. Sembianmadevi an ardent Saivite gifted to Brahmins well-versed in Vedas as Brahmadeyam, the village called ‘Sembianmadevi Chathurvedi mangalam’ - she also rebuilt in granite stone (Katrali) the brick-mortar temples of Konerirajapuram, Vridhachalam, Thiruvarur, Thirumanamchery, Thiruvakkarai etc. And Uththama Cholan in gratitude founded a village Sembianmadevi (near Nagapattinam) in memory of his mother. (p.213 T.T.T.V. by S.Kandaswamy)
(to be continued)
- Sethuraman
