The third scholar who has dealt with this issue, is Mr. S. R. Balasubrahmanyam. Writing in the book ‘Early Chola art’ he says:
*** The village Tiruchendurai, which is in Tiruchy District, lies on the southern bank of the river Kaveri, six miles five furlongs (10.66 km) from Tiruchy, and about three miles from the Elamanur railway station. It has an ancient Chola temple now called the Chandrasekhara temple.
The temple has inscriptions on its walls which cover almost the whole of the Chola period. Among the early inscriptions, there are four of a Rajakesarivarman, twentyone inscriptions of Parakesarivarman without any distinguishing epithets and three of Madirai-konda-Parakesari i.e.Parantaka I.
The most important of the Parakesari inscriptions is one of his third year and it refers to the construction with stone of this Siva temple at Tiruchendurai, described as being situated in the brahmadeya of Isanamangalam, by one Pudi Adichcha Pidariyar, daughter of Tennavan Ilangovelar and the queen of Arikula-kesariyar, son of Koparakesaripanmar alias Solapperumanadigal.
The inscription makes provision for sacred offerings to the God from the interest on the endowment of 60 kalanjus of gold. Arikula-kesari was a son of Parantaka I, who ascended the throne after Gandaraditya, and he was the father of Sundara Chola and the grandfather of Rajaraja I the Great. His queen Pudi Adichcha Pidariyar is credited with the construction of this temple with stone (karrali). The editor of the South Indian Inscriptions has held that this inscription has to be ascribed to Parantaka I and this temple was built of stone in his days.
The following factors have to be considered before fixing the date of its construction. In the inscription of the third year of Parakesarivarman, the expression used is “tam-eduppittha” which is in the past tense—“(the temple) built by us” and so it may mean any time before that date.
There are two earlier inscriptions of the second year of Parakesarivarman which mention this temple as a karrali (stone temple). The gift is also by Pudi Aditta Pidari. The Government Epigraphist mentions that the inscription has pulli marks throughout, a feature of its early age.
Yet he assigns this to Uttama Chola or Aditya II. Pudi Aditta Pidari cannot be assigned to the days of both Parantaka I and Uttama Chola and hence this view is untenable. Moreover, there are four inscriptions of a Rajakesarivarman – and two of them with high regnal years – 20 and 23 – could be assigned only to Aditya I. Pudi Aichcha Pidariyar mentioned in the third year of Parakesarivarman above referred to figures also in an inscription of the twentythird year of Rajakesarivarman. She makes a gift of five kalanjus of gold and the Parudaiyar (the Maha sabha) of Isanamangalam sold to this lady six ma of land as an endowment to support pipers (uvachchar) to this temple. Hence it seems to me that the stone temple might have come into existence in the latter part of the rule of Aditya I sometime before his 23rd regnal year.
The same Pudi Adichcha Pidari makes other gifts which range from the second year of Parakesarivarman to at least his 14th year. It has to be observed that almost all these Parakesari inscriptions have to be ascribed only to Parantaka I, as in the case of his third year. Further, one Bharatayan Nakkan Kandan of Isanamangalam who figures in the 28th year of Parakesarivarman is mentioned as a donor in three inscriptions of ‘Madirai- konda Parakesari, i.e. Parantaka I” of his 12th year, his 16th year, and his 20th year.. Hence it will be legitimate to infer that the inscription of the 28th year of Parakesarivarman should also be assigned to Parantaka I.
It is rather curious that the distinguishing title of Maduraikonda is omitted in inscriptions of Parantaka I in this locality even as late as his 28th year. But this is not unusual as we have in Kudimiyamalai a Parakesari inscription of the 38th year which has to be assigned only to Parantaka I. These three inscriptions of ‘Madiraikonda Parakesari’ relate to gifts of lamps, and for the supply of the Kaveri water for the sacred bath of the God.
Pulalaya Vinnagar -- The Viswanatha shrine situated within the temple of Chandrasekarahas has an inscription of the 20th year of Rajakesarivarman. It mentions that there was in the western part of the village a Vishnu temple called Merrali (the Western temple). All Vishnu temples are located in the western part of a village and are called Tirumerrali.
A merchant of Tanjavur called Manikka Vaniyan Karunataka Pulalaya rebuilt this temple with stone and bought from the Assembly of the village 100 pattis of land for the temple and its adjuncts and the temple was named after him “Pulalaya (or Pulaliya) Vinnagar Here is the text – “Ivvurt- tirumerraliyana Sri Koyilai pulaliya vinnagaram ennum peral karrali eduppittu devaraip piradishtai seyvitta Pulalaya Chetti”. This affords additional proof for assigning the temple of Chandrasekhara to the days of Aditya I.
The inscription with the high regnal year of the 20th year of Rajakesarivarman in a shrine within the Tiruchendurai Temple, the existence of an inscription of the 23rd year of Rajakesarivarman which mentions Nangai Pudi Adichcha Pidariyar who figures also almost continuously upto the 14th year of Parakesarivarman, who has to be identified with Parantaka I, the mention of the existence of a stone temple (karrali) even in an inscription of the second year of Parakesarivarman --- earlier than his third year inscription which mentions clearly the construction of this temple with stone by the said Nangai Pudi Adichcha Pidariyar -- all these point out clearly that this Siva temple should have been constructed of stone sometime on or before the 23rd year of Aditya I and not in the days of Parantaka I as the Government Epigraphist has held. ***
Our village should be thankful to all these scholars who took pains to translate the inscriptions and present a history of the temple as well as the village of the olden days. And we should be proud that the village and the Temple attracted Archaelogists, historians and scholars alike with its invaluable inscriptions contributing to the history of Tamilnadu under the Cholas.
We have one more Scholar who has contributed to this intriguing subject and we will go through that in the next installment.
(to be continued)
- Sethuraman
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