Tamilnadu Tourism: Pazhuvur Shiva Temples, Ariyalur

Pazhuvur Shiva Temples, Ariyalur

Pazhuvur region has four Shiva Temple Complexes from the times of the Pazhuvettarayars and the Chola kings. This clan was ruling the area under the bigger umbrella of the Chola Empire. Pazhuvur is situated on the Tiruchi – Ariyalur highway, the Pazhuvur Temples can be found in three sectors called Keezha Pazhuvur (lower area on the east), Mela Pazhuvur (upper area on the west) and Keezhayur.

All the three temples are said to have been worshipped by Sage Jamadagni and his illustrious son, Parasurama, the wielder of the axe and sixth incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Pazhuvettarayar (Paluvettaraiyar) became famous in the modern world through the famous Tamil author and editor Kalki’s Tamil classic called ‘Ponniyin Selvan’ This serialized novel is full of royal intrigue and vengeance and the Pazhuvettaraiyar brothers were behind all the treachery.

History

Paluvettaraiyar were petty chiefs who ruled the present Kila-Paluvur and Mela-Paluvur, in the Udaiyarpalaiyam taluk of the Tiruchirapalli district, during Chola kingdom with the title Paluvettaraiyar. They were responsible for a number of benefactions to the temples at this place and were known to have been related to the Cholas by marriage. About a dozen records pertaining to this dynasty have been found.

When Uraiyur was the capital of the Chola kingdom, many local kings became their supporters and vassals. One of them called Pazhuvettarayar was the king of Pazhuvoor. The name of Periya Pazhuvettarayar was Ambalavaanan and is mentioned in the ASI board displayed outside the Keezha Pazhuvur Temple. Another famous general, Paluvettaraiyar Maravan Kandanar served Uttama Chola. A battle-hardened old warrior and a powerful nobleman, he was Sundara Chozhan's treasurer as well. His son, Kumaran Maravan also served Uttama Chola.

Ambalavan Pazhuvurnakkan (also known as Vikramachola - Maharajan of Kuvalalam) features during Uttama Chola's rule and continues into Rajaraja I's reign. The Pazhuvettaraiyars, related to the Cholas by marriage, were responsible for a number of donations to the Pazhuvur Temples. Inscriptions say that in the 12th year of Parantaka Chozhan, Paluvettaraiyar Kandan Amudanar fought a victorious battle at Vellore against the forces of the Pandya king and his Ceylonese ally, in which the Pandya lost his life.

Keezha Pazhuvur’s Alanduraiyappar Temple finds mention in the hymns of Thevaram sung by Thirugnana Sambandar, the poet-saint of Tamil literature. The hymn says that the temple rituals were conducted by priests from Kerala who settled down in this area. Legend says that Parasurama, the sixth incarnation of Lord Vishnu and creator of the land of Kerala, brought them to conduct the Poojas and rituals of Alanduraiyappar Temple. Some scholars say that the Pazhuvettarayars, who belonged to the land of Parasurama, may have encouraged their migration.

This shrine was rebuilt in granite during the reign of Paranthaka Chola I. It contains inscriptions of the Emperor describing his victory at Vellore over the Pandyas. Another inscription of Parakesarivarman says that the temple was reconstructed by Pazhuvettarayar Maravan Kandan. A third important inscription says that the temple originally built with bricks had to be rebuilt as it was facing ruin. It was rebuilt by Ilangesan during the period of Kulothunga Chola and renamed as Kulothunga Choleeswaram.

Ambalavan Pazhuvur Nakkan figures very often in the records of the kings Parakesari and Rajakesari. His Chola overlords were Uttama Chola and Rajaraja I. Vikrama Chola was the title of Uttama Chola and his subordinate Ambalavan Paluvur Nakkan also bore the same title. Similarly, when he figures in the records of Rajaraja-I, he is known as Ambalavam Puluvur Nakkan alias Pazhuvarayan and he figures as one of the noble men of the king's council. He was a devotee of Shiva. Both Melapazhuvur and Keezhayur were collectively known as Perum Pazhuvur during the Chola reign.

Inscriptions

Paluvettaraiyar, a Chera Mutharayar figures largely in the inscriptions copied at Kila-Paaluvur and Mela-Paluvur in the Tiruchchirappalli District. A.R. No. 231 of 1926 dated in the 12th year of Parantaka, that Paluvettaraiyar Kandan Amudanar fought, on behalf of his Chola overlord, a victorious battle at Vellur against the forces of the Pandya king and his Ceylonese ally, in which the Pandya lost his life. To commemorate this success the Commander Nakkan Sattan of Paradur made a gift of a perpetual lamp to the temple of Tiruvalandurai-Mahadeva at Siru-Paluvur. It is perhaps this Amudanar who is referred to in the Anbil Plates of Sundara Chola as a Kerala prince whose daughter was married to Parantaka I and bore him prince Arinjaya By ‘Kerala prince’ should be meant a relation of the Chera king.

Kandan Maravan figures in two inscriptions, dated in the 4th and 7th years of Rajakesarivarmna identified with Rajaraja I, and is also mentioned in two epigraphs of the 15th and 16th year of Parakesarivarman Uttama-Chola, similarly records are found of Maravan Kandan covering about the same period in the 10th and 12th years of Rajakesarivarman Sundara-chola and between the 9th and 15th years of Parakesari Uttama-Chola.

It appears as though these two chiefs were brothers who are stated in a record of the 12th year of Parakesari (Uttama-chola) from Udaiyargudi to have made a gift of land to the temple on behalf of his own younger brother Kandan Satrubhayankaran. It is also likely that he was known by the name Vikramaditya, whose wife Raman Koviyar is recorded to have made a gift of sheep for a lamp to the temple at Kila-Paluvur in the 8th year Uttama-Chola Parakesari.