Sathyagirisvarar Temple, Thirumayyam
There are two famous rock-cut shrines Sathyagirisvarar
and Sathyamurthy, one of Siva and the other of Thirumal, adjacent to each other. The Siva temple, which stands
to the west of the Vishnu temple, is the older of the two. These are located at
the foot of a hillock on the south side of the town.
Sathyagirisvarar Cave Temple was earlier than
the Vishnu cave might be due to the presence of musical inscription,
now mostly obliterated, written in the Pallava Grantha script similar
to the celebrated musical inscription of Kudumiyamalai. The inscription of Kudumiyamalai has been
associated to the Pallava king Mahendravarman I by many scholars
however there is no consensus over this among the community. However Scholars did
not associate this cave with the Pallavas but states that this is an
excavation of Muttaraiyars/Pandyas.
The current name of the temple, Sathyagirisvarar,
seems to be influenced from the Vishnu cave temple at the same site.
The lord is referred as Nayanar
Thirumeyyamalaiyalan and Thirumeyyattu Mahadevar in its
inscriptions and no where we find reference as Sathyagirisvarar. So it is
more likely that the name of the lord of this cave temple got influenced from
the prominent Vaishnava god, Satyamurti.
This rectangular cave faces south with a cell carved in
its west lateral side. With this cell in west the sanctum faces east. It is
generally assumed that cells in lateral walls were in fashion among the Pandyas
and Muttaraiyars but not with the Pallavas.
However we have few Pallava cave temples where
the main cell is carved in a lateral wall for example the Upper Cave Temple at Trichy. There is very possible that
the Pallava architects followed this lateral wall cell style of
the Pandyas as Lower Cave Temple at Trichy is supposedly of
the Pandya origin and has two cells in its each lateral wall. However it
is very hard to substantiate this claim as no inscription is found at
the Lower Cave Temple and it is assumed as a later excavation in
comparison to the Upper Cave Temple by many scholars.
The mandapa has two pillars of
characteristics Mahendra order, with cubical base and top and octagonal
shaft in middle. The cell is excavated little higher than the ground floor so
that to rise the sanctum sanctorum. Inside the cell is a Shiva
lingam carved out of mother rock, a characteristic feature of the Muttaraiyar and Pandya style. Monolithic Lingas are
absent in the Pallava cave temples however these are very much present in
the Gupta and the Pandya caves. It might be that Pandyas got
the inspiration from the Guptas hence they were the first to cut cave
shrines in Tamilnadu, even before the Pallavas.
On either side of the cell is dvarpalas. Both
the dvarapalas are representation of the Ayudha purusha of Shiva’s weapons. It
looks like representations of dvarpalas in the times of
the Pallava-s. This style is followed by their vassals, the Muttaraiyars,
as well as you can see similar dvarapala representation in Kunnandarkoil
Cave Temple.
Right side dvarpalas represents Trisula (trident)
as evident by two protruding prongs out of his head on either side or one
protruding prong from above his head. There is a protruding axe blade from
above his head. Though this dvarapala is not a very good example of
axe blade representation however there are other better examples seen
elsewhere.
On the eastern lateral wall, a
colossus Lingodbhavamurti is carved. The lingam is well
rooted with the base and also with the roof of the mandapa. In between is
an image of Shiva as Chandrasekhara. However there is
no Brahma and Vishnu seen on this image. The story behind Lingodbhava in
nutshell glorifies the superiority of Shiva among the Hindu
Trinity, above Brahma and Vishnu.
Once upon a time, Brahma and Vishnu sees
an endless fire and they decided amongst themselves that whoever will find the
end of this fire will be superior. Brahma took form of a swan and
started flying upwards while Vishnu took form of a boar and started
digging earth to move downwards. But both failed to reach the end of that great
fire. At last Shiva appeared out of that fire and proved that he is
superior above the other two.
Beyond the cave temple, its pillared mandapa,
various extensions were made in later years. All the extensions were made in
South leading to a gopuram which marks the current boundary of the
temple and serves as the main entrance into the temple. There is a
big mandapa constructed in front of original cave mandapa. A separate
shrine for goddess Venuvanesvari is constructed just opposite to the cave
temple. This shrine has a cell and a mandapa in front. On the eastern
side of the big mandapa are two separate shrines, one
for Rajarajesvari and another for Bhairava. There are many other
small shrines in the complex.
On the east end of the temple complex, a wall has been
raised which demarks the Shiva temple and the Vishnu temple. It
seems that Thirumayyam went under a long feud between the two rival sects, the Vaishnavas and
the Shaivas, as the temples of both sects were constructed side by side so
there was always fight about the boundaries. A long inscription, found in Sathyagirisvarar
Temple, provides details about a settlement which was reached between these two
sects in the reign of the Pandya king Maravarman Sundara Pandya
II. The agreement was presided by a Hoysala chief, Appanna
Dandanayaka. In this settlement three-fifth of the land was given to
the Vaishnavas and two-fifth to the Shaivas. They were asked to
mark their boundary with stones, tirisulakkal (stone of Trisula)
and tiruvalikkal (stone of chakra). Instead of these stones
there is a permanent boundary now.
Inscriptions
In comparison to its sibling,
the Vishnu temple, this temple is rich in inscriptions. Few important
inscriptions are detailed below:
No 5 of the Inscriptions of the Pudukkottai State –
Found on north wall of the cave – Written in Sanskrit and Tamil using Pallava Grantha
and Tamil script – dated to seventh century CE – This record is a duplicate of
one at Malaykoyil. This gives directions for learning to play the musical
instrument parivadini (a seven stringed lute) and praises the divine qualities
of the instrument.
No 386 of the Annual Report on Epigraphy 1906 and No 7-A
South Indian Inscriptions Vol XII – On north and south wall of the cave –
Written in Sanskrit using Pallava Grantha script – dated to seventh century CE
– From the preserved portion, the names of musical notes such as gandharam,
panchmam, dhaivatam, nishadam etc can be read. A certain order is noticeable in
the arrangement of the notes in seven sections with sub-sections. Unfortunately
the sub-sections have been erased as to make it impossible to follow the method
adopted here. This record could be the exact copy of the celebrated musical
inscription found at Kudumiyamalai. As the paleography of the inscription
resembles to that of Kudumiyamalai so this inscription can be attributed to the
Pallava king Mahendravarman I.
No 391 of the Annual Report on Epigraphy 1906 – At
the entrance, left side, into the cave – Written in Tamil – dated 1004 CE –
This incomplete inscription is dated in nineteenth regnal year of the Chola
king Rajarajakesarivarman alias Rajarajadeva (Rajaraja I).
No 390 of the Annual Report on Epigraphy 1906 – At
the entrance, left side, into the cave – Written in Tamil – dated 1033 CE –
This much damaged inscription is dated in the twenty-first regnal year of the
Chola king Rajendra I
No 387 of the Annual Report on Epigraphy and No 340 of
the Inscriptions of the Pudukkottai State – South side of the cave mandapa
– Written in Tamil in 47 lines – dated to 7th May, 1245 in the seventh regnal
year of the Pandya king Maravarman Sundara Pandya II – This long record
enumerates the various points of settlement arrived at, by a grand assembly
comprising of the nadus, the nagarams, the villages and the samaya mantris of
Kana nadu alias Virudaraja bhayankara valanadu, the Araiyakal who policed the
nadu and the sri rudramahesvara of the same nadu, Nalladariyum perumal Iravanamudaliyar,
Tavalaikoyil vasar picchamudaliyar, and the sri vaishnavas of the Pandi nadu, Srivaishnavas
and srimahesvaras of Thirumeyyam, srirudra srimahesvara of the temple of Thirukkodungunram
in Thirumalai nadu and the vaishnavas Anusantanam of the same nadu in the
presence of Appanna Dandanayakkar, the brother-in-law of Ravidevar
Dandanayakkar who was one of the Dandanayakkar of Hoysala Vera Somesvara. The
first item of the settlement was about the long standing quarrel concerned with
the sharing of the kadamai due from the village, between the Shiva and
Vaishnava temples of the village. It was resolved that two-fifths of the
kadamai should go to the Shiva temple and the remaining to the Vaishnava
temples. The other items: a mutual exchange of devadana lands of the two
temples, the compound wall common to the both temples, the fixation of the
boundaries by tiruchchulakkal and tiruvalikkal, the sharing of tank and a well,
the lands belonging to each temple, the habitation sites belonging to the two
temples, the proprietary rights of the individuals and the erasure and
re-engraving of old inscription of both the temples. Many officials attest the
record. The record erased to engrave this settlement was the old Pallava
Grantha musical inscription.
No 341 of the Inscriptions of the Pudukkottai
State – On the rock to the north of the tank – Written in Tamil, 52 lines
– dated to 7th May, 1245 – Duplicate of above inscription
No 392 of the Annual Report on Epigraphy 1906 – On
the rock to the west of cave temple – Written in Tamil – this seems to the
connecting record with No 387 of ARE, settlement inscription of Sundara Pandya
II
No 389 of the Annual Report on Epigraphy and No 467 of
the Inscriptions of the Pudukkottai State – At right side entrance to the
cave temple – Written in Tamil – dates to eighth regnal year of the Pandya king
Maravarman Sundara Pandya II – Seems to record a grant of land by the assembly
at Thirumeyyam, a devadana and brahmadeya of Kana nadu, instead of the paddy,
due from then to the temple, on account of their having received 10 palankasu
given to the temple by Imjiratuvdaiyan, one of the samantars of Rajarajadeva.
No 388 of the Annual Report on Epigraphy and No 472 of
the Inscriptions of the Pudukkottai State – South wall of the cave temple
– Written in Tamil in 44 lines – dated to eleventh regnal year of the Pandya
king Maravarman Sundara Pandya II – Records a gift of land for uvachchu
(drummer) service in the temple by the assembly of Thirumeyyam a devadana and
brahmadeya of Kana nadu alias Virudaraja bhayankara valanadu. Also mentions
that the above land was set apart for the same service by Thiruvengadattu Nambi
when he was chosen as referee immediately after the settlement of the dispute
between the Vaishnavas and the Shaivas.