Thirumayyam, Pudukottai
Thirumayyam is a place of historical importance
located about 20 km south of the town of Pudukkottai in the southern
Indian state of Tamil
Nadu. The noted Indian independence activist Sathyamurthy was born in Thirumayyam in 1887.
Etymology
Thirumayyam is from the word Thiru-meyyam which means
Place of truth in Tamil. The Lord Vishnu is also called by the name of Meyyar.
Since he stayed in that village it is called by the name Thirumeyyam. Tiru
means 'holy' or 'sacred' and is traditionally used in front of names in all
parts of Tamil Nadu like Thiruneermalai (Lord Ranganatha), Thirunageshwaram(Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva), Thirumayyam (Lord Vishnu
and Lord Shiva), Thirumayilai (Lord Adikeshava Perumal and Lord Kapali
Eshwaran), Thiruvannamalai (Lord Shiva), Thiruchendur(Lord Muruga), Tiruchirappalli (Lord Sriranganathar), Tiruthani (Lord Muruga), Thiruchengodu(Lord Shiva),
Thiruchitrambalam (Lord Shiva), Thirumanancheri (Lord Shiva), Thirunallar (Lord Shani Eshwaran), Thiruporur(Lord Muruga), Thirukkadaiyur (Lord Shiva), Tirukalukundram(Lord Vedagiriswarar temple), Thirukarugavur (Lord Garbharakshambigai temple), Tirunelveli, Tiruppur, Thiruvallur and
many more.
History
History of Thirumayyam is probably traceable
from early seventh century when the town was immortalized with the construction
of a Shiva cave temple. After a short period, a cave temple for Vishnu
was also constructed hence making this town to be revered
by Vaishnavas and Shaivas equally. There is no consensus
among the scholars about which one of the cave temples was constructed first.
Existence of the Pallava Grantha inscriptions in
the Shiva cave temple suggests that the town was
under Pallavas through their vassals, Muttaraiyar, perhaps.
Though the Pallava territory was restricted to Trichy during the reign of Mahendravarman I (580-629 CE) but the Pallava-s gained
northern part of the Pandya land during the reign of Nandivarman II Pallavamalla (731-796 CE). An inscription of the mother of
a Muttaraiyar chief in the Vishnu cave temple supports this
view. Thirumangai Alvar, and eighth century Vaishnava saint,
praised the Lord of Thirumayyam in his hymns and included it under the
hundred and eight Divya sthalas for the Vaishnavas. This started
the foundation of Vaishnava tradition in Thirumayyam.
Pandyas gained their land back from the Pallavas soon. Thirumayyam came
under the the Cholas when the wiped off the Pandyas from Tamil landscape.
Many inscriptions of the Cholas in Thirumayyam suggest that
the town got its due attention from the Chola rulers as well. With
the Pandya resurgence, Chola rule was ended and Thirumayyam again
came back to its original occupants. Inscriptions of Maravarman Sundara
Pandya II reflect the attention given to this town just after he finished
with the Chola problem.
Pandya inscriptions of Sundara Pandya, Vira
Pandya and Parakrama Pandya suggest that this town was under
them for quite some time. Presence of Shiva and Vishnu temple at the
same site puts Thirumayyam under religious conflicts. A long inscription
is found which details about the settlement reached to avoid further conflict
in between these two sects. This meeting was overseen by
a Hoysala army chief and the inscription is dated under seventh
regnal year of Sundara Pandya II.
This suggests that either the town was under influence
of the Hoysalas or they helped Sundara Pandya in his wars
against the Cholas achieving a commendable position under the Pandyas.
The inscription suggests that there were earlier incidents of clashes between
these two sects at the site which resulted in some demolition of temple
properties. However after the settlement was reached all conflicts were
resolved without further clashes.
After the Pandyas, Vijayanagara rulers
enjoyed command over this town. The Vijayanagara inscriptions are
dated in the reigns of Virupaksha I and Krishnadevaraya (15th-16th
century CE). Where the Pandya records are only found
in Shiva temple, they seemed to have neglected
the Vishnu temple, Vijayanagara rulers supported both the
temples in ratio of 3:2 for the Vishnu and Shiva temple.
Though they favored the Vishnu temple but they did not neglect
the Shiva temple. After
the Vijayanagara rulers, Pudukkottai Nayakas were in
possession of the town.
Sethupathi Vijaya Raghunatha
Tevan of Ramanathapuram was ruling over Thirumayyam during
later seventeenth century and he constructed a fort here. He gifted this fort
to Tondaiman rulers of Pudukkottai for helping him
winning Ramanathapuram from his rivals. Tondaiman king
submitted to East India Company’s claim for the fort and Thirumayyam went
to the British under the Princely State of Pudukkottai. At
present Thirumayyam is a taluk under Pudukkottai district and a
revered place for the Vaishnavas.
Inscriptions
There are nineteen inscriptions in Thirumayyam, five in
Siva temple and fourteen in Vishnu temple. Some of them are already mentioned.
Closer to the rock-cut shrine of Siva, on the living
rock are the mutilated letters denoting music terms like shadja, Gandhara,
dhaivata, etc. in the Pallava Grantha script of the 7th century AD. These
certainly indicate that once the entire area was inscribed with musical
treatise containing notations similar to, or a replica of the famous one in
Kudumiyamalai.
But it was obliterated in the 13th century, while
recording the adjudication of the dispute between the priests of Siva and
Vishnu temples for the share of the produce of the temple lands, by the Hoysala
general Appanna Dandanayaka tribunal mentioned above. It is in Tamil script.
Another copy of the same document is inscribed on the
rock to the north of the Siva temple tank.
Two more inscriptions in the Siva cave temple belong to
reign of Mara-Varman Sundara Pandya (13th century AD). They are regarding
grants to the temple.
The earliest inscription in the Vishnu temple is on a
slab, which is now placed in the western prakaram of the Sathyamurthy shrine.
This slab must have once formed part of a parapet to the steps leading to the
cave temple. It may be ascribed to the latter part of the 8th century or the
early years of 9th century AD. It mentions a renovation of the cave temple and
an endowment by the mother of Sattan Maran, a Muttaraiyar chief (contemporary
vassal of the Pallava Nandivarman II and Dantivarman).
There are two Pandya inscriptions belonging to 14th
century. Also there are four Vijayanagara inscriptions (15th and 16th century).
Other inscriptions are by local chiefs.
Educational institutions
·
Shanmuganathan
Engineering College, Arasampatti
·
Subramanian
Polytechnic College, Rayavaram
·
St. Joseph polytechnic
college
·
St. Joseph matriculation
school
Politics
Thirumayyam assembly constituency is part of Sivaganga (Lok Sabha
constituency).
Attractions
Thirumayyam is a much-frequented picnic spot and affords
much to the discerning tourist who ventures a little beyond the beaten track.
The main attractions of the place are the fort, and the Shiva and Thirumal temples.
Thirumayyam
Fort:
Miles before reaching the town, one can see a fort atop
a large hill. In past centuries, the fort was much larger than what now
obtains; this is affirmed by the fact that the main entrance to the old fort
lies about one kilometer south of the present day fort. This entrance to the
old fort still stands; it has a courtyard with pillared corridors and shrines
of various deities. The sculptures on the pillars are truly beautiful.
The Thirumayyam fort, set in 40 acres (160,000 m2),
is of great historical importance. It was built by Sethupathi Vijaya Ragunatha
Thevar, ruler of Ramanathapuram in AD 1687. Sethupathi is the name of the ruling
dynasty of Ramanathapuram (Ramnad). Another fact of historic interest is that the founder
of the princely state of Pudukkottai had served as governor of Thirumayyam fort before
founding his own kingdom.
For Brief details, refer the link below;
Temples:
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
Temple:
The rock cut Shiva temple is situated on a hill amid the relics of
another ancient and ruined fort. Near this temple stands one of the largest
rock inscriptions in Tamil
Nadu. The inscriptions are of particular interest since they
deal with music, a rare subject for inscriptions.
For Brief details, refer the link below;
Sathyamurthy
Perumal Temple:
The Vishnu temple is located on the foot of the hill; it is
much a much-venerated temple and is considered second in importance only to the
temple at Srirangam. It contains one of the
largest Anantasayi group icons in India. Anantasayi groups have Thirumal reclining on Anandha (Seshanaaga) as the central
figure. The Thirumal temple contains an octagonal sacred tank
called ‘Satya-pushkarani’.
For Brief details, refer the link below;
Bhairavar
Kovil:
As one enters the town through the road which connects
it with the highway, one finds a small temple dedicated to Bhairava (the Bhairavar koil).
This temple, which faces the main road, is a favourite
with vehicle-owners who traditionally halt and pray there for a safe journey.
This temple was actually built on the outermost wall of the old fort.
Other
worshipping places:
There are a number of minor shrines, which include one
to Ayyanar, locally called Kaliya perumal, and another to Pidari. The site
where a Vaduga (Nayak) woman is said to have performed Sati is held sacred.
The Muslim place of worship includes a mosque, with a
tomb close by. Adjacent to the Pillamangalam road, to the south of the mosque,
is the tomb of Hazarat Quadri Ibrahim Alim.
On the bank of the Thamaraikkanmai, just to the west of
the fort, is the tomb of another Muslim saint at which offerings are made both
by Hindus and Muslims. In the water spread of the Alankanmai another saint lies
buried.
There is also a Roman Catholic Chapel.
Connectivity
Thirumayyam, a town panchayat and also the Taluk
headquarters of the eponymous Vattam (sub-district), lies 20 km south
of Pudukkottai, on the road from that town to Karaikudi. This is actually National Highway NH-210, which
connects Tiruchirapalli and Rameswaram. Thirumayyam is the first main junction on this road;
the Madurai road takes its diversion from Thirumayyam.
Thirumayyam is well connected by road and rail. The
nearest railhead is at Pudukkottai. Bus facility is available from Pudukkottai,
Karaikudi, Thanjavur, Madurai and many other places. The nearest airport
connected is at Trichy, 70 km away. Accommodation is also available at
nearby Pudukkottai.