Thiruchendur Murugan Temple - Inscriptions
There are four lithic inscriptions of the Pandya times
collected together and planted now in a line in the southeastern corner of the
first circuit of the temple. Two of them belong to Pandya Varaguna Maran of
about 875 A.C.; the third of Pandya Mara Varman of about 1282 A.C.; and the
fourth of Vikrama Pandya Deva. The inscriptions of Varaguna speaks of his grant
of 1,400 gold kasus or coins to the temple, and the injunction that this sum
should be invested as a permanent loan among village assemblies, so that the
interest there from might be spent on this temple.
There is a mention of a shrine to Nakkira Deva, which
speaks highly of the literary advancement of the period, when famous poets were
deified and worshipped. Nakkirar was the President of the third Tamil academy
of poets at Madura and also the author of Tirumurukatrupadai the first of the
Ten Idylls, known as Pathu Pattu; also other works of high literary merit. The
descriptive contents of the inscriptions under reference are given below. The
fifth inscription pertains to the local town temple.
No. 26
of 1912 (Vatteluthu) on two slabs set up in the Subrahmanya temple:
It was recorded
in the 13th year of the Pandya king Varaguna Maraya. The inscription was
partially copied in 1903. It registers that the king who was a devotee of Subrahmanya
Bahtara provided 1,400 gold coins (kasus) for the requirements of the temple
throughout the twelve months of the year. The money was distributed amongst the
sixteen villages which were required only to pay interest at two kalams of
paddy per year on each kasu borrowed, without disturbing the principal (Note
the rate of interest.)
No. 27
of 1912 (Tamil) on a stone pillar set up in the same place:
A record in the 13th year of the Pandya king Maravarman
alias Tirubuvanachakravarti Konermaikondan Vikrama Pandya Deva. Records gift of
two mass of land at Mankalakkurichi in Tiruvaladivalanadu to a Brahmana of
Parakrama Pandya Chaturvedimangalam in Karungudinadu. (The king may be
identical with him who came to the throne in A.D. 1282 and was the conqueror of
Viraganda Gopala and Ganapati. Mr. Krishna Sastri, however, believes that he
was perhaps a contemporary of Arikesari Parakrama, founder of the Tenkasi
temple, as Kaliyugaraman was).
No. 28
of 1912 (Tamil) on the same pillar:
It records in Kollam Era 621, sale of land mentioned in
No. 27 to Nakkiradeva Nayanar in the temple of Subrahmanya Pillaiyar at Tiruchendil
for 630 Kaliyugaraman panam (named after Vira Pandya, the contemporary of
Arikesari Parakrama). It is stated that this land which was at Mankalakkurichi
alias Perunkarnunai Chaturvedimangalam was originally granted to the Brahmana
Atthigirinatha Bhattar and two others of Parakrama Pandya Chaturvedimangalam by
Ranarangarania Perumal alias Vikrama Pandya Deva. The dedication of a shrine to
Nakkira shows the importance attached to in the age to literary greatness.
No. 155
of 1903 (Vattezhuttu):
On a slab set up in the second prakara of the Subrahmanya
temple. A record in the 13th year of Varaguna Marayaharaja II. Records, gifts
of money. The object of the inscriptions is thus stated in order to meet the
annual requirements of the temple of Subrahmania-Bhatra, which was the deity in
the central shrine (Tirumulattanam) at Thiruchendur, Varaguna Maharaja made a
grant of 1,400 kasu and entrusted the amount to three of his officers, viz.,
Iruppaikkudi-Kilavan, Sattamperuman and Alarruranattukkon, with the stipulation
that the money should be lent out and with the interest accruing there from,
the annual requirements of the temple should be met, the capital always
remaining intact.
No. 156
of 1903 (Tamil):
It is recorded on the west and southwest walls, of the
Śivakkolundiswara temple at Thiruchendur. An incomplete record in Kollam Era
650, Thiruchendur was also called Madevi-Chaturvedi-mangalam.