Thiru Parameswara Vinnagaram,
Kanchipuram – History
Nandivarman II Pallavamalla was not the son of
Parameshwara Varma but was a descendant of Bhima Varman, younger son of
Simha Vishnu. Paramesvara Varman II did not have an heir so the ministers,
feudatories and advisors of the kingdom took an expedition to neighbouring
kingdoms and distant lands to find a suitable prince of the original line. They
reached Hiranya Varman of Kambujadesa, modern day Cambodia and southern
Vietnam, who belongs to another lineage of Pallavas to crown as a King.
He politely refused the offer and asked the wishes of
his sons. His 12 year old son Parameswara Varman agreed to become the King. He
was brought to Kanchipuram and crowed as Nandivarman II. He was also
called as Pallavamalla. He led the Pallava Dynasty for 65 years. This
Temple is believed to have been built by the Pallava King
Nandivarman II (731 – 796 CE). It is said that the great Vaishnava saint
Thirumangai Alvar was his contemporary.
The
temple is believed to have been constructed after the
construction of Kanchi
Kailasanathar Temple. The bas reliefs in the
temple reveal the war between the Pallavas and Gangas and
also with Chalukyas. The
temple received extensive patronage from medieval Cholas and
Vijayanagara Kings. The
temple has seven inscriptions. There is an inscription in the sanctum
wall dated to the 8th century CE. It records the gift of a bowl and
an image made of gold measuring 1,000 sovereigns by king Abhimanasiddhi.
During the period of Dantivarman I in 813, there was a
gift of golden bowl weighing ten thousand sovereigns. There was another
gift of 3,000 sovereigns of gold to meet daily expenses of the
temple. A record of gift of a devotee named Thiruvaranga Manickam to
feed devotees of Vishnu is also seen in the
temple. The inscriptions in the
temple depicts the socio-economic and political situation of the
country during the Pallava regime. The
temple is declared as a heritage monument and administered by
the Archaeological Survey of India as a protected monument.
