Varadaraja Perumal Temple, Kanchipuram – History

Varadaraja Perumal Temple, Kanchipuram – History

The temple was believed to be built by Pallava king Nandivarman II. As per the available inscription, the temple was originally built by Cholas in 1053 CE. The Temple was extensively renovated during the reign of Kulothunga Chola I, Vikrama Chola, Rajadhiraja Chola I, Rajaraja Chola II, Rajadhiraja Chola II, Kulothunga Chola III and Rajaraja Chola III. It is said that Ramanuja, one of the greatest Hindu scholars, is believed to have resided in this temple. 

The temple received extensive patronage from Vijayanagara Kings after the fall of Chola Empire. Krishna Devaraya, Achyuta Deva Raya, Sadasivaraya, Rangaraya I, Venkataraya I and Venkataraya III made elaborate endowments to this temple. The temple has around 350 inscriptions from various dynasties like Chola, Pandya, Kadavarayas, Cheras, Telugu Chodas, Kakatiya, Sambuvarayars, Hoysala and Vijayanagara indicating various donations to the temple and also the political situation of Kanchipuram.

There are inscriptions dated to 1532 CE indicating the gift of number of villages made by Achyuta Deva Raya. Vira Narasingaraya Saluva Nayaka who was directed by Achyuta Deva Raya broke the royal order by giving more lands to Ekambaranathar temple than the Varadaraja Swamy temple against the instruction of an equal gift to either of the temples. Achyuta Deva Raya on hearing this partiality equally distributed the lands to both the temples. 

The inscriptions and records of the temple states that several leaders like Vyasatirtha and Satya Vijaya Tirtha from the Dvaita school of Vedanta had evinced interest in this temple. An epigraph of the temple datable to 1511 CE records that the Dvaita saint and Kulaguru of Krishnadevaraya, Shri Vyasatirtha presented a village and serpent vehicle to Varadaraja Temple and instituted a festival in honour of Vijayanagara king Krishnadevaraya.

The renovations done by Alam Kheer Basha of Delhi during 1645 CE was inscribed on the walls of the temple. Another record dated to 1726 CE mentions that another Dvaita saint and Peethadhipathi of Uttaradi Matha by the name Satya Vijaya Tirtha was honoured in the temple with some privileges.  In his work Sasana Tamil Kavi Saritham, Raghava Iyengar mentions that Parimel Azhagar wrote his commentary of the Thirukkural around 1271–1272 CE as indicated in an inscription at the temple.

When a Mughal invasion was expected in 1688 CE, the main image of the deity was sent to Udayarpalayam, now part of Thanjavur District. It was only during 1710 that the situation was ripe for the deities to be returned. But the chieftain of Udayarpalayam opposed the move and only after the intervention of Paramahamsa Parivajakacharya Attan Jeer, the deities were returned. The event is commemorated as a festival in the temple.

Robert Clive, the British general during the colonial period visited the Garuda Seva festival and presented a valuable necklace (now termed Clive Mahara Kandi), which is adorned during a special occasion every year. The Thathacharyas are the custodians of the Kanchipuram Perarulaalan Kovil popularly known as Varadaraja Perumal temple. They are the Pradhana Acharya Purushas in the protocol to receive and deliver the temple honours.

In retrospection Tirumalai Nambi's son Thirukurukai Piran Pillan was ordained by Ramanuja himself as the first and foremost among the 74 Peetadhipathis to propagate Vishishadvaita philosophy after him. Pillan was also chosen by Ramanuja as the competent person to write the commentary on Thiruvaimozhi. The annotation of Thiruvaimozhi thus brought out by Pillan under the behest of Ramanuja is called the famous Araiyar Padi the first gloss in Manipravala, an elegant mixture of Tamil and Sanskrit words, on the Divya Prabandham. 

After Pillan, Tirumalai Srinivasacharya Thathacharya in the fifth generation of Thathacharyas was installed by Sri Vedanta Desika as the Sri Kariyam of the Devaraja Swamy Kovil. Since then the office of Sri Kariyam is institutionalised in the diligence and devotion of the Thathacharyas to the Varadaraja Perumal temple in Kanchipuram. Lakshmi Kumara Thathachariar inherited this mantle from his ancestors and made epoch making contributions to the temple annals.

He was the Sri Kariya Durandhara (a phrase connoting absolute dedication and authority) of the temple affairs. Simultaneously he was also the Raja Guru of the Vijayanagar king Venkatapathi Deva Maharaj. In Ayyangarkulam, a village named after him near Kanchipuram, he built a tank and temple to Sri Rama and Hanuman.  In the modern days, the temple is administrated by the Tamil Nadu Government through the Ministry of Hindu Religion and Charitable Endowments having the Thathachariars as the Honorary Trustees.