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Sunday, May 7, 2017

Kuttralanathar Temple, Courtrallam – Inscriptions

Kuttralanathar Temple, Courtrallam – Inscriptions
Kutralanathar Temple has 89 inscriptions in total. Of the 89, ten inscriptions discovered on the east and west walls of the first periphery records the gifts of cow, sheep, goat, buffalo for burning perpetual lamp and endowments of land, gold and coins to the Tirukutrala Perumal temple by the Chola monarch Madiraikonda Ko-Parakesarivarman  aka Parantaka Chola I (907–955 A.D.). In the entire Pandya country, the inscriptions of Parantaka Chola I in Tamil Vattezhuthu script were discovered only in Kutralanathar Temple.
Inscriptions in Vattezhuthu script on the east wall of the first prakara Kutralanathar Temple were assignable to Parantaka I. It records a gift of 26 cows for burning a perpetual lamp in the temple of Tirukkurralattu-Perumal by Adittan Muvenda-Pallavaraiyan of Arrur in Tiruppanangattu-nadu in Solanadu (The inscription mentions the name of the Lord as ‘Tirukkurralattu-Perumal’). Another Inscription records a gift of 26 cows for burning a perpetual lamp in the temple by Dharma-setti alias Sadaiyan Kavayan a member of the Manigramam (guild) from Tenvara-nadu.
Another Vatteluthu script and is damaged. It records a gift of cows for burning a perpetual lamp in the temple by a lady by name Ariyampoduviyar wife of Naranappallavaraiyar. Another inscription records a gift of 25 sheep for burning a lamp with an Ulakku of ghee every day in the temple of Mahadeva at Tirukkurralam by one Nakkan Appi Tirumurtti (This inscription observe the Lord's name as ‘Mahadeva at Tirukkurralam’).
An inscription dated to 22nd regnal year of Parantaka I. and it is damaged, records gift of 16 ma of land for burning a perpetual lamp in the temple at Tirukkurralam in Tenvari-nadu by Kandan Iravi, made on the day of a solar eclipse. An inscription dated to 35 regnal year of Parantaka I records a gift of 6 buffaloes for burning a perpetual lamp in the temple at Tirukkurralam in Tenvari-nadu by Kovadi Kdnra, Vellala resident of Vallapuram in Mala-nadu. The inscriptions of Parantaka also cite the date and time of the 'solar eclipse' which enabled the scholars to precisely compute the period of Parantaka I. There is also another one inscription in Tamil script.   
Three inscriptions of Rajaraja Chola I discovered on the western wall of the first periphery records the renovation work carried over the dilapidated structure as well as the construction of new Mandapams. The Chola monarch also copied the Vattezhuthu Tamil inscriptions and inscribed back after renovation. The prime deity was mentioned in his inscriptions as 'Kutralathu Bhattaragar'. The Chola emperor also left an inscription (which is not readable now) to tell us about structural additions made to this temple as well as the transformation of Tamil script from Vattezhuthu Tamil script. The fragmented inscription of Rajendra Chola I discovered on the third pillar of the eastern corridor in the first periphery.