Saturday, May 30, 2020

Veeratteswarar Temple, Thirukkovilur – History

Veeratteswarar Temple, Thirukkovilur – History
The temple finds mention in Sangam literature in Tamil from 3rd BC to 3rd centuries CE like Akananuru, PurananuruNatrinai and Kurunthokai. Malayaiman Thirumudikkaari, the ruler of Thirukovilur, was praised in the texts for his charitable disposition to the institutions. Thirukovilur has the reputation of being the place where the weddings of Angavai and Sangavai (the daughters of noted Tamil philanthropist and King Pari Vallal) were held. It is also believed that this wedding took place because of the efforts of poets Avvaiyar and Kabilar. The bridegroom was Deiveekan, the king of Nadu Naadu.
After King Pari Vallal’s death, his daughters Angavai and Sangavai had suffered a lot. The poet - saint Kabilar, a good friend of Pari and the caretaker of the girls could not find a suitable groom for them because of King Pari’s enmity with the rest of the kings. Kabilar requested the great poetess Avvaiyar, who was also a good friend of him, to help him arrange their marriage. Despite continued efforts, Kabilar was unable to find a suitable match for them.
Unable to bear the agony of not being able to help his friend’s daughters, he went to a cave (Kugai), and started fasting till his death. It was after his death that Avvaiyar finally convinced King Deiveekan to marry the girls. There is a small temple called Kabilar Kugai (also known as Kabilar Rock or Kabilar Kundru) situated in the middle of the Pennaiyar river. This Kabilar Kundru, is being maintained by the State Archaeological Department.
It is said that King Rajaraja Chola was born in this place. As per inscriptions found in this temple, his elder sister donated funds for lighting lamps in this temple. Rajanarayana Sambuvarayar was a chieftain of Medieval Cholas whose contributions are documented in his inscriptions across various temples in modern day VillupuramCuddaloreTiruvannamalai and Kanchipuram districts and also in his Sanskrit work Madhuravijayam. He repaired, revived the services and inaugurated festivals of the temple.