Panchavan Maadevi Pallippadai Temple, Ramanathan Koil – History

Panchavan Maadevi Pallippadai Temple, Ramanathan Koil – History

The city of Pazhayarai was one of the capital towns of the Chola Empire. It consisted of present Patteeswaram, Muzhaiyur, Udaiyalur, Cholan Maligai, Thirusakthimutram, Darasuram and Ramanathan Koil. Pazhayarai is surrounded by the river Mudikondan on the south and the river Thirumalairayan on the north. This town was also a capital for few years during later Cholas.  Sundara Chola, father of great Rajaraja Chola I ruled Chola Dynasty from Pazhayarai.

Pazhayarai was called as Pazhayarai Nagar in the 7^th century, Nandipuram in the 8^th century, Pazhayarai Nandipuram in the 9^th and 10^th centuries, Mudikonda Cholapuram in the 11^th century and Rajarajapuram in the 12^th century. Pazhayarai housed four battle camps of the Cholas namely Aariyapadaiyur, Pampapadaiyur, Manapadaiyur and Puthupadaiyur. Pazhayarai was considered as birthplace of Amaraneedi Nayanar and Mangayarkkarasiyar, a saint amongst the 63 Nayanmars.

During Devaram times, Pazhayarai was divided into four major division namely; Pazhayarai Vadathali, Metrali, Keezhthali and Thenthali. Thali means Temple in ancient Tamil. Kailasanathar Temple was situated in Metrali, Dharmapureeswarar Temple in Vadathali, Somanathar Temple in Keezhthali and Parasunathaswamy Temple in Thenthali. Thenthali is called as Muzhaiyur now. Dharmapureeswarar Temple in Vadathali is the Padal Petra Sthalam and the other three temples are Thevara Vaippu Sthalam.

Before Vijayalaya Chola could set up his capital in Thanjavur (850 B.C.) and lay the foundation for the powerful Chola Empire that followed, the Chola kings were the chieftains in Pazhayarai. It was in this metropolis that Raja Rajan (985 – 1014) spent his childhood and where his sister Kundavai lived with her husband. King Rajendran I (1012 – 1044) lived here before shifting his capital to Gangai Konda Chola Puram.

Rajaraja Chola the great's second queen was Vanavan Maha Devi, who bore him Rajendra Chola I. Like his illustrious father, he was ranked one among the greatest rulers of India. This king built or renovated more than 25 temples during his life time, including the Shiva temple, he constructed in Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka, in honour of his mother, and named Vanavan Mahadevi Iswaram.

Rajendra Chola I seems to have been attached to his stepmother, Panchavan Maha Devi, the third queen of Rajaraja Chola I. This lady was a daughter of Avani Kandarpa Purathu Devan, a chieftain of the Pazhuvettaraiyar clan that ruled Pazhuvur. From several temple inscriptions it is observed that this queen had been a very generous patron of various temples, and her gifts of a variety of icons in gold and other metals exhibit her dedication to Hinduism.

Panchavan Maha Devi was very much attached to Rajendra Chola I and wants him to become the King after Rajaraja Chola I. It is said that she consumed  herbal medicines to avoid conceiving so that no one would be eligible to contend the throne. It is assumed she had treated Rajendran like a son. On her demise, the monarch built a Pallippadai Koil in memory of her. Pallipaduthuthal in Tamil means burying the dead and the temples built over the burial (pallipaduthiya) site are known as Pallippadai temples.

These temples were built by Parantaka Chola I for his father Aditya, and Rajaraja Chola I for his grandfather Arinjaya (Arnjijikai Iswaram). But the only edifice built as a Pallippadai Koil where a queen (Panchavan Maha Devi) was buried is this temple in Ramanathan Koil. This temple is forerunner to Taj Mahal. Several hundred years before the Taj Mahal was built, a Tamil king had thought of such an idea and built a similar structure in memory of his stepmother.

There are several inscriptions in the basement of the sanctum talks about the grant and donations given to this temple. An inscription dating to seventh year of Rajendra Chola I calls this hamlet as Pazhayarai, the Mudikonda Chola Puram in Narayur Nadu of Sathyasigamani Valanadu, and names the temple as Panchavan Maadevi Iswaram, a Pallippadai Koil and the lord of the temple as Panchavan Maadevi Iswarathu Maha Devar.

In the phrase that reads ``Pallippadai Panchavan Maadevi Iswarathu Mahadevar'', a vandal has tried to deface the word Pallippadai that is of much historical importance. Fortunately, the words carved on stone are still legible. This same inscription lists five Oduvar, a Pidaran, a Shiva Brahmin, an accountant, a treasurer, six drummers and a watchman as employees of the temple; defines their duties and details their remuneration.

The inscription records the provision made for three offerings a day to the Lord of the temple and one for each of the other three deities. Details of the constituents of the meals such as curry- rice, curd-rice, and betel-nut are given. The arrangements made for illuminating the temple during the day, nights and festivals were perfect. Eight lamps were to be lit at dawn, eight at noon, 16 at twilight hour and eight hand lamps and two torches for the night, with calculated quantities of ghee to be provided for each of these lamps.

Another inscription details the gifts made in the form of paddy to be made to the temple for special poojas, on the days of Thiruvadhirai, the natal star of Rajendra Chola I and his wife. Administrators of these endowments were appointed, and their names engraved in the basement. One such name is Madathipathy Lakulisvara Pandithar, who supervised the affairs of the temple with a Vennkaatan Kovandai of Marudhur.