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 7th
century, Nandipuram in the 8th century, Pazhayarai Nandipuram in the
9th and 10th centuries, Mudikonda Cholapuram in the 11th
century and Rajarajapuram in the 12th 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.