Kampaheswarar Temple,
Thirubuvanam – History
The
Temple was constructed by the Chola King Kulothunga Chola III as a memorial of
his successful North Indian campaign as per the inscriptions found in the south
wall of the temple. He assumed the title of Thiribuvana Chakravarthy after
defeating Cheras, Singhalese and Pandyas. This place was named after his title
as Thirubuvanam. The inscriptions indicate the contribution towards the
construction of the Nataraja shrine and the Mukha Mandapa.
Some of the other temples that
figure in the inscriptions are Nataraja
Temple in Chidambaram, Meenakshi
Temple at Madurai, Ekambareswarar
Temple at Kanchipuram, Mahalingeswarar
Temple at Thiruvidaimaruthur and Brihadeeswarar
Temple at Thanjavur. The inscriptions in the shrine of the
presiding deity is similar to the one in the outer gopuram (gateway
tower), which indicates the building of the
temple by Kulottunga Chola III.
There are four inscriptions from
Kulothunga Chola in Grantha script. The inscription 189 of 1907, the one on the
southern wall of the central shrine, is damaged and mentions Arya
Sri-Somanatha. Inscription 190 on the same wall indicates the building
operations of Kulothunga Chola. 191, at the entrance of outer gopura, is a
duplicate of the 190. On the same gopura, inscription 192 indicates record of
king Kulothunga Chola.
There are two inscriptions in
Tamil from the period of Jadavarman Tribuvana Chakravarthy Parakrama Pandya Deva
registered by Epigraphy Department in 1911. One of them, 159, registers a
contract between the residents
of Tribhuvanavirapuram and Kulamangalanadu, who were urkaval (watchmen)
of the village. On the same wall, the inscription numbered 160, records a
similar contract in the presence of chief Udaiyar Kulasekharadeva.
