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Sunday, June 6, 2021

Kampaheswarar Temple, Thirubuvanam – History

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.