Indian Columbus

Originally Ooraththur, now diluted as Orathur , is a village near Padappai . It has a beautiful Chola-era Gajaprshtha temple named Agasteeswara . This article is written with the intention of promoting this unknown ancient temple. The east-facing temple was built probably during the later Chola period. Later, it was renovated and extended during the Vijayanagara rule. The inscription of Achyuta Deva Raya dated 1529 CE (A.R.E. 256 of 1910), which records a gift of a hamlet to the temple, mentions that Ooraththur was part of Sengattu kottam alias Irandayira veliparru in Jayankonda Chola mandalam. The deity is referred to as Tiruvagatteeswaramudaiya Tambiran. The current structure of the temple with all its sub-shrines and mandapas, belong to the early 19th century CE. As per a Telugu inscription dated 1813 CE found on a slab (A.R.E. 257 of 1910), Avanigaddala Pattabhiramudu , a wealthy person, rebuilt and expanded the temple. The stone images were also made by him.  The presiding de...

This village named Karasangal near Padappai is quiet throughout the year except during Maha Shivaratri. Shivaratri is celebrated in a grand manner in the Malleeswarar temple in this village. 10,008 lamps would be lit as part of the celebration. To view this rare event, thousands of people from the neighborhood gather at the village during this festival time. A villager discovered an ancient image of Shiva Linga in his field, and he kept it in his home for many years. Ultimately a Vaishnavite priest built a small temple for Shiva Linga and named him Malleeswarar in the middle of the 19th century CE. In subsequent years, more shrines were added to the temple. It is a small temple, which is hardly visited by devotees. Shivaratri is an exception.  It has two entrances, one in the east and another in the south, with the southern entrance being the main. The east-facing main shrine enshrines Malleeswarar, a small Shiva Linga. Maragadambal, the Goddess is found in a south-facing shrine. T...

Padappai is a well-known and fast-developing town near Chennai. People from Chennai and its southern suburb localities know the town very well. However, not many of them would have heard about the Chola-era beautiful temple of Tiruvaleeswara, located in Athancheri, a hamlet located at about one km from Padappai. I agree it is contented to find the temple maintained well and all festivals and rituals conducted regularly. However, it is sad that the villagers, while renovating the temple, did not care about the inscriptions or other historical records.  Garbha griha, Ardha mandapa and the granite base of the Vimana are the only original structures that still remain. The super-structure of Vimana is renovated. We can assume that the original design was followed in the rebuilt structure. There are traces of inscriptions here and there, but none of them is in a readable form. I could not find details about the inscriptions in any published work. I spoke to a few people from the village,...

Pillaipakkam is a place where you could not find the hustle-bustle of city life. With hardly any automobile vehicle, the remote hamlet surrounded by fertile fields, giant trees and village ponds, it is a kind of time travel to the good old bygone era. To enhance the serenity of the place, we have a beautiful Chola-era structure called Vaideeswaran Temple. Even though the distance is just 5 km from Sriperumbudur, not many of us would have heard about this remote village. Hence, the temple and its history remain unknown. However, it is well maintained with the support of locals. They regularly visit the temple. History Two inscriptions of Tirukkachur from Rajaraja Chola III (1216-56 CE) record this village as Kaitavakaitava Nallur alias Pillaipakkam. They also state that the village was part of Maganur nadu, a sub-division of Sengattu kottam in Jayankonda Chola Mandalam. Besides the inscriptions mentioned above, I could not find the details of any other inscription that talks about the v...

Pulakeshin II  was the most illustrious Emperor of the Chalukya Dynasty. Considered the most powerful ruler during his times, he had defeated even two other powerful emperors, Harshavardhana and Mahendravarma Pallava. However, there was an end to his uninterrupted victories.  Narasimhavarma Pallava I , a rare Indian ruler who had never experienced a defeat, routed him repeatedly. The Copper Plates of Kuram record the triumph of Narasimha over the Chalukyan army in three places.  Manimangalam , a suburb of the current Chennai city, is one of those sites. This historic battlefield, a quiet village until a few decades ago and a busy developing locality nowadays, is dotted with many temples. The later-Chola-era Dharmesvara temple is one among them. This article is about that architecturally beautiful temple.  The temple is a visual treat with an unbelievably large peepul tree located in a vast open area with the waterbody on one side. Neatly maintained by ASI, the atmos...