Kundrathur Nagesvarar Temple

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Kundrathur is situated at a distance of 13 km from Tambaram, the southern suburb of Chennai city. The locality is known for its numerous ancient temples. Nagesvarar temple is one of the main temples located here. The ancient temple, built during the Chola period, has more than 45 inscriptions. Besides providing the details on temple structure, icons, history and legends, this article briefly introduces all the inscriptions.



Legend

The famous Tamil scholar and poet Sekkizhar was from this village named Kundrathur. He lived in the 12th century C.E. during the period of Kulotunga Chola II. He was the author of Periya Puranam, which talks about the lives and greatness of 63 Nayanmars in detail. 

It is said that Sekkizhar had once visited Tirunageswaram near Kumbakonam, and he wanted to get darshan of the same deity every day. Hence, he built this temple of Nagesvarar that looks similar to the other one in his native place.

A few years ago, as the original Shiva Linga, which Sekkizar installed, got damaged, the villagers replaced it with a new icon. That night, Lord Shiva appeared in the dream of a devotee and ordered him to reinstall the original Linga. Accordingly, the same old Linga was reinstalled in the sanctum. The newly made Linga is kept in the western inner prakara.




History

The temple is a treasure house of inscriptions. There are a total of 45 inscriptions found. The oldest inscription is from Virarajendra Chola, dated 1064/65 C.E. and the latest one is from Venkatapatiraya, dated 1599 CE. 

Based on the availability of the inscriptions and the architectural style, the temple was probably built in the 11th century C.E. by the Medieval Cholas. The Pandyas, Sambuvarayars and Vijayanagaras, did renovations and additions. Even after that, many additions and repair works were done in the last three hundred years. Veerabhadra Mudaliar built the tower (Raja gopuram) in 1944 C.E.

From a few inscriptions, we understand that Kundrathur was located in Kundrathur Naadu, a sub-division of Puliyur Kottam alias Kulotunga Chola Valanaadu, which in turn was part of Jayamkonda Chola Mandalam. Also, the presiding deity was referred to as Tirunagisvaramudaiya Nayanar.




Out of 45 inscriptions, 22 are from the Cholas, two from Kopperunchinga, one from Telugu Chola, six from Pandyas, four from Sambuvarayars, and ten from Vijayanagara Kings. A further break-up is seen below.

Virarajendra Chola - 3
Kulotunga Chola III - 10
Rajaraja Chola III - 9

Kopperunchinga I - 2

Vijaya Ganda Gopaladeva - 1

Jatavarma Sundara Pandya I - 1
Maravarma Kulasekhara Pandya I - 5

Venrumankonda Sambuvaraya - 1
Rajanarayana Sambuvarayar - 3

Kampanna Udaiyar - 2
Harihara Raya - 2
Deva Raya II - 4
Unkonwn Vijayanagara - 1
Venkatapatiraya - 1

A brief write-up about all these inscriptions is given below.



Inscription # 1

Reference - A.R. No. 200 of 1929-30
Location - South Wall of the sanctum
Period - 1064/65 CE
King - Virarajendra Chola  


The inscription records the assignment of taxes on some land to the temple for the expenses of worship on the day of Revati every month.

Inscription # 2

Reference - A.R. No. 230 of 1929-30
Location - West Wall of the Amman (Goddess) Shrine
Period - 1067 CE
King - Virarajendra Chola  


The inscription registers the money received from an individual to light a lamp regularly at the Goddess shrine. 

Inscription # 3

Reference - A.R. No. 229 of 1929-30
Location - East Wall of the Amman (Goddess) Shrine
Period - 1069 CE
King - Virarajendra Chola  

The inscription registers the money received from an individual to light a lamp regularly at the Goddess shrine. 

Inscription # 4

Reference - A.R. No. 194 of 1929-30
Location - West Wall of the sanctum
Period - 1192 CE
King - Kulotunga Chola III 


The inscription registers the gift of land by the people of Kundrathur to the temple of Tirunagisvaram Udaiyar to provide midnight offerings to the image of Kambavaana Nachiyar. It also states that Kannappan Panchanadi Kambavaanan alias Veeramantaththoosi installed it. (She is called Kamakshi nowadays). 

Inscription # 5

Reference - A.R. No. 198 of 1929-30
Location - South Wall of the sanctum
Period - 1192 CE
King - Kulotunga Chola III 


This inscription too provides similar details as the previous one.




Inscription # 6

Reference - A.R. No. 199 of 1929-30
Location - South Wall of the sanctum
Period - 1194 CE
King - Kulotunga Chola III 


This inscription records the gift of two goats for twilight lights.

Inscription # 7

Reference - A.R. No. 215 of 1929-30
Location - East Wall of the Kalyana Mandapam
Period - 1197 CE
King - Kulotunga Chola III 


The inscription registers the gift from a Devadasi named Chitramali Nangai.

Inscription # 8

Reference - A.R. No. 219 of 1929-30
Location - North Wall of the Kalyana Mandapam
Period - 1197 CE
King - Kulotunga Chola III 


The inscription registers the gift from a Devadasi named Tiruvunnaligai Nangai alias Uyyavandal.

Inscription # 9

Reference - A.R. No. 202 of 1929-30
Location - South Wall of the Mukha Mandapa
Period - 1201 CE
King - Kulotunga Chola III 


This inscription records the gift of money for lighting lamps.

Inscription # 10

Reference - A.R. No. 212 of 1929-30
Location - East Wall of the Kalyana Mandapa
Period - 1201 CE
King - Kulotunga Chola III 


This inscription records the gift of money for lighting lamps.

Inscription # 11

Reference - A.R. No. 225 of 1929-30
Location - West Wall of the Kalyana Mandapam
Period - 1206 CE
King - Kulotunga Chola III 


This inscription registers the gift of land by the people of Kundrathur to the temple.


Inscription # 12

Reference - A.R. No. 222 of 1929-30
Location - North Wall of the Kalyana Mandapam
Period - 1211 CE
King - Kulotunga Chola III 


This inscription records an individual's gift of money for lighting a lamp.


Inscription # 13

Reference - A.R. No. 211 of 1929-30
Location - East Wall of the Kalyana Mandapa
Period - 1211 CE
King - Kulotunga Chola III 


This inscription records the gift of cows for the perpetual lamp.


Inscription # 14

Reference - A.R. No. 191 of 1929-30
Location - West Wall of the sanctum
Period - 1222/23 CE
King - Rajaraja Chola III 


The inscription registers the gift of land to conduct the early morning service in the temple.

Inscription # 15

Reference - A.R. No. 214 of 1929-30
Location - East Wall of the Kalyana Mandapam
Period - 1224 CE
King - Rajaraja Chola III 


The inscription registers the gift from a Devadasi named Vidiyar alias Narpattennayira Manickam.

Inscription # 16

Reference - A.R. No. 203 of 1929-30
Location - South Wall of the Mukha Mandapa
Period - 1226 CE
King - Rajaraja Chola III 


This inscription records the gift of money for lighting lamps.

Inscription # 17

Reference - A.R. No. 220 of 1929-30
Location - North Wall of the Kalyana Mandapam
Period - 1226 CE
King - Rajaraja Chola III 


The inscription registers the gift from a barber named Eluttarivan.

Inscription # 18

Reference - A.R. No. 216 of 1929-30
Location - East Wall of the Kalyana Mandapam
Period - 1230 CE
King - Rajaraja Chola III 


The inscription registers the gift of a gold ornament from an individual from a place called Marudam in Urrukkattukottam.

Inscription # 19

Reference - A.R. No. 217 of 1929-30
Location - East Wall of the Kalyana Mandapam
Period - 1230 CE
King - Rajaraja Chola III 


The inscription is damaged and appears to be an order from the king to perform specific actions.

Inscription # 20

Reference - A.R. No. 223 of 1929-30
Location - North Wall of the Kalyana Mandapam
Period - 1230 CE
King - Rajaraja Chola III 


This inscription records the gift of money for a lighting lamp by Tiruvunnaligai Nangai, a Devadasi.




Inscription # 21

Reference - A.R. No. 196 of 1929-30
Location - West Wall of the sanctum
Period - 1232/33 CE
King - Kopperunchinga I


The inscription registers the money gifted by a Devadasi to light a lamp in front of Dakshinamurti.

Inscription # 22

Reference - A.R. No. 213 of 1929-30
Location - East Wall of the Kalyana Mandapam
Period - 1234/35 CE
King - Kopperunchinga I


The inscription registers the money gifted by an individual to light a lamp.

Inscription # 23

Reference - A.R. No. 205 of 1929-30
Location - South Wall of the Mukha Mandapa
Period - 1237 CE
King - Rajaraja Chola III 


This inscription records the gift of money received from an individual for lighting lamps.

Inscription # 24

Reference - A.R. No. 218 of 1929-30
Location - North Wall of the Kalyana Mandapam
Period - 1241 CE
King - Rajaraja Chola III 


The inscription records the gift from certain Sekkizhan to light lamps in the evenings in the temple.


Inscription # 25

Reference - A.R. No. 189 of 1929-30
Location - North Wall of the sanctum
Period - 1252 CE
King - Jatavarma Sundara Pandya I 
Language - Tamil


The inscription talks about the land gifted to the deity named Piraiyanivanudalisvaram Udaiya Nayanar.

Inscription # 26

Reference - A.R. No. 224 of 1929-30
Location - North Wall of the Kalyana Mandapam
Period - 1254 CE
King - Vijaya Ganda Gopaladeva (Telugu Chola)


This inscription talks about Periyanattu Perumpalli and Bhuvaneswaramudaiyan temple. It records the gift of land by an individual.

Inscription # 27

Reference - A.R. No. 204 of 1929-30
Location - South Wall of the Mukha Mandapa
Period - 1299 CE
King - Maravarma Kulasekhara Pandya I 
Language - Tamil


The inscription talks about the sale of land.

Inscription # 28

Reference - A.R. No. 208 of 1929-30
Location - South Wall of the Mukha Mandapa
Period - 1299 CE
King - Maravarma Kulasekhara Pandya I 
Language - Tamil


The inscription talks about selling land to a person with a Sekkizhar surname.

Inscription # 29

Reference - A.R. No. 226 of 1929-30
Location - West Wall of the Kalyana Mandapam
Period - 1307 CE (?)
King - Maravarma Kulasekhara Pandya I 


This inscription registers the sale of land to the temple.

Inscription # 30

Reference - A.R. No. 227 of 1929-30
Location - West Wall of the Kalyana Mandapam
Period - 1307 CE 
King - Maravarma Kulasekhara Pandya I 


This inscription registers the sale of land to the temple.




Inscription # 31

Reference - A.R. No. 228 of 1929-30
Location - West Wall of the Kalyana Mandapam
Period - 1307 CE 
King - Maravarma Kulasekhara Pandya I 


This inscription marks a certain linear measure called Ganaargandan.


Inscription # 32

Reference - A.R. No. 206 of 1929-30
Location - South Wall of the Mukha Mandapa
Period - 1323 CE
King - Venrumankonda Sambuvaraya
Language - Tamil


The inscription registers the gift of land to the temple.

Inscription # 33

Reference - A.R. No. 195 of 1929-30
Location - West Wall of the sanctum
Period - 1342/43 CE
King - Rajanarayana Sambuvarayar
Language - Tamil

The inscription registers the land gifted to the temple by a merchant from Mylapore. 


Inscription # 34

Reference - A.R. No. 187 of 1929-30
Location - North Wall of the sanctum
Period - 1344/45 CE
King - Rajanarayana Sambuvarayar
Language - Tamil

The inscription talks about the land gifted to the temple. It provides some details about the sub-divisions of the regions. Kundrathur was located in Kundrathur Naadu, a sub-division of Puliyur Kottam alias Kulotunga Chola Valanaadu, which was part of Jayamkonda Chola Mandalam. Also, the presiding deity was referred to as Tirunagisvaramudaiya Nayanar.


Inscription # 35

Reference - A.R. No. 188 of 1929-30
Location - North Wall of the sanctum
Period - 1346/47 CE
King - Rajanarayana Sambuvarayar
Language - Tamil

The inscription registers the land gifted to the temple. 


Inscription # 36

Reference - A.R. No. 190 of 1929-30
Location - West Wall of the sanctum
Period - Mid-14th century CE
King - Kampanna Udaiyar, Vijayanagara 


The inscription registers the assignment of tax due by the weavers residing in the Tirumidaivilagam (temple's property) to the expenses towards the Vasanta festival in the Chitrai month. 

Inscription # 37

Reference - A.R. No. 192 of 1929-30
Location - West Wall of the sanctum
Period - Mid-14th century CE
King - Kampanna Udaiyar, Vijayanagara 


The incomplete inscription mentions a person who ran away without paying the tax due to the temple and the subsequent sale of his land.

Inscription # 38

Reference - A.R. No. 193 of 1929-30
Location - West Wall of the sanctum
Period - Mid-14th century CE
King - Harihara Raya, Vijayanagara 


The incomplete inscription registers the sale of land.

Inscription # 39

Reference - A.R. No. 221 of 1929-30
Location - North Wall of the Kalyana Mandapam
Period - Mid-14th century CE
King - Harihara Raya, Vijayanagara 


The inscription states that a person from the Kaikolar community (weaver) named Narpattennayira Solakumaran installed an image of Chokka Nayanar in the temple. He was given the privilege of "parivattam" (headband) and a site to set up looms. He was ordered to provide 4 "panam" (a monetary unit) for every loom as the tax to the temple.


Inscription # 40

Reference - A.R. No. 197 of 1929-30
Location - West Wall of the sanctum
Period - 1437 CE
King - Deva Raya II, Vijayanagara 


The inscription registers the gift to the temple to regularly light the lamp.

Inscription # 41

Reference - A.R. No. 209 of 1929-30
Location - North Wall of the Mukha Mandapa
Period - First half of the 15th century 
King - Deva Raya II, Vijayanagara 


The inscription registers the gift of tax-free land to the temple.

Inscription # 42

Reference - A.R. No. 201 of 1929-30
Location - South Wall of the sanctum
Period - 1437 CE
King - Deva Raya II, Vijayanagara 


The damaged and incomplete inscription registers the sale of land.

Inscription # 43

Reference - A.R. No. 207 of 1929-30
Location - South Wall of the Mukha Mandapa
Period - 1454 CE
King - Deva Raya III, Vijayanagara 


The inscription records remission of Idangai tax due from a new settlement of Kaikkolars in favor of the temple offerings.

Inscription # 44

Reference - A.R. No. 210 of 1929-30
Location - East Wall of the Kalyana Mandapa
Period - Middle of the 15th century 
King - Not known (Might be Deva Raya II or Deva Raya III), Vijayanagara 

The inscription records the money received from a particular individual to light the twilight lamp in the temple. 

Inscription # 45

Reference - A.R. No. 231 of 1929-30
Location - West and South Walls of the Vinayaka Shrine in the street to the north of the temple
Period - 1599 CE
King - Venkatapatiraya, Vijayanagara 


The inscription registers the sale of land. However, it is found damaged.



Temple Layout

The temple spreads over an area of around one acre. Outside the temple complex, the beautiful temple tank Surya Pushkarani spreads over 0.6 acres of land. 

The temple faces the east direction. It has a five-tiered Raja gopuram at its entrance, constructed in the 1940s.

The sanctum of Nagesvara faces the east direction. Nagesvara is a large-sized Linga placed on a square-shaped peetham (pedestal). The metal image of Bhoga Shakti or Piriyavidai is found along with Linga.

At the entrance of the Antarala, the stone images of Dwarapalas are found. There is a sculpture of Ganesha located near the entrance of Ardha Mandapa.




Kamakshi, the Goddess, is enshrined in a south-facing shrine outside the Maha mandapa. 

Nandi and lion are found facing the shrines of Nagesvara and Kamakshi, respectively.

There are two prakaras (circumambulatory paths) around the sanctum. 

All three outer walls are filled with many inscriptions. Ganesha, Dakshinamurti, Vishnu, Brahma and Durga are the Koshta deities. Ganesha's sculpture looks beautiful.

Sundarar with Sangili Nachiar, Ganesha, Surya, Nalvar (four great Shiva devotees), a few icons of serpents with Lingas installed on the same stones, 

The west inner prakara has the sub-shrines of Somaskanda, two big Shiva Lingas, namely Arunachaleswarar and Viswanathar and Veerabhagu-Lakshmi-Saraswati, the metal icons of Murugan with his two consorts and the stone images of Murugan and his consorts.

Nataraja-Sivakami, Nalvar, Vempuli Amman, Ponni Amman, Bhikshatana-Uma-Gundodara with a beautiful deer are a few metal icons are seen on the sub-shrines in the north inner prakara.

Bhairavar in the inner prakara of Kamakshi and Chandikeswara in the inner prakara of Shiva are found.

Flagstaff, bali peetha and Nandi mandapa are located facing the main shrine.

Sekkizhar graces in the form of a stone image and a metal image in two different sub-shrines.

Karpaga Vinayaka, Shaneeswara and Navagrahas are found in the huge outer prakara.

Although the site is called Rahu sthalam as part of Chennai's Navagraha sites, he has no separate icon.

Happy travelling.

Visit my site, krishnakumartk.com, to know more about the travel guides and other books that I have written.



Location: Kundrathur, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600069, India

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