Pazhayarai or Pazhaiyarai or Palayarai (
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nativ ...
: பழையாறை paḻaiyāṟai) was an ancient capital of the medieval
Chola dynasty
The Chola dynasty was a Tamils, Tamil thalassocratic Tamil Dynasties, empire of southern India and one of the longest-ruling dynasties in the history of the world. The earliest datable references to the Chola are from inscriptions dated ...
in
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...
. The place is located around from
Kumbakonam
Kumbakonam (formerly spelt as Coombaconum or Combaconum) or Kudanthai is a city municipal corporation in the Thanjavur district in the States of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located from Thanjavur and from Chennai and is the headq ...
, a city in
Thanjavur district
Thanjavur District is one of the Districts of Tamil Nadu, 38 districts of the States and territories of India, state of Tamil Nadu, in southeastern India. Its headquarters is Thanjavur. The district is located in the delta of the Cauvery River ...
, in the
South India
South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union territo ...
n state of
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...
. It is located on the banks of T.Patnam river, one of the tributaries of the river
Cauvery. There are a number of villages within the area of historic Pazhaiyarai. The place was called Ayiratalli, meaning a land of thousand temples. The place is referred under various names like Ayiratalli, Pazhayar, Ahavamallakulakalapuram and Minavanaivenkadasolapuram.
The place was originally under the rule of Muttaraiyars, the feudatories of
Pallava
The Pallava dynasty existed from 275 CE to 897 CE, ruling a significant portion of the Deccan, also known as Tondaimandalam. The dynasty rose to prominence after the downfall of the Satavahana dynasty, with whom they had formerly served as fe ...
empire when it was called Avanaiapuram. The place attained its fame when it came under the regime of the Cholas. There are a number of inscriptions from the Chola dynasty associating the importance capital during the regime of
Sundara (Parantaka II) (957-70). It retained it importance under the subsequent Chola kings, but when it switched hands to the
Pandya dynasty, the place lost its importance. There are a number of temples associated with the place, with the major ones being
Thenupuriswarar Temple, Patteeswaram,
Pazhayarai Vadathali,
Panchavan Madeviyar Pallippadai Temple,
Thirunandipura Vinnagaram and
Sakthivanesvara Temple.
Geography and etymology
![Nathankovil (1)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/38/Nathankovil_%281%29.jpg)
The historical village Pazhayarai is located around from
Kumbakonam
Kumbakonam (formerly spelt as Coombaconum or Combaconum) or Kudanthai is a city municipal corporation in the Thanjavur district in the States of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located from Thanjavur and from Chennai and is the headq ...
, a town in
Thanjavur district
Thanjavur District is one of the Districts of Tamil Nadu, 38 districts of the States and territories of India, state of Tamil Nadu, in southeastern India. Its headquarters is Thanjavur. The district is located in the delta of the Cauvery River ...
, in the
South India
South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union territo ...
n state of
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...
. There are lot of small villages inside the historical town of Pazhayarai -
Thirunandipura Vinnagaram,
Sathi mutram,
Patteeswaram with all their temples. There were four legendary temples, Vadathali, Kelthali, Metrali and Thenthali across four sides of the city. The houses(''veedu'') of the warriors namely Aru padai veedu, Pudhu padai Veedu, Manapadai Veedu and Pambai padai veedu.It is located on the banks of T.Patnam river, one of the tributaries of the river
Cauvery.
Pazhayarai was originally called Ayiratalli, meaning the land of thousand temples. Western scholars attribute different names to the place like Ariyatalli, Mudikondacholapuram and Palaiyaru. The first literary mention of Pazhayarai is found in the 7th century
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nativ ...
Saiva
''Saiva'' is a genus of Asian planthoppers, family Fulgoridae. They are colourful insects, marked boldly in red, blue, white and black, with a prominent slender stalk like structure arising on the head that points upwards or forward. The known ...
canonic literature ''
Thevaram
Thevaram is a town in Theni district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Thevaram is located in Tamil Nadu near on border of Kerala at the Eastern side foot-hill of the Western Ghats. It is connected with State Highway SH100.
Farming is main o ...
'' by saint
Sambandar
Sambandar (Tamil: சம்பந்தர்), also referred to as Tirugnana Sambandar (lit. ''Holy Sage Sambandar''), Tirujnanasambanda, Campantar or Jñāṉacampantar, was a Shaiva poet-saint of Tamil Nadu who lived sometime in the 7th cen ...
. He mentions the Saiva temple occupied by
Jains
Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being ...
, which was cleared to be opened for Shiva worshippers under the influence of the saint on the ruling Muttaraiyar king. The saint went on to visit the ''Merrali'' or the western temple and the
Thenupuriswarar Temple, Patteeswaram. Amaraneethi Nayanar, one of the 63
Nayanmars is believed to have progressed in the village. The place is also called Nandipuram, following the
Pallava
The Pallava dynasty existed from 275 CE to 897 CE, ruling a significant portion of the Deccan, also known as Tondaimandalam. The dynasty rose to prominence after the downfall of the Satavahana dynasty, with whom they had formerly served as fe ...
king of 7th century , who is believed to have built the
Nathan Kovil in the place. The place came to be known as Avaninaryanapuram after the advent of
Nandivarman III
Nandivarman III was an Indian monarch of the Nandivarman II line who ruled the Pallava kingdom from 846 to 869. He was the son of Dantivarman and grandson of Nandivarman II.
Reign
Nandivarman III, who was a powerful monarch, tried to reverse ...
(846-869). The Chola king
Virarajendra Chola
Virarajendra Chola (1002 CE – 1070 CE) was a Chola emperor, who spent a major part of his life as a subordinate to two of his elder brothers Rajadhiraja I and Rajendra II, he is the son of Rajendra I. During his early reign he granted the ...
(1063–1070) gave the name Ahavamallakulakalapuram, while
Kulothunga I
Kulottunga I (;1025 CE - 1122 CE) also spelt Kulothunga (), was a Chola Emperor who reigned from 1070 CE to 1122 CE succeeding his cousin Athirajendra Chola. He also served as the Eastern Chalukya king from 1061 CE to 1118 CE, succeeding his ...
(1070–1120) named it Minavanaivenkadasolapuram.
History
The city was originally an important city during the rule of
Pallavas
The Pallava dynasty existed from 275 CE to 897 CE, ruling a significant portion of South India, the Deccan, also known as Tondaimandalam. The dynasty rose to prominence after the downfall of the Satavahanas, Satavahana dynasty, with whom they ...
in the 7th and 8th centuries. As per historians, the city was probably one of the capitals of their viceroys, the Muttaraiyars. During the regime of
Vijayalaya Chola
Vijayalaya Chola (Tamil: விஜயாலய சோழன்) was a king of South India () who founded the imperial Chola Empire. He ruled over the region to the north of the river Kaveri.
Dark age of Cholas
The ancient Chola kingdom once ...
(848-71), the first medieval Chola emperor, the Muttariayars were defeated and the region came under Chola territory. The place was a capital city during the regime of
Sundara (Parantaka II) (957-70). The city had palaces where members of the royal family resided even after shifting the capital to Thanjavur during the regime of Rajaraja Chola.
[ There was only one palace for ]Vijayalaya Chola
Vijayalaya Chola (Tamil: விஜயாலய சோழன்) was a king of South India () who founded the imperial Chola Empire. He ruled over the region to the north of the river Kaveri.
Dark age of Cholas
The ancient Chola kingdom once ...
, but later individual palaces were built for all the princes.[ Rajaraja's sister Kundavai resided in the place and continued to issue orders and grants from the palace as seen in the inscriptions.][ Rajaraja I, who built the Big Temple of Thanjavur is said to have spent his last days in the city, the capital of his predecessors.][ During the regime of ]Rajendra I
Rajendra Chola I (; Middle Tamil: Rājēntira Cōḻaṉ; Classical Sanskrit: Rājēndradēva Cōla; Old Malay: ''Raja Suran''; c. 971 CE – 1044 CE), often referred to as Rajendra the Great, and also known as Gangaikonda Chola (Middle Tamil ...
(1012-44), the capital was shifted to Gangaikonda Cholapuram
Gaṅgaikoṇḍa Chōḻapuram is a village located near to Jayankondam, Ariyalur district, Tamil Nadu, India. It became the capital of the Chola dynasty in c. 1025 by Chola emperor Rajendra I, and served as the capital for around 250 years.
...
, but the city Palayarai still retained its importance. The place started losing its importance during the late 12th to 13th centuries when the region was occupied by Pandyas.[ Systematic excavation was carried out in the place by the Department of Archaeology of the ]Government of Tamil Nadu
Government of Tamil Nadu is the subnational government for the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is seated at Fort St George, Chennai. The legislature of Tamil Nadu was bicameral until 1986, when it was replaced by a unicameral legislature, lik ...
in 1983-4 at Nandan Medu, Keezha Pazhayarai and Nathankoil. The excavations unearthed multiple dolmens and artefacts from the Chola regime. Though the region was predominantly occupied by Saivites and Vaishnavites, the verses from Appar
Appar, also referred to as ( ta, திருநாவுக்கரசர்) or Navukkarasar, was a seventh-century Tamil Śaiva poet-saint. Born in a peasant Śaiva family, raised as an orphan by his sister, he lived about 80 years and is ...
during the 7th century indicate existence of Jaina
JAINA is an acronym for the Federation of Jain Associations in North America, an umbrella organizations to preserve, practice, and promote Jainism in USA and Canada. It was founded in 1981 and formalized in 1983. Among Jain organization it is ...
colonies in the region, indicating a multi cultural coexistence.
Temples
Nathan Kovil (also called Thiru Nandipura Vinnagaram Temple), dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu
Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism.
Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within t ...
, is glorified in the ''Divya Prabandha
The Naalayira Divya Prabandham ( ta, நாலாயிரத் திவ்வியப் பிரபந்தம், lit=Four Thousand Divine Hymns, translit=Nālāyira Divya Prabandham) is a collection of 4,000 Tamil verses composed by ...
'', the early medieval Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nativ ...
canon of the Azhwar
The Alvars ( ta, ஆழ்வார், Āḻvār, translit-std=ISO, lit=The Immersed) were the Tamil poet-saints of South India who espoused ''bhakti'' (devotion) to the Hindu preserver deity Vishnu, in their songs of longing, ecstasy, and ...
saints from the 6th–9th centuries AD. It is one of the 108 ''Divyadesam
A Divya Desam or Vaishnava Divya Desam is one of the 108 Vishnu and Lakshmi temples that is mentioned in the works of the Alvars, the poet-saints of the Sri Vaishnava tradition.
Of the 108 temples, 105 are in India, one is in Nepal, and the las ...
'' dedicated to Vishnu, who is worshipped as Jagannathan and his consort Lakshmi
Lakshmi (; , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism. She is the goddess of wealth, fortune, power, beauty, fertility and prosperity, and associated with ''Maya'' ("Illusion"). Alo ...
as Shenbagavalli. The original temple is believed to have been built during the Pallava
The Pallava dynasty existed from 275 CE to 897 CE, ruling a significant portion of the Deccan, also known as Tondaimandalam. The dynasty rose to prominence after the downfall of the Satavahana dynasty, with whom they had formerly served as fe ...
regime. Parasunathar Temple, Muzhaiyur
Parasunathar Temple (பரசுநாதர் கோயில்):ta:முழையூர் பரசுநாதசுவாமி திருக்கோயில் is a Hindu temple located at Muzhaiyur near Kumbakonam in the Thanjavur d ...
, a Shiva temple, is named after sage Parasurama
Parashurama (), also referred to as Rama Jamadagnya, Rama Bhargava and Veerarama, is the sixth avatar among the Dashavatara of the preserver god Vishnu in Hinduism. He is believed to be one of the ''Chiranjeevis'' (Immortals), who will appear ...
, who is believed to have worshipped the presiding deity to propitiate himself off the curses due to the killing of his mother. Pazhayarai Vadathali, also called Dharmapureeswarar temple, is a Shiva temple is revered in the 7th century Saiva work ''Thevaram
Thevaram is a town in Theni district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Thevaram is located in Tamil Nadu near on border of Kerala at the Eastern side foot-hill of the Western Ghats. It is connected with State Highway SH100.
Farming is main o ...
'' and classified as Padal petra stalam
The Paadal Petra Sthalam, also known as Thevara Sthalam, are 276 temples that are revered in the verses of Saiva Nayanars in the 6th-9th century CE and are amongst the greatest Shiva temples of the continent. The Divya Desams by comparison ar ...
. Hindu god Shiva
Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...
is believed to have appeared as a column of fire and Parvathi could not bear the heat, she embraced Shiva, give the name Sakthimutram (meaning, Sakthi (Parvathi) embracing Shiva) to the Sakthivanesvara Temple.
Thenupuriswarar Temple
Thenupuriswarar Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Shiva located in the holy village of Patteeswaram, Tamil Nadu, India. Shiva is worshiped as Thenupuriswarar, and is represented by the ''lingam''. His consort Parvati is depicted as Ny ...
, a Shiva
Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...
temple located in the village of Patteeswaram, is revered in the 7th century Tamil Saiva canonical work, the ''Tevaram
The ''Thevaram'' ( ta, தேவாரம், ), also spelled ''Tevaram'', denotes the first seven volumes of the twelve-volume collection ''Tirumurai'', a Śaiva narrative of epic and puranic heroes, as well as a hagiographic account of early ...
'', written by Tamil saint poets known as the Nayanars
The Nayanars (or Nayanmars; ta, நாயன்மார், translit=Nāyaṉmār, translit-std=ISO, lit=hounds of Siva, and later 'teachers of Shiva ) were a group of 63 Tamil Hindu saints living during the 6th to 8th centuries CE who were de ...
and classified as ''Paadal Petra Sthalam
The Paadal Petra Sthalam, also known as Thevara Sthalam, are 276 temples that are revered in the verses of Saiva Nayanars in the 6th-9th century CE and are amongst the greatest Shiva temples of the continent. The Divya Desams by comparison ar ...
''. The temple is associated with the legend of Sambandar
Sambandar (Tamil: சம்பந்தர்), also referred to as Tirugnana Sambandar (lit. ''Holy Sage Sambandar''), Tirujnanasambanda, Campantar or Jñāṉacampantar, was a Shaiva poet-saint of Tamil Nadu who lived sometime in the 7th cen ...
to whose view Nandi moved to have a direct view of the presiding deity. Muthupandal festival celebrated in the temple is associated with the legend. Somanathaswami temple is a temple built during the regime of Rajaraja Chola and has inscriptions indicating gifts to the temple by Kundavai Nachiyar, the sister of the king. Airavatesvara Temple at Darasuram
Darasuram or Dharasuram is a locality in Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu, India. The area is known for the Airavateswara temple constructed by the Rajaraja Chola II in the 12th century CE. The temple is a recognised UNESCO World Heritage monument.
Demog ...
, built by Rajaraja Chola II
Rajaraja II was a chola emperor who reigned from 1150 CE to 1173 CE. He was made his heir apparent and Co-Regent in 1146 and so the inscriptions of Rajaraja II count his reign from 1146. Rajaraja's reign began to show signs of the coming end of ...
in the 12th century CE is classified as a UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
, along with the Brihadeeswara Temple at Thanjavur, the Gangaikondacholisvaram Temple at Gangaikonda Cholapuram that are referred to as the Great Living Chola Temples
The Great Living Chola Temples is a UNESCO World Heritage Site designation for a group of Chola dynasty era Hindu temples in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Completed between early 11th and the 12th century CE, the monuments include:
* Brihadisva ...
. Pazhayarai Metrali, Panchavan Madheeswaram, Brahmanandeeswaram, Darasuram temple, Brahmapureeswarar temple at Keezhakorkai are other temples in the region.
References
{{reflist, 20em
Former capital cities in India