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TRANSCRIPT
-^ U L.
CIUPTER - IV
T£Mr-iLi::S OF KRSNA IN TAlvlILNADU-TR.lDITIONS AND HISTORY
D{TRQDUCTION :
In t h i s c l iapter an a t tempt i s made t o i d e n t i f y
temples s p e c i f i c a l l y d e d i c a t e d t o Kr>spa in di^'-f'erent p a r t s
of Tamilhadu and t r a c e t h e i r h i s t o r y and t r a d i t i o n . Among
them some a re very a n c i e n t and found mentioned in the Sangara
l i t e r a t u r e , some oth'^'rs ca^.e i n t o nrorriner'cje dur ing t h e
Bhak t i pe r iod (7th and 8 t h c e n t i r i e s A.D.) and many more
came up dur ing the GhoJ-a and Vi; |ayanagara t i m e s . We see
a remarkable c o n t i n u i t y of t r a d i t i o n in t h a t the sac red
temples con t inued t o r e c e i v e the pa t ronage and the devot ion
of the k ings and t h e common peonle , for centurie.q w i thou t
any b r e a k . Each g-eneration took p r ide i n f o s t e r i n g t h e
care of the temnle and t r y i n g t o add some new f a c e t s t o the
temple by way of c o n s t r u c t i o n of some s h r i n e s or mand_a-Das_
or i n t r o d u c i n g some new f e s t i v a l s or ser^rices and, on the
whole, ma in t a in ing and improving the e x i s t i n g f a c i l i t i e s
of K 'gna worshit3. Since t h i s survey i n v o l v e s a f a i r l y
long Der iod , we can t r a c e the h i s t o r y of the X^-sna s h r i n e s
of Tarailna^u r e g i o n w i s e ; t h a t i s t o say , r eg ions t r a d i
t i o n a l l y cons idered t o be t h e t e r r i t o r i a l components of
Tamilnadu for convenience , namely, T^ndai,::n.a^U.< Pandya-nis[u»
ladiinni^U. and G]2a3-a^J3adii and KongUriUJglu..
1 qq A o O
For the history of a few shrines, we have to rely
only on the literary and traditional accounts, as for
instance, the temples mentioned in ti-e Sangam literature.
Some of them continue to be centres of worship still while
some others are no longer to be seen and yet a few others
have undergone re-designation and modification. But, from
the 7th century onv^ards, not only the literary evidences
become more copious in the form of the Bhakti literature',
discussed in the earlier chanter, but we begin to get a
new and valuable source - material namely, the inscriptional
evidence. The significance of the inscriptions can hardly
be exaggerated. They are found iasjLtu on the very walls
of the temples in which K];«sna is enshrined. Secondly,
they are fairly well dated, since they mention the kings
in whose reign they were written. Moreover, the palaeography
of the inscriptions has also enabled the enigraphists to
fix the date fairly correctly. Another important aspect
of the inscriptions is that they are not purely religious
and therefore give us a good insight into tl:ie administrative
transactions of the temple and management of the endowments
and the different social groups and communities that were
associated with the shrines. The inscriotions discussed
in the chapter belong to a fairly long period -from about
7th century to 17th century, belonging to different dynasties.
They provide us with very valuable evidence regarding the
patronage that the Kr^pa temples received from the royal
personages, merchants and other common people, the temple
rituals and festivals that were introduced lYon time to
time, the grant of lands, gifts of jewels, money and the
like f'or specific purposes like celebration o-f* festivals
and institution of services in honour of the kings and
welfare of the state.
.-/hereas in the purely religious literature, we
hardly get information on the secular or social aspects,
the inscriptional evidence provides us with the rrissing
link and gives us a better perseption of the relationship
between the temnles and the society. Apart from the asso
ciation of the kings, nobles and the elite, it is through
inscriptions we get a clearer picture about the involvement
of the different strata of society like the agriculturalists,
the merchants, the shepherd class (the manrai^is) the artists
like the devarad,lvar and the artisans. In this chapter
more than 200 inscriptions are collected and examined in
depth and the data collected from them is ^resented in a
historical framework.
155
The diffusion of Pancha-vira c u l t i . e . the jDOl a
form had taken place in Tamilnaiju even during the Sangam
period, as already pointed out . We see i t s imDact in the
on some temples l ike the Parthasarathy temple, Madras, the
temple a t Nacchiyar Koil (Tanjavvir d i s t r i c t ) and the shrine
on the h i l l ock a t T i ru t t anga l (Ramanathapuram). These
three ea r ly temples were b u i l t between 7th and 8th centur ies
A.D. But the Pancha-vira cu l t almost l o s t I t s poTDularity
in the Tamil country by about 9th century A.D. giving way
to the avatar a, concept. Temples were b u i l t for Vig^u in
general and a l so for h i s various manifestat ions such as
Ra-na, K^sna, Varaha and Narasimha in p a r t i c u l a r . Among
the Vygpi heroes , except for Kj«spa, a l l the others l o s t
t h e i r importance and Balararaa, in p a r t i c u l a r , though con
sidered as an incarnat ion of Vispu was outshone by Krsna.
The switch over from the yvuha to the vi,bhava form in
Tamilna^u was the outcome of the Bhakti movement of the
Sj-vars.
SECTION - 1 ; TOMDAI-NIDU
Tondai-na^u comprises of the modern d i s t r i c t s
of Chengalpattu, South Arcot, North Arcob b s s - i e s the
region round Madras. This t e r r i t o r y can almost be cal led
!5B
t h e n e r v e - c e n t r e of Tamil Bhak t i movement s ince the f i r s t
four J^^vars h a i l e d from t h i s r e g i o n . This a rea was fo r a
lone t ime under the r u l e of the PallavaSwho had t h e i r
c a p i t a l a t Kanchi. There a r e many a n c i e n t and sacred
s h r i n e s f o r Krsna in t h i s a r ea and we w i l l review t h e i r • • •
h i s t o r y one by one.
1 . T IRUtULA I .T IRUPATI
Though T i r u m a l a i - T i r u p a t i group of temples i s now
in Andhra Pradesh i t was very much i n Tamilnadu and con
s i d e r e d as the n o r t h e r n l i m i t of Tamilnagiu and hence for
convienence sake i t has been inc luded in t h i s c a t e g o r y .
I t was known t o a n c i e n t Tamil l i t e r a t u r e as Vengadam.
Venkatesvara , the Lord, the Vengadam i s , t r a d i t i o n a l l y
regarded as an i n c a r n a t i o n of Krspa. According to the
Ver\kateswara-Mah'atmivam the Lord desc r ibed
h imse l f t o Goddess Padraavati as Krsna t h e e igh th son of
Devaki and Vasudeva, as the b r o t h e r of Balarama, and
Subhadra, and as a f r i e n d of the Pandavas. I t i s a l s o
s t a t e d t h a t a f t e r b e i n g sho t a t by a h u n t e r and c a s t i n g
off h i s mor ta l c o i l s , ,Krspa emerged i n the Suryamand§ila
i n the form in which the image of Venkatesvara i s s cu lp tu r ed .
Vaijnava s a i n t s (Aj-vars) who have sung many b e a u t i f u l
h3Tnns on the lord of Vengadam of ten a d d r e s s him as Krpna
157
and a t t r i b u t e a l l t h e q u a l i t i e s of the l a t t e r . In the
Govlndara.ia temple , T i r u p a t i t h e r e i s a s e p a r a t e sh r ine
for Krspa as P a r t h a s a r a t h i . According t o the l o c a l t r a -
d i t ion^ i t was the o r i g i n a l sh r ine t h a t e x i s t e d even be fo r e 1
the e s t a b l i s h m e n t of the Govindara;1a s h r i n e . An i n s c r i p t i o n
of A.D.m-95 r e f e r s t o the c e l e b r a t i o n of Krsna ' s b i r t h d a y
( J a y a n t i ) i n the t emple . In the nearby temple i t T i r u -
chanur , t h e r e i s a s h r i n e f6 r Rajagopala and h i s c o n s o r t s
Rukmini and Satyabhama.
2 . PARTIIASARATHY TEMPLE - TIRUVALLIiffiNI - NL DRAS :
The temple d e d i c a t e d t o Kj;«spa as P a r t h a s a r a t h y
i s s a id t o have been b u i l t dur ing the P a l l a v a p e r i o d . This
i s one of t h e few Pancha -v i r a temples i n Tamilnadu. The
temple has been sung by PeyaJ-var, Tiruraa3.isai-a3.var and
Tiruraangai , the f i r s t two belonged t o 7 th cen tu ry A.D.
and t h e l a t t e r to 8 t h c e n t u r y .
In t h i s t emple , we see the whole Vj-sni family
c o n s i s t i n g of Kpspa, Rukmini, Balarama, Pradhyumna,
Aniruddha and Sa tvak i i s worshipped i n the sanctum.
The mula-mui:t;l i s known , as Venkata Krjna and the t t t s ava -
murthi i s c a l l e d P a r t h a s a r a t h y . The S t a l a p u r a p a goes
l i k e t h i s ; once a king c a l l e d Sumati worshiDped T i ru
venkatamu^aiyan, the Lord of Tirupati and pleaded with
the Lord to give him the darshan a5 Parthasarathy, the
char ioteer of Arjuna, The Lord obliged and gave dar^hap
t o h i s devotee as Parthasarathy having sankha in h i s r i g h t
hand and varada»n}u;ira in h i s l e f t hand. Hence, the name
Venkata-Krgpa. The utsava~murti has four arras with sanka^
chakra a s t i c k and abihava-mudra.
Tiruraangai S j v i r s p e c i f i c a l l y p r a i s e s the s e r v i c e s
rendered by a Pallava king in the construct ion of the
temple and i t s mant^apas. This can be taken as a reference
to King Nandivarman or h i s son Dantivarman who were ardent
devotees of Vis fu . An ir,^:or'iT^t:'..or; da ted hOt A..-;, of the
Fa l l ava king Jant ivarman r e c ^ s t e r s a g i f t to the tenir)le.
The temple con t inued to r e c e i v e s u b s t a n t i a l
patronage in t h e Chola and Vija3'ar.agar t i n e s . A V i j a y a -
nagar i n s c r i p t i o n dated i n the l S t h cen tu ry mentions the
a d d i t i o n o^ a manlap^ l i k e the Tiruvaymoli-Tnanaapa. Even
t o - d a y , t h i s terrple i s a very busy and roDular one in the
c i t y of Madras, P u l s a t i n g with f e s t i v a l s a l l through the
•/ear.
1 sjq J. u a
3 . VAHADARAjAS.iAMI TEMPLE - KAl-JGHIPU?aiM :
Thera i s a s e p a r a t e sh r ine for ICr^na nsar the
main e n t r a n c e oppos i t e t o the Thousand p i l l a r e d ^^ra^H':^'^.
The a r c h i t e c t u r a l s t y l e sugges t s t h a t i t belonged to the
l a t e r Fand.ya p e r i o d . A fragmentary Tamil epitrr-ipr. b e l o n
ging; t o the l a t e 13th c e n t u r y i s found on the sanctum w a l l ,
An i n s c r i p t i o n of Kj'snadevaraya s ta te? , hhat while t h e KinR
was camping a t Kanchi, two small c a r s fo r Ganesa i n
3kambaranatha temple and ^or Krgna i n t h e '^erumal temt^le 3
were o f f e r e d . There a r e a l s o i n s c r i p t i o n s re.'^ering t o the
c e l e b r a t i o n of Sr i —Ta^ranthl (Krsna ' s b i r t h - d a / ) and
Uciyajji. f e s t i v a l s i n t h i s t emple .
h. PANPHVA-DUTA Ti MPLi (Padagam), KANGHI :
Among the Vigpu temples a t Kane h i sung by the
A].vars, t h e Pindava Duta temPle i s d e d i c a t e d t o Krsna,
£3 t h e messenger of the Pandavas. The temple ^as known
as Padagam i n ^ I v a r ' s hymn. T o t a l l y s ix v e r s e s by
B h u t a t a l v a r , Peya lvar , T i r u m a l i s a i and Tirumangai a r e
ded ica t ed t o t h i s t e m n l e . As has a l r e o d y b3en ment ioned,
the great , q u a l i t y of easy a c c e s s i b i l i t y of the l o r d i s
always h i g h l i g h t e d in the h-/rans of the A^vars . This i s
-. 0 0
exempl i f i ed by h i s r o l e es a humble messen^rer or even
as a c h a r i o t e e r t o h e l p h i s f r i e n d s . The sar^e idea i s
r e f l e c t e d in t h i s temple vhere Krsna i s dep i c t ed in b i s
Visvarupa form which he took a t the c o u r t of the Kauravas
when Duryodana t r i e d t o k i l l him. According t o the temnle
myth, k ing Janamejaya h e a r i n g the Mahahhai:;ata, from
Vysampuyana, vi/anted t o see Kj'gna i n h i s Visvarupa form
shown a t the cou r t of H a s t i n a n u r . The king came t o Kanchi
and performed ashvameda. Krspa a s Pandavaduta came and
accented the o f f e r i n g . The s tucco f i g u r e of seated Kpgpa
i s an unusua l ly t a l l and g i g a n t i c form.
The p r o c e s s i o n a l d e i t y i s ^^lanked by h i s c o n s o r t s
Rulanini and Satyaba^ia, ^e have some Gho^-a in :=cr ip t ions
o^ Kulottunga I and Rajadhira. iadeva I I , r e g i s t e r i n g g i ^ t s
made t o t h e temole .
5 . Rl JAG DP ALA F-JlUJ-'IiiL Ti5MPL£, M I M A H G A L A H (Chengal^at tn Dt
Kaniman!Talam i s a small v i l l a g e near Tambaram in
the Ghengalpat tu d i s t r i c t . The p lace Manim.angalam was
t h e s i t e of one of t h e b a t t l e s between the Pal lava k ing
Narasimhavarman I and t h e wes te rn Chalukyan Pulakes in I I .
There a r e t h r e e temples of Vignu in Manimangalam namely
Rajagopalaswami, Vaikunfa Perumal and Kj-snasvamin. The
Cho3.a i n s c r i p t i o n s ment ion t h i s v i l l a g e as Manimangalam
i n Tamil and as Ratnagrama and Ratnagrahara i n S a n s k r i t ,
61
The date of the construct ion of the temple for
Rajagopala i s not c e r t a i n l y known. The temple has not
been r e fe r red to by the A^vars. So, we can assume tha t
i t was b u i l t a f te r the Bhakti period, nsrhaps in the 10th
century. The Chola in sc r ip t ions of t h i s temple re^'er to - 5 _" _ 6
the de i tv as Srimad-Dvaranatideva, Vantuvaranati Smberuman
(Lord of I>varaka) and as Mannanar. An i n s c r i p t i o n of the
time of Rajendra I dated in 1056 A.D. r e f e r s to the temnle
as Kq,ma.!^Qt^4-vipyagar thus associa t ing Kama (Aniruddha) with
Krsna. The temple i s a l so refered to as Tiruvaykqlam. The i n s c r i p t i o n gives information about the g i f t s and tax free
8 land g ran t s made to the temple by p r iva te persons.
Some of the ChoJ.a i n sc r ip t i ons from the Vaikunta 6
Peruma]. temple in the same village are available to us.
An inscription of the time of Rajaraja I dated in the year
990 A.D. records gift of 90 sheep for a perpetual lamp in the temple of Tiruvaypadi K^spa Peruraa^, by one Edukilai
10 Singamanradi, a resident of the village. He belonged to
the cowherd community (manxadi) which took active interest
in building and maintaining temples for their family deity,
Krspa. Another inscription of Kulottunga I's period, in
the same temple registers gift of land by the members of
the assembly of the Manimangalam village to the temple of 11
Tiruvaypadi (Gokulam). From the inscriptions cited above
-i. u ~
i t i s seen t h a t t h e Krsna temple was Datronised by the
Brahmins as we l l a s o t h e r c l a s s e s e s p e c i a l l y t h e shepherd
c l a s s .
6 . UTTAHAMERUR :
Ut ta ramerur , a v i l l a g e in Chengalpa t tu d i s t r i c t ,
came i n t o lime l i g h t i n the middle of 8 t h cen tury A.D. as
a Brahmin s e t t l e m e n t , a chaturvedimangalam' under t h e
pa t ronage of the Pa l l ava king Nandivarman. I t was Vire-
dorainently a vai^nava s e t t l e m e n t c e n t e r i n g round a Vi^nu
t emp le . The v a r i o u s c o n s t i t u e n t s of Ut teramerur were
named a f t e r the twelve names of Visnu such as (1) Kesava-
c h e r i (2) Narayapa-cher i (3) Madhava-cheri ('+) Govinda-
c h e r i (5) Vic;pu-cheri (6) Madhusudana-cheri (?) Trivikrama-
c h e r i (8) Vamana-cheri (9) S r i d h a r a - c h e r i (10) H r i s h i k e s a -
che r i (11) Fadmanabha-cheri and (12) Damodara-cher i .
Sundaravarada PerumaJ. temple i s the main Vijpu
temple of Ut te raraerur . The temnle i s l o c a t e d as pe r the 13
p r e s c r i p t i o n , given in Ma^rjqhj-SamhitA- -he temple i s a
N a v a m u r t h i - n r a t i s t a , having nine images c o n s e c r a t e d .
They a r e : Krsna, Visnu, Raghava, Fa tya , Kurraa, Ba ladeva ,
Kalk i , Vasudeva and Panchav i r a .
183
The temple has a t h r e e - t i e r zimajia wi th a s h r i n e
in each s t o r e y , wi th s t a n d i n g , sea ted and r e c l i n i n g forms
of Vijpu r e s p e c t i v e l y i n t h e f i r s t , second and the t h i r d
f l o o r . An i n s c r i p t i o n of Rajara.ia I (3rd y e a r ) r e c o r d s
the s e t t i n g up of the image of Tiruvaykulam- 'Jdaiyan (KT-spal.
The temple i s said t o have been worshipped by t h e Pancha
Pandavas. Severa l o t h e r images of Kpsna named as T i r u -
v a y p a d i - d e v a r , Kurukshe t ra -devar and Govardhana-devar and
Br indavana-devar a r e ment ioned. They were e v i d e n t l y
i n s t a l l e d e i t h e r i n the Sundaravarada Peruma^ Temole or
Vaikunta PerumaJ. Temple of the v i l l a g e .
7 . KARI KRSNA PERUMAL TEMPL.B, TIRUVAYPADI (Chengalpa t tu D t . )
The name of the v i l l a g e i s T i ruvaypad i ( i . e . t h e
sacred Gokulam). The p r e s i d i n g d e i t y of the temple he re
i s c a l l e d Kari Krspa PerumaJ.. I t i s d a t a b l e t o the ChoJ-a
per iod a s i t c o n t a i n s ChoJ.a i n s c r i p t i o n s .
8 . VSNUG^PALASWlMI TBMPLS^ MSLPADI (North Arcot D i s t r i c t )
The temple seems t o have been b u i l t by the ChoJ-a
r u l e r s and a d d i t i o n s were made by t h e Zamindars of
K a r v e t t i n a g a r i n the 19th c e n t u r y . The p r i n c i n a l d e i t y
i s Venugopalaswamy w i t h h i s two c o n s o r t s .
I&4
9« V£rTUG!)PALASVAMI TEMPLE AT KALIAPPETTAI (Che n gal pat]'tu Dt . )
This i s a v i l l a g e on the wes te rn bank of t h e r i v e r
P a l a r i n Chengalpa t tu t a l u k . I t i s a l s o c a l l e d Dofjijlaya-
charpuram where S r i Vaisnava Brahmin s e t t l e m e n t was e s t a
b l i s h e d i n the 17th cen tu ry A.D. The teniT)le i s ded i ca t ed
t o Krgna as Venugopala. Regular annua l f e s t i v a l s a re
t ak ing p lace i n which a l l the r e s i d e n t s of t h e •'Tillage
p a r t i c i p a t e a c t i v e l y . Res iden t s of v i l l a g e name t h e i r
c h i l d r e n a f t e r the v i l l a g e d e i t y such as Venugopalan,
K^shjian e t c .
10. TIRUMUKKUDAL :
In the Venkatesa Peruma^ temple i n Tirumukkutjal
in the d i s t r i c t of Chenga lpa t tu , t h e r e i s an i n s c r i p t i o n
of Rajendra I dated in h i s 11th yea r A.D. which r e e : i s t e r s
a g i f t of 113 sheep t o V e p p a i - k u t t a r (Dancing Krsna)
1 1 . SIRUDAVUR :
In this small village in the Chengalpattu dis
trict, we get ChoJ-a inscription of the time Rajendradeva II
dated around 1060 A.D. in the Vispu temple. It registers
a gift of land by Pudali Dandaya Kramavittan for offerings
and lamp to the image of dancing Krsna (Vennaiku-k^ft^dytv^r)
set up by himself in the Visnu temple of the village.
12. TIRUMALPURA (North Arcot D i s t r i c t )
This i s a place in North Arcot D i s t r i c t , The name
i t s e l f means 'Town of Vi^nu ' . Some very i n t e r e s t i n g i n s
c r ip t ions have come to us from t h i s town. They a re found
in the ruined Vignu temple located h e r e . A Cho^a i n s
c r i p t i on of 11th cent i ry r e g i s t e r s the provision made for
a lamp for the de i ty in the temple of Govindapa^i by a
VellaJ-a. The Sanskri t nort ion re fe r s t o the de i ty as 17
Kamsari que l l e r of Kamsa, i . e . Krsna.
Another ChoJ-a i n s c r i p t i o n of 995 A.D. fran the
same temple records g i f t of gold by one Arurailai to Sr i
%spa , A Tamil hymn (tiruppadivam) beginning with
Kolanar-ku].al composed by the donor 's fa ther in pra ise
Krsna (Govinda padiaj.var) had to be sung on the occasion 18 '
of a f e s t i v a l .
13. KARIYA PflRUiMAL TSMPLE - ATHI (North Arcot D i s t r i c t )
An in sc r ip t i on of 1268 A.D. found in the temple
a t Athi records g i f t of land by Hajara.la Sambuvaraya to
the shrine of Veppaikkadivarulina plj-jai. (the boy who
danced for b u t t e r ) .
1^ . VENUGOPALASWAMI TEMPLE^ KALAMBUH (North Arcot D i s t r i c t )
An i n s c r i p t i o n of 960 A . D , found in the temple of
VenugODalaswamin r e c o r d s g i f t of lamps t o the temole of
K a l i k e s a r i Vippagardevar by the assembly of Kalarobur.
1 5 . UTTIRARANGANATHASWA!4Y TEMPLE^ PALLIKONDA (North Arcot Dt
There i s a s e p a r a t e sh r ine for Kannapiran o p p o s i t e
t o the wes tern Gppura. The image i s b e a u t i f u l l y c a r v e d .
Navani ta K^sna has b u t t e r b a l l s i n b o t h h i s hands and
p l a c e s a l e g on a c h u m e r . On Krspa J a y a n t h i day t h e i d o l
i s taken out i n p r o c e s s i o n . Ur iyad i f e s t i v a l i s a l s o c e l e -20
b r a t ed and t h e l o c a l shepherd community t a k e s a l e a d i n g
p a r t .
16. VRINCHIPUHAM (Kortb Arcot D i s t r i c t )
An interesting inscription of Vijayanagara king
Devariya dated in 1W25 A.D. has cccie down to us to indi
cate the exalted position held by the K;«sna temtjle at
Vrinchipuram. It registers an agreement signed by the
Brahmins of the village in the presence of the deity
Gopinatha (the Lord of the shepherds) at Vrinchipuram to
the effect that marriages among themselves should be
conducted only as Kanvadana and not by giving or taking
gold as rrize money.
187
17 . PULIVALAM (North Arcot D i s t r i c t )
An i n s c r i o t i o n found in Pul ivalam below the image
of Venugopalaswanin s c u l p t u r e d on a s l a b s e t up near a tank
i s da t ed i n saka 13^8 (1^36 A . D . ) . I t s t a t e s t h a t the tank
was c o n s t r u c t e d by Rangara.ia, son of Sa5.uva Annamalairsja
i n t h e na-rie of (God) Gopinathadeva.
i e . TIRUVATTroJ'?. (North Arcot D i s t r i c t )
An i n t e r e s t i n g i n s c r i p t i o n from T i r u v a t t i y u r
g ives t h e eulogy of the shepherd c l an call 'Sd NandaDu'lras
or Van tuva rana t i T l ruvaypadi Na^ta].var s e t t l e d in -or.dv.i-
mandalan. I t s t a t e s t h a t the community met in tVie h a l l
of t h e temple and expressed t h e i r g r a t i t u d e for the di-<rlne
grace shown on the c a s t e and fami ly .
19 . VENUG(3PAI AS'/JAMI TJIMPLI::, KASTAMSADI (North Arcot D i s t r i c t )
This temple of Venugopala can be a s c r i b e d t o
the l a t e Vi jayanagar t i m e s . An i r s c r i r ; t i o n ^ere
r e c o r d s the i n s t a l l a t i o n of the Gari;d.astambha•
I P C -^0 0
20. iNI^IRAM : (South Arcot D i s t r i c t )
An i n s c r i p t i o n dated i n the 13 th r e g n a l year oi
Hajadh i r a / a Cho^a I found on the wal l o!" Alagiya FaraslTiha
Peruma| temple i n -nnayi ram, near V i l l u p u r ^ r r e g i s t e r s
t]x\ ; he ^- ' iac - . i /bPbi;- of r:;:^c ••>;..-Chatui:'i''edinangalam
.r:vio:v;.i t^iat the l a n d s of the t e n r l e of TiruvayDa-'^idivar 22
(Krsna) t o b-e taxed a t t h e ;iowest s c a l e . • • •
SECTION - B
CHOLA NipU
1 . RTNDARIKAKSHA TSMPL.E^ TIRir/.3LIARAI (Trichy D i s t r i c t )
The most s i g n i f i c a n t Pa l lava temple fo r Krsna
i s the one a t Ti rave3. ] .a ra i ,very near Sr i rangam. P e r i y a j v a r
and Tirumangai have sung about t h i s t emp le . P e r i y a j v a r
has d e d i c a t e d a whole decad c a l l e d 'Kappu Parvam' t o Krsna
of T i r u v e l l a r a i . Th is i s t h e temple where we f ind the
e a r l i e s t i n s c r i p t i o n a l ev idence for Krspa worship i n
Tamilnadu. '-- e get r e f e r e n c e t o the i n s t a l l a t i o n and wor
sh ip of the images of Kj-sija and Rukmini by the P a l l a v a
king Dantivarman (796-81+7 A.D. ; Another i n s c r i p t i o n
dated in the 8 t h r e g n a l y e a r of Uttama Gho3.a (c.97F A.D.)
r e g i s t e r s the g i f t of gold made t o Ivi 'pna an i h i s c o n s o r t
Rukmini by the Chola n r i n c e s s I r a y i r a v a n d e v i (wife of _ 21+
R a j a d h i t a n , son of the Cho|a king Paran taka I . )
9
The images i n s t a l l e d by Dantivarman are not to be
seen in the temple a t present , and the temple i s general ly
known as Pundarikaksha temple. But there are ample
scu lp tu ra l evidences to show that i t continued to be the
centre of Krsna worship, Krsnavana scenes in sculpture
a re ava i lab le in plenty (Cf, chapter-V), A brony.e image
of Krsna i s Dlaced in the sanctum and on every Krsna-
. Jayanthi day, i t i s taken out in procession and worshipped.
In a sersarate shrine in the pi^akaya are placed the stone
images of vi^iugopala with two consor t s . On the walls of
the "Swastika tank" b u i l t by Dantivarman, Krsna's childhood
sports are depicted in s tone . The paintinp:s of Kr^pa are
to be seen in the Chitra-manjap^, and inside the sanctum
sanctorum.
2. I.AGGKIYAR K^IL (near Kumbakonara, Than.iavur Dt.)
This i s one of the few ra re temples dedicated to
Panchaviras. In the main shrine of the temple are placed
the images of Sankara^ana (Balarama), Vasudeva (Kr-sna)
Pradhyumna, Aj^iruddha and Purushottaroa along with the
consort of Krsna. The temple o r i g i n a l l y cal led as T i ru -
narayiir, has been g lo r i f i ed by the A],vars. This temrsle
belongs to the l a t e Pallava period.
170
According t o the S tha la -Pura^a^ Vasudeva, came t h e
h e r e and marr ied Vanju^-ava l l i , / adopted daughter of Madavi
r i s h i . The Lord assumed f ive forms namely Sankarsana ,
Vasudeva, Pradhyumna, Amiruddha and Purushottaraa and
marr ied V a n j u l a v a l l i . The Lord i s d e p i c t e d a s ho ld ing
t h e hand of h i s c o n s o r t .
3 . SANGANATHA_^£MHiE, Srirangam ( T r i c h i D t . )
Considered a s t h e h o l i e s t of the ho ly s h r i n e s
for t h e Vaignavas , i t ha s been sung by almost a l l the'
A3.vars. Though the p r e s i d i n g d e i t y i s Lord Hanganatha
in the r e c l i n i n g p o s t u r e , many Aj.vars and p a r t i c u l a r l y
Namria3.var have r>raised the temDle as the abode of Krsna.
There a r e many Krsna s h r i n e s i n t h e temple p r emi se s . The
main temple of Srirangam (or Tiruvarangam) i s mentioned
i n the Sangam l i t e r a t u r e . The su r round ing s h r i n e s a r e
l a t e r a d d i t i o n s i n subsequent t i m e s , We can have a look
a t the s h r i n e s of Krsna b r i e f l y ,
( i ) KRSI A SHRS^E IN THS KILI-MANDAPA ;
In the f i r s t i n n e r e n c l o s u r e , c l o s e t o the main
sanctum and fac ing west i:s the s h r i n a for Xrsna. Here ,
t he u i s a v a ^ e r a . i s Krsna a s N a v a n i t a - n r i t t a - m u r t i or dancing
7.
Krsna with a bu t te r b a l l in h is r i g h t hand. Just behind i t , I
a stone image of Vasudeva Krgria can be seen. He i s holding
a vessel i n h i s r i g h t hand and conch in the l e f t .
He i s accompanied by h i s two conso'rts, Rukmini and Satyabama.
The loca t ion of the shrine close to the main shrine shows
the importance to Krgna worship in t h i s temple. The shrine
belongs to the Cho3.a pe r iod . '
( i i ) PARTHASARATHY SHRINS :
This shrine i s located in an outer pr^^ara
adjoining Ramanuja's sh r ine . The stone image of K i's ja
with two arms i s in standing pose on a cha r io t . His l e f t
hand holds a whip and h i s r igh t hand shows the VyaKyana-
mi:\3ra. ^i^rjuna i s shown standing beside with h i s hands
in an..iali-mu^ra. This scene depicts K^sna as Gitacharya
who taught the Gita to Arjuna in the Kur'ikshetra b a t t l e
f i e l d .
In the same shrine are kept two stone images of
Nara and Narayana, represent ing Arjuna and Krgna in
t he i r former b i r t h s . Narayapa holds a whip in one
hand and Vyakvana-mudra in another.
i il
The p r o c e s s i o n a l d e i t i e s a r e Kj-spa with h i s two
c o n s o r t s Rukraini and Satyabama.
( i i i ) V ITT ALA SHRD^a :
I t i s l o c a t e d oppos i t e t o Anda^. shr ine in the
ou te r p r i k a r a known as the Rane;a-mandapa« Two armed s t a n
d ing image of Krsna i s the pres iding ' d e i t y . I t mirrht have
been b u i l t dur ing the t ime of Vi jayanagar or Nayak k i n s s
who were devo tees of V i ^ ^ a l a , ano ther form of Krsna famous
i n Maharash t ra and popu l a r i s ed in KarnaJ^aka and Tarailnadu
dur ing t h e Vi jay^nagar t imes ( I 5 t h - I 6 t h c e n t u r i e s )
( i v ) VEKUGOPALA SHRINE :
T h i s a r c h i t e c t u r a l l y b e a u t i f u l sh r ine for Venu-
gopala was b u i l t du r ing t h e t ime of t h e Hoysa las . The
i n s c r i p t i o n which i s da t ed 115^ -^•O. s f a t e s t h a t t he
s h r i n e was c o n s e c r a t e d by Uraadevi, the queen of the 26
Hoysaia k ing Vira Balla3.a of Dwarasamudra. I t a l s o
r e c o r d s a g i f t of land for o f f e r i n g s t o the God dur ing
the e a r l y morning s e r v i c e by Sr imara B h a t t a of the temtjle
of T i r u k k u a a l - O d i n a p i ^ j a i (Kr?pa) . T h i s e x p r e s s i v e Tamil
term means ' t h e d i v i n e c h i l d who played wi th f l u t e ' .
Another Hoysaia i n s c r i p t i o n of 1270 A,D. r e g i s t e r s an
endowment of 100,000 kasu for d a i l y o f f e r i n g s t o
173
Tirukuial-Udina-Fi3.J.ai and h is consorts by --^Jagija 27
Manavala Bha t ta r . The a rch i tec tu re .of the shrine a l so • • •
shows Hoysala f e a t u r e s . There a r e a l s o b e a u t i f u l p a i n t i n g s
of Krjna theme i n the s h r i n e .
(v) ASTABHUJAGOPALA SHaiNii: :
In t h e s h r i n e of Tondaradipo^i Alvar , we f ind a
stone image of Krsna. I t i s a c t u a l l y d e d i c a t e d - t o Kysna
wi th e i g h t arras. The form i s known as Madanagopala. We
have an i n s c r i p t i o n of Nayaka per iod which r e g i s t e r s a
g i f t of a v i l l a g e y i e l d i n g a revenue of 600 rekha^gadva
by one Chinna Bonma Nayudu for worshin and o f f e r i n g s t o 28
the image of A5-5,abhuja Gopalakpspa b u i l t by him.
(v i ) G5PALA?[RSNA SHRPNE :
The ch i e f s tone image in the sanctum of the
Nathamuni s h r i n e i s t h a t of Gopalakrsna, I t i s a two-
armed image i n a triban^^a pose wi th t h e r i g h t hand
ho ld ing a curved s t i c k of a shepherd (mannar) . Nearby,
Balarama i s shown h o l d i n g b u t t e r b a l l s i n bo th the hands .
An i n t e r e s t i n g i n s c r i p t i o n found in the sou th
wa l l of t h e p raka ra of Srirangam temDle dated in the 6 th
r e g n a l y e a r of the ChoJ.a king Vl ra ra jendradeva r e g i s t e r s
Erift of the v i l l a g e T i r u v a y p a ^ i n a l l i i r , made tax f ree for
174
s p e c i a l worship and o f f e r i n g s t o God, on the day of the
Daivatharayan f e s t i v a l by the Gopalas who had proprietory
r i g h t over Valluvapadi-nadu.
l+. PANCHA KRSNA KSHSTRAS : (A c l u s t e r of ^ v e Krsna shrines)
We have already seen, how a f t e r the Bhakti period
the pilgrimage centres grew in number and the temole c l u s
t e r s began t o be formed. One of such c l u s t e r s i s the
Pancha-Kyspa-Kshetras - a c l u s t e r of f i v e centres of worship.
Of these four are in Cholanadu and one i s in Nadu-nadu.
They are Tirukappangugli, Tirukappapuram, Tirukappamangalam,
Kappan Kabistalara and Tirukovalur resr )ec t ive ly . Ai l these
temples have been sung by the 53.vars, I t i s i n t e r e s t i n g
t o note tha t in North India a l so f ive sacred centres of
Kj-pna worship c a l l e d Pancha-d^varakas are known.
An i n t e r e s t i n g feature that i s common t o a l l the
f ive temples i s that the iconic forms of a l l the pres iding
d e i t i e s of these temples are not of Kr* pa but only general
Vispu forms, with four arras holding sanka^ chakra^ gada
and the abh^va or vayada mudras. They can not be c a l l e d
as a fr^^rr o" Krsna. Then how l i d thev ge t "ho -nyim^ "Krsna
Kshe t r a s "? ^s f a r as we know,!the name must be de r ived
from the p l ace names, the p r o c e s s i o n a l d e i t i e s and the
sthalap.m^apag. For i n s t a n c e , in Ti rukannangudi , the
175
utsavarriurti i s c a l l e d Daraodara Narayana and the S t a l a -
Durana a s s o c i a t e s t h e -nlace wi th Kr-^na. According; t o 5 * '
the Pur ana, Maharishi Va^is-^a was worsh ip ing an image of
Krsna, made of b u t t e r . One day, the Lord himself came
and a t e t h s b u t t e r image, •' hen Vasisht^a t r i e d t o ca tch him, Krcpa ran towards t h e sages who wi th t h e i r b h a k t i
had a l r e a d y t i e d down K^pgna t h e r e .
Likewise , i n T i r u k o v a l u r , though tlie p r e s i d i n g
d e i t y i s Trivikran?a, t he ^tgava-_b_era. i s c a l l e d Ayanar,
Kovalan or Gopalan. Another name for T i rukkova lur i s
Kr.^narapj'-a-kshetra. There a r e s e p a r a t e s h r i n e s fo r
l^Irjna and h i s s i s t e r Durga i n the t emple . In Karapan
Kabistalara, the m.ain d e i t y i s knov/n as " r e c l i n i n g Krsna
on the r i v e r bank" .
h, KHi^NA_Ti^Lii, KAVALA^3^pI (THAKJAVUH DISTRICT)
There a re t h r e e temvles e x c l u s i v e l y for Krsna
i n Tirunangur r e g i o n , near Mayavaram, i n Thaniavur d i s
t r i c t . The f i r s t of t h e s e temples i s i n Kavalambadi.
Kavalam means ' e l e p h a n t ' , denot ing K r s n a ' s k i l l i n g the
e l e p h a n t demon. Tirumangaia^var r e f e r s t o t h i s . The
main s tone image i s Gopalakrgna or Hajagopala in s t a n d i n g
form wi th two c o n s o r t s Hukmini and Satyabha'^a. The
temple i s very simple i n s t y l e .
1 1 76
5 . P?i THAK PALL I (Than.lavur d i s t r i c t )
^Another temple is for Krsna as Parthasarathy.
The place is called Parthan PaJ^i. The utsava image is
named as Parthasarathy. Both the mu],ava and
ats^y^ images have three consorts namely Sridevi, Bhudevi
and Niladevi, Nila is normally taken for Nar^ninnai, and
she is given a place on par with other two devis. There
is a separate shrine for Arjuna in this temple. According
to the Stalapi\p.apa, the concluding verses of the Gjta were
taught to Ar.iuna in this place. This is another instance
of localisation of the myths.
6 . ARU-ISYAVIKNAGAR^ TIRUIUNGUR (Thanjavur D i s t r i c t )
The temple i s p o p u l a r l y known as Kudamadurpl^11ar
t emple , an i n t e r e s t i n g form of Krsna has been se t un as
the main d e i t y here in t h i s t emple . The sea ted s tone
image of Krgna i s keeping h i s l e g on a pot and the name
of the d e i t y i s Kudaraadunakuttan i . e . the pot dancer ,
Tiruraangaia lvar i n h i s v e r s e s addres s the d e i t y of t h i s * . - - 30
temple as Kud am.ad umjku 1; ta_ (Oh, the t)0t dancer I )
177
7. Al^ARUVirAPPAR TEMPLE^ TIRUVALUNDUR (Tan.iayur District)
One of the important K j-sna temples in the Cho^a-
mandalam is the one in Tiruvalundur or Teralundar near
Mayavaram. The main mulava image is called Devadhlraja.
The utsaya. image is known as AmaruviyapToan meaning ' one
who grazed the cattle'. The metal image of Krsna is two
armed with a whip in one hand, another arm placed on a
cow. He is surrounded by cows and accompanied by his two
consorts.
The two inscriptions from the temple of Kllalyur
(Thanjavur) dated I5th and 17th years of Rajaraja I (1000-
1002 A.D.) record setting up of the images of ^gna and 31
Goddess in the temple at Tiruvalundur.
vie arlso get some more inscriptions of the same
period which mention the deity as Sri Krsna and register
the gifts made to the temple like lands and sheep. Another
inscriDtion registers the grants made for the provision
of ghee or refined butter (neyamuthq) to the deity.
: 7^
e . RAJAG!5PALASWAI-rf TEMPLE^ KIAI^INSP.KUDI (Than,iavur D i s t r i c t )
This i s one of t h e foremost c e n t r e s of Krgpa
worship in Tamilnadu h a i l e d a s t h e Southern Dwaraka.
The p r e s i d i n g d e i t y i s Vasuieva Perurnal wi th h i s c o n s o r t s .
The p r o c e s s i o n a l d e i t y i s known as Rajagopalasvamln. He
i s f lanked by Rukmini and Satyabania on e i t h e r s i d e s .
Six i n s c r i p t i o n s found in the temnle be long t o the
p e r i o d s of Kulottunga Gho^a I , Rajara . iadeva, Ra.iendra Cho3.a
deva, and Konerimaykopda. I t i s unders tood t h a t t h i s
temple was b u i l t i n t h e ^3rd r e g i n a l yea r of Kulottunga I
(1113 A.D.) and the temple was known as Kulottunga ChoJ-a
Vippagaram. In one of t h e i n s c r i p t i o n s , d a t e d ' i n the year
1256 A.D. t h e naiies of t he d e i t y and h i s consor t a r e mentione 32
as Vantuvarapa t i Mahamunlka;i and Per iya t^ i ra^^ i r e s D e c t i v e l y .
•• e l e a r n from an i n s c r i p t i o n t h a t the temple lands were not
taxed by the king and t h a t t h e revenue -^vom the lands was
u t i l i s e d for the conduct of temple s e r v i c e s and the c e l e -33
b r a t i o n s of f e s t i v a l s .
According t o t h e s t a l a p u r a n a , Krfpa showed h i s
chi ldhood s p o r t s t o t h e sage Gopral3.va Maharis i a t t h i s
place and hence i t i s a l s o known as Dhakshina Dwaraka^
i . e . D'^araka of the S o u t h . The annual Brahmotsava f e s t i v a l
179
and boat f e s t i v a l are celebrated on a grand sca l e . The
temple has been g lo r i f i ed by l a t e r acharya .^-lanavala Mamunikal
(15th cen tu ry ) . Vennat-Thali (Butter pot) f e s t i v a l in
p a r t i c u l a r i s famous one here and a t t r a c t s huge crowds
from a l l over Tamilnadu. Devotees of^er b u t t e r in l a rge
q u a n t i t i e s to the de i ty on the occasion. The term Raja-
gopala means .'the king of the cowherds. This form of
Krsna was popularised in iconic form a lso during the
ChoJ-a period and we have a number of exqu i s i t e metal icons
of Rajagopala with h i s consorts form many places as shown
in chapter V of the t h e s i s ,
of _ As we have seen, during the period'ChoJ.as, the
dancing form of Krsna was placed in a l l Vi^pu temples even
as the dancing form of Siva (Natara;1a) was placed in a l l
Siva temples . We have an in sc r ip t ion of the time of
Rajaraja I dated in the 1008 A.D. from Kurabakonam, s t a t i ng
the g i f t of land for a lamp to the shrine of Veppaikuttadi
aruJ-uginra-A^var (Kysna) in Tirunaraya^a Vinnagar,
Rajaraja ChoJ-a I donated s i lver ido ls of Viaudeva to the
Great Temple b u i l t by him'at Thanjavur.
ISO
9 . KR3NA T^MPIJSS AT THAIUAVTJR PALAGS :
Five temples, attached to the Devasthanam in
Thanjavur palace are dedicated to Kpsna. They are :
1) N a v a n t i t a Kj'jpa
2) Bhulopa Krgra
3) Mannarswami
k) Madanagopalaswami
5) Venugopalaswami.
Al l of them seem t o have come up du r ing t h e r u l e
of t he Kayaks of Than.lavur and t h e Mahra t t a s from the 16 th
cen tu ry onwards.
10. KUDANDAI NAVAIJITAKRSHNA TEMPLE (Kurabakonam)
Acecrding t o l o c a l t r a d i t i o n t h i s temple was
o r i g i n a l l y b u i l t for Per iya3.var . When a s e n a r a t e chamber
was made for the A^-vars i n Sarangapani t emple , the people
of the l o c a l i t y c o n s e c r a t e d the image of Navanita Krspa
here and c e l e b r a t e d f e s t i v a l s . The mu lab e r a i s venugo"^ala
and t h e u t sava image i s Navanlta-K^fpa.
181
SECTION - C
NADU-NADU
A par t of the present South Arcot d i s t r i c t was
known as Nav^u-nadu the most important shrine here being
Tirukkovalur, an ancient and holy place for the Vaishnavas
of Tamilnadu.
1. TRIVIKRAMA TEMPLE TIRUICKSVALUR (South Arcot D i s t r i c t )
This temple ac tua l ly i s dedicated to Trivikrama
form of Vi§pu, but the place name (Kovalur) denotes i t s
a s soc ia t ion -with Kpspa, The process ional dei ty of t h i s
temple i s cal led Ayanar and Kovalan (meaning shenherd).
As a l ready mentioned, t h i s place i s one of the paqcha-
krgpa-ksh^etras..
V/e get an i n s c r i p t i o n of Vijayanagara period,
recording tha t the shrine of Kj'gna and the Vaikun^ha-vasal
in the temple a t Tirukkovalur were b u i l t by Acchutamman,
daughter of Kp^nappa Nayaka and t h a t a v i l l a g e was endowed
for providing worship t o Kpgna. I t c l e a r l y shows the royal
patronage received by the cu l t during the Vijayanagara
t imes. Another i n t e r e s t i n g i n sc r ip t i on dated in the l ^ th
year of the Cho -a king Tribhuvana Chakravartin Rajarajadeva
found in t h i s temple r e f e r s to a land measure ca l l ed 35
Vennaikut^tan-kadi. The uri-ajj^ f e s t i v a l during the
132
occas ion of Kr^pa - Jayan t i i s a very popular f e s t i v a l he re
which a t t r a c t s l a r g e c r o u d s . The shepherd community t a k e s
a l e a d i n g jKirt i n t h i s f e s t i v a l .
2) VSNUGOPALASWAKIN T E K P L E . SIRUMADUKAIy South Arcot D i s t r i c
There i s a n o t h e r temple for K^^spa i n th'= v i l l a g e
c a l l e d S i rumacara i near T i r u k k o y i l u r , known as Venugopalas-
wamin t emp le . Though t h i s temple i s not sung by the S j v a r s ,
we get some Pandya i n s c r i n t i o n s , one of which r e c o r d s a
^ i f t o f - l a n d t o the t e m p l e . I t i s da t ed 1291 A.D. dur ing
the t ime of Vikrama Papdya. The name of t he v i l l a g e S i r u -
madurai means "sTiall Madurai" may a l s o s i g n i f y Kpsna 's
a s s o c i a t i o n with Mathura.
3) KATUI-UKIVAR KOUT South Arcot D i s t r i c t .
Anoth'-T a n c i e n t c e n t r e of Kr=;na worshir) in the
modern South Arcot d i s t r i c t i s Katturoannar Ko i l . The
temole i s known as Viranarayapaswamin terriple. There a re
s h r i n e s for Alagiya Mannar and P.ajagor.alaswamy.
Kattumannar k o i l was the b i r t h p lace o^ the
Vai^nava p r e c e p t o r Nathamuni who c o d i f i e d hOOO hymns * - - 37
of the A l v a r s .
1S3
There a r e numerous i n s c r i p t i o n s i n the t e m p l e .
ITie Krsna s h r i n e s i n the temole a r e r e f e r r e d t o as
TuvaraT)ati--iimberuraan (Lord of Dwaraka) temple and 39
Mathurapati-Emberuman (Lord of Kathura) and the Lord
as Mannanar i n the i n s c r i p t i o n s be long ing t o Kadavan and
Pandya k i n g s . The i n s c r i p t i o n of Pa;id.ya k ing Jatavarraan
Sundara Pandya r eco rds s a l e of house s i t e by the t r u s t e e s
of the Mathurapati-Emberuman temple- for c o n s t r u c t i n g and
ma in t a in ing a maj;ha. f o r feed ing a s c e t i c s and Vai jnavas
t h e r e i n .
h. PARTIIASARATHY T:!;MPL£:. DEVAPHNDALAM (South Arcot D i s t r i c t )
The o r i g i n of t h e temple i s n o t known, though the
S t a l a p u r a n a c la ims a hoary a n t i q u i t y . I t i s claimed tViat
i t was h e r e the sacred u t e n s i l known as a ^ s h a y a - p a t r a was
given t o Draupa t i by Lord Kfj;na. The name could be t h e
c o r r u p t form of' Panijuvanam'.
The p r e s i d i n g d e i t y i s q u i t e t a l l having a whip
i n h i s r i g h t hand.
1 v/ J . w/ I
S£]CTION - D
PANDYA .NIDU
I t has already been mentioned in the f i r s t chat)ter
how Krsna was c lose ly associated with the Pandya kins;s.
Their c a p i t a l c i t y Madurai often mentioned as "Southern
Mathura" was rrobably named a f te r Hathura^the b i r t h nlace
of Krsna. • • •
1.. Apart from Madurai, 'we have ce r t a in other Kii's^a •
cent res s i tua ted in Pandya country which comorises o^
e rs twhi le Ramanathanuram, Tirunelvel i and Madurai d i s t r i c t s .
Anionf the 108 holy Vaishnava temples, 18 are in Papdya
country. Of these 18 temples, we have four or five places
which were nredominently Krsna worshit) cen t re s . Madurai
and Tirumalirunsolai are as old as the Sangam works. From
the Sangam l i t e r a t u r e , we know ths t temnles for Kjpsna and
3alarama were s i tuated in these r>lace3. Many Pandya kings
were devotees o^ Krsna and Balarama and worshiriDed the^ • • •
a t Irungunram (Tirumal i runsola i ) . At present , the temole
in Tirumalirunsolai , a l so known as Alagarkoil , i s dedicated
to Visnu as Kal-alagar . Many ^ ivars have g lor i f i ed t h i s
temple in t h e i r hyinns. «• very popular f e s t i v a l which
draws thousands of people every year i s conducted ^or
him. He i s taken in procession in a horse-mount to the
banks of trie Vai.gai to meet his s i s t e r Mdnakshi the
Goddess a t Madurai.
185
2 . MADURAI :
Pandyan i n s c r i p t i o n s make refe-i-snoe t o the
temple of Kariyamanikka Peruma^ w i t h i n the nremises of
the n r e s e n t Minakshi t e m p l e . This d e i t y '//as rsrobably Kr-^na
There a r e a l s o temples for Madanagopala and Santanagopala
i n Madara i . There i s a l s o a temple for Navani ta Krsna
though, of l a t e o r i g i n , p r e s e n t l y popular i n Madurai .
These Krjna temples a re pa t ron i sed par t icular l}*- by t h e
Yadava and Sourash t r a communities b e s i d e s the Vaishnava
Brahmins .
3 . VIRANARAYANA TEMPLE. TIR^JTTAJ^TGAL (Kamarai D i s t r i c t )
Th i s i s an a n c i e n t Vaishnava c e n t r e . The temple
i s s i t u a t e d on a h i l l o c k . There a r e t h r e e t i e r s , each
having a s epa ra t e s h r i n e , one above t h e o t h e r . The ton
most sh r ine be ing t h e main one i s d e d i c a t e d t o Krsna and
h i s fami ly members. Along with Krspa, images o^ h i s four
c o n s o r t s namely, Rukmini, Satyaba'^a, N i l a d e v i and Jam-
b a v a t i , h i s son Pradyumna, and h i s grandson Aniruddha
a r e p laced i n s i d e the s h r i n e . The temnle d a t e s from an
e a r l y , p e r i o d as i t had been sung by t h e B h u a a t t a l v a r of
the 7 th cen tu ry -^.D. and Tirumangai i n F t h c e n t j r y ^ . D .
The i n s c r i p t i o n s in the temnle range i n the d a t e s from
t h e e a r l y Ohola per iod down to the 13th c e n t u r y , ^or?
one of the i n s c r i p t i o n s we know t h a t the sanctum and the
roatomanta.-pa -were r e b u i l t by a m i n i s t e r c a l l e d Gurukula-1+1
t h a r a i y a n , durinf^ the r e i g n of Maravarman Sundara Pandya, hi
Another i n sc r i r ^ t ion be long ing t o the 5 t h r egna l yea r of
the same king r e c o r d s t h e g i f t of land by two b r o t h e r s
namely Thiruvarangadevan and Uyyakkondan ^or the r e c i t a l
of Mahabharata^ Ramayana and the Puranas i n f r o n t of t he
Lord of T h i r u t t a n k a l . I t i s c a l l e d M a h a b h a r a t a - V i r q t t i .
According t o the Stalaputra.na, t h i s was where the
Aniruddhay grandson of Kpgna marr ied Usha.
^ . VATAPATRASAYI TiilMPLE, SRIVILLIPUTn7R :
The b i r t h Dlace of Pe r iya jva r and ^ndal i s S r i -
v i l l i D u t h u r in Karaaraj d i s t r i c t . The p r e s i d i n g i e i t y of
the temple Vadaperunkoi l i s Va tapa rasay i or Hangamannar,
Va tapa t r anay i i s the name given t o Krspa l y i n g on the l e a f
f l o a t i n g on the r^rimordeal ocean g l o r i f i e d by the A l v a r s .
This i s the p lace where Anda^. imagined he r pelf as a gor>ika
and observed the Pavai-nonbu r i t u a l to a t t a i n the Lord
h imse l f as he r husband. This i s the p lace where P e r i y a l v a r
sang those sc in t i l -At ing songs on Krsna ' s ch i ldhood.
There are many Pandyan and llayaka i n s c r i p t i o n s
found in the temple. They provide us with some i n t e r e s t i n g
d e t a i l s regarding thd h i s to ry of t h i s temple. For ins t ance ,
Tamil inS(?ription of saka 1375 (A.D.11+53) commences with a
long preamble r e l a t i n g t o the mythical connection between
Lord Krsm and Suglikkodutta Nacchiyar ( i . e . Andal) in
t h i s v i l l a g e .
Another i n t e r e s t i n g in sc r ip t ion of Sundarnandyadeva
records the deduction in the tax to the lands belonging to
the temple.
From an i n s c r i p t i o n of saka 1^93 (A.D.1571) found
in the K 'spa temple he re , we know tha t the temple w^s
b u i l t by Srivallabhadeva for the meri t of Virappa Kayaka.
Another record of the same year , r e g i s t e r s the grant of
exemption from taxes on the lands which had been endowed
to the temple of Krspa. Yet another record of the Nayaka
•oeriod, r e g i s t e r s a tax free grant of land as Sarvamanya
t o ce r t a in washermen to s e t t l e down in the v i l lage and
continue t h e i r service to the temr)le o ^ Krsna. All
these i l l u s t r a t e the royal patronage extended the teraDle.
138
5 . ADINATHA PI^RUMAL TEMPLE^ VIJAYANIRAYANAM?TlruneIve 11 Dt .
In t h e i id inatha Peruma^. temple a t Vijavanarayanam
i n Nanguneri t a l u k of T i r u n e l v e l i d i s t r i c t , a Pandyan
i n s c r i p t i o n r e g i s t e r s a g i f t of land by a woman devotee
for the worship Krsna whose iTiage she had se t ut)
i n the temple of ^araguna-Vippagar Emberuraan. Here K^jpa
i s r e f e r r e d t o as T i ruvaykkuJa thu-P iXla i meaning " t h e
boy of the cowherd c l a n " . Another r e co rd g ives the name
of Krsna a s Yadava-narayana.
An i n s c r i p t i o n i n the s h r i n e of Rajagopalasvamin,
in the temple be longing t o Pandya r u l e r r e f e r s t o some
g i f t of l and made by the assembly of Vi,-|ayanarayana
Chaturvedimangalam, which met i n the c e n t r a l c o u r t y a r d
of the t emole , for the exDenses of o f f e r i n g s and worshir)
t o the God Yadava-narayana-vinnagar-emberuraan. The Lord'
of the temple i s a l s o r e f e r r e d t o as Alagiya-mannanar in
some i n s c r i p t i o n s ,
6 . HAJAGOPALAS//AMI TEMPLE^ MAMAR KOIL, Ambasamudram Taluk .
The Rajagopalaswamin temple , Mannarkoi l i s a *
h i s t o r i c a l teraole . During the Chola pe r iod i t was known
by the name Rajendra ChoJ-a-Vipnagaram, a f t e r Rajendra I .
The main d e i t y i s c a l l e d Vedanarayana, the temr>le i s s t a t e d
t o have been b u i l t by Rajasimha, t he Chera feudatory
and named a f t e r t h e i r o v e r l o r d Rajendra I . This temr)le
must have been a b ig e s t a b l i s h m e n t as t h e r e were many
g a r d e n e r s , drummers, p o t t e r s , gar land makers , t o r c h
b e a r e r s and d e v a r a d i y a r s a t t a c h e d t o t h i s temole. As
many as n ine i n s c r i p t i o n s have come down t o us from
thJ.s t emple .
7 . THUVARIPATI APPAN TSMPLE, GHERAMAD£VI
In the same Ambasamudram t a l u k we ge t i n s c r i n t i o n a l
r e f e r e n c e t o a temple c a l l e d Appan temple a t Chera '^adevi.
An i n s c r i p t i o n of Vira Pandya r e g i s t e r s g i ^ t s made t o t h e
d e i t y Thuvarar)at i A^pan (Lord of D-^araka) fo r c e l e b r a t i n g 51
y e a r l y f e s t i v a l s . The temple was obv ious ly ^or Kji'sna.
A b e a u t i f u l bronze image of K;'spa i n the Kaliyamardhana
form has come from t h i s p lace (See chaDter V),
6 . VIKRAMASIKGAPURAM^ At-SASAhrUDRAM TALUK
This i s a p lace very near Arabasamuilram in
T i r u n e l v e l i D i s t r i c t . There i s an old temr)le ^or Kr^sna
here n o t e l for the c e l e b r a t i o n o^ K r s n a - J a y a n t i f e s t i v a l
on a grand s c a l e .
19 n
9 . ALAGIYA MANNAH RAJAGOP^LASVIMD^ TEMPLE^ PALArANKOTTAI
( T i r u n e l v e l i D t . )
The huge temple was known as Champakaranya Kshetra
accord ing t o the s t a l a p u r a n a . The legend goes l i k e t h i s :
The temple was p a t r o n i s e d by Pandya c h i e f t a i n s of Mana-
Dadaividu. According t o the temple legend a Pandyan c h i e f
S r i B a l i i s s a id t o have c o n s t r u c t e d the main sh r ine for
Vedanarayana, the ardha-g^andanay t h e mani-mandapq and t h e
f l ag s t a f f and c e l e b r a t e d f e s t i v a l s . The ch ie f prayed t o
Vedanarayana for a c h i l d and he was d i r e c t e d by the Lord
t o b r i n g the images of Ra.^agopala and Rukmini l y i n g under
the r i v e r Ganga. The c h i e f i s said t o have brought the
images and consec re t ed them in t h e temple and he was
b l e s s e d wi th a c h i l d .
The temple has a t h r e e - t i e r yimana. On the t o p
most t i e r , we see t h e hup;e image of Ra.1agor>ala s t a n d i n g
wi th h i s c o n s o r t s , S r i d e v i an,d Bhudevi . These images
are made of s t ucco . On the wa l l s o^ t h i s sh r ine b e a u t i f u l
p a i n t i n g s can be s e e n . I t was renovated i n the yea r 1<^53.
I n s i d e the main s h r i n e , d o w n s t a i r s , the me ta l
images of Rajagopala wi th h i s c o n s o r t s Hukmtni and
Satyabama are k e p t . The form of Krsr-a i s two armed
r i g h t arm h o l d i n g a s t i c k t o graze the c a t t l e and the
' 0 1 ^ -J 1
l e f t arm i s r e s t i n g on a cow. This i s i n l i n e with t h e
image of Rajagopala of Mannarkudi. Annual S r i - J a y a n t h i
f e s t i v a l i s c e l e b r a t e d , b e s i d e s o the r f e s t i v a l s . The
temple must have been p a t r o n i s e d by t h e Yadava community
of the l o c a l i t y , who form a s i z a b l e -oart of the por iula t ion
of the p l a c e , even t o - d a y .
10 . NAVA-TIRUPATIS ( T i r u n e l v e l i D t . )
There i s a c l u s t e r of 9 ho ly Vaishnava s h r i n e s
renowned a s n a v a - t i r n p a t i s which i n c l u d e the S l v a r - t i r u n a g a r i
t h e b i r t h p l a c e of Namma^-var, T i r u k k o i l a r . The b i r t h p lace
of Madurakavi A^-var and such wel l known p l a c e s l i k e
S r iva ikun ta ra , Perukulam e t c . They have been sung by
Narama3.var, In a l l the n i n e temples K];'sna i s i n s t a l l e d
w i t h i n t h e sanctum or in^ a s e p a r a t e sh r ine i n d i c a t i n g t h e
impor tance given t o Kj-sna. The p r e s i d i n g d e i t y of
Perungulam i s Krsna as Mayakuthan. The s c u l p t u r a l work
a t Alvar T i r u n a g a r i i s dominated by K];*sna theme.
1 1 . D/JARAKA KRSNA TEMPLE,SUCHDTDIL^ (Kanyakumari. D t . )
The temple i s r e f e r r e d t o as Dwaraka Emberuman
temple in i n s c r i p t i o n s dated ; \ .D.1227, 1228 and 1229.
The f i r s t i n s c r i p t i o n found in the c e n t r a l sh r ine of the
132
temple r e c o r d s endo,vment of land by the sabha of Suoindlram
assembled a t t h e Tj.^ugchuty,u-mantapa in the temple of
Suchindramu^aiya Nayanar for ma in t a in ing a p e r p e t u a l lamp.
Another i n s c r i p t i o n r e c o r d s g i f t of k v e l i s of
l-iir.ci, for tlie d a i l y s e r v i c e s of the Dvarakai-Visnubhagavan
temDle by one Kesavan Arangan. Another i n s c r i p t i o n da ted
i n 1226 •^I'.lJ. r e f e r s t o t h e d igg ing of a tank named a f ^ e r
Krspa KannaiHlsuJani.
12 . KARIYAMANIKKAPURAM (Kanj^akumari D t . )
The very name KariyamanikKan, the "black gem"
deno tes Sr^na. ./e get a few i n s c r i ' o t i o n s ^om t h i s t emr l e ,
Prom one of them da ted in 1^37 •^.^•, we knov/ t h a t the
temple was renovated and t h e mahamand_a?a by one Kulasekara
N a m b i r a t t i y a r . The i n s c r i p t i o n dated 1509 A.D. r e f e r s t o
a donat ion t o Kariyaraanikka Vippagar Perumal for d a i l y
worship and a l s o for the S r i - J a y a n t h i f e s t i v a l .
1 3 . THCVALAI (Kanyakumari D t . )
This i s very nea r Aralvo:/moli t h e s t ronghold of
the Ay V e l i r ch i e f t a in s who cla im descen t from Kr^pna.
There i s a temple for Kipgna where the Nambudris a r e the
p r i e s t s . Hence t h e temple r i t u a l s accord ing to the
Kerala t r a d i t i o n are fol lowed h e r e .
-5 Q*:! ^ Ki If
SECT IOH , h
KONGU-NADU
There a r e a l s o some ternDles for Krsna in t h e • • •
Kongu a r e a , compris ing of t h e modern d i s t r i c t s of Coimbatore ,
Salem, Erod9, and Dharraapuri. But the i n s c r i p t i o n a l evidence
i s r a t h e r meagre. Temvles for VenugODala are found a t Erode ,
Coimbatore and Satyaraangalara and they appear t o belong t o the
Vijayanagar p e r i o d . An i n s c r i p t i o n of Pa ran taka Ghola I
(10th c e n t u r y ) from iMadiraikonda (Coimbatore Dt . ) mentions
an endowment for the worship of Krsp= as Venpaikuthanainar
i n the Vijpu temple a t Erode .
COIICLUSION :
Thus from the foregoing survey i t can be seen
t h a t t he t emples of Kr^pa were f a i r l y widespread in Tami l -
nadu in the a n c i e n t and medieval t i m e s . I t should be men
t ioned t h a t a p a r t from the f i f t y and odd temoles wi th
a n c i e n t i n s c r i p t i o n s e x c l u s i v e l y devoted t o Krspa a s
d e t a i l e d above , a lmost every Visnu temple i n Tamilnadu
has the c o n s e c r a t e d meta l image of Kpsna i n some form of
the o t h e r . As po in ted out e a r l i e r , the image of Kjpspa
as a dance r w i th a b u t t e r b a l l (Navanita Krsna or Veppai
k u t t a n ) was i n t r o d u c e d in the Visnu t emples of Tondai -
mandalam sometime dur ing the Gho^-a ^ e r i o d . In some temples
e s ' ^ e c i a l l y fro'^i Vi jayanagar t imes we f ind the ima?Te of
• - 4
Venugopala. This p rac t ice i s also found in the temples
of the Pandya region. In the Visnu temples of Chola-nadu
the metal icon of Santina-go-oala ( rec l in ing child Krsna)
i s very common. The p rac t i ce of women devotees fondling
the icon i s in vogue and i t i s believed tha t they would be
blessed with beau t i fu l and intellic^ent chi ld l ike Krsna. - • • •
The foregoing survey a lso revea l s that^many towns
and \rLllag9s had separate quar ters for the cowherd community
often ca l led %padi or Aykugli, In some inscriiDtions i t i s
ca l led Tiruvaypadi which a l so occurs in Tamil l i t e r a t u r e
as e iu iva len t of Gokulam (near Mathura in the north) where
Krspa grew up. I t i s i n t e r e s t i n g to note t ha t in many
Tamil i n s c r i p t i o n s c i t ed above, he i s refer red t o as Ti ru-
vaypiglidevar (the Lord of Gokula), - /e a l so get several
instances of the patronage extended to -^rspa temrles by
the shepherd c lass (manradis or Kor;ars). In one i n s c r i p t i o n ,
they are s ign i f i can t ly ca l led Nandaputras (K^gna was a l so
Nandakurcara) and Tiruvaypadi Nattar of Tondaimandalara
and they met in the KTps;;ia temple a t T i ruva t t iyur on one
occasion and expressed t h e i r g r a t i t u t e to Kr-spa for the
divine grace bestowed on the community.
X li ij
The survey has a lso furnished good evidence of
the a s soc ia t ion of other cominunities - the Brahmins,
e spec ia l ly the Vaijnavas the Vellala a g r i c u l t u r i s t s , the
merchants besides Kings, queens and royal o f f i c e r s . So,
Kr-sna worship was '"ostered by a l l the conmunities of
Tamilnadu, as i t i s done even to-day.
Another noteworthy point tha t emerges from the
above survey i s the several endearing Tamil names by which
Krsna was deif ied in the temnles. The following examples
can be c i t e d .
Tirukku4.al-udina--Dij.^ai - The chi ld who plays on the divine
f l u t e .
Tiruvaypadi-Devar - Lord of Gokulam
^^ennaikuttan - Dancing with the b u t t e r b a l l .
Amarnviappar; - One who grazed the c a t t l e
Aj.agia-mannar - the beau t i fu l sheperd boy.
Raiamannar - King of cowherds
Ka,r_aiamani,kkam - the black gem
Tuvaratiati Appar - the Lord of Dwaraka
Mathi^rapuri Bmberum.a,n - the Lord of Mathura
Brindavar^a Err.beruipan, - the Lord of Brindavan e
K^y^k,she t ra-deva - the Lord or hero of Kurukshtra .
196
_ An i n t e r e s t i n g feature re f l ec ted in the na-nes of
the temples and places i s the process of the l o c a l i s a t i o n
of Kjpspa in Tamilnadu. Mannarkudi in Thanjavur d i s t r i c t
which has a famous temple for KT;'5pa as Hajagopala i s ca l led
the Dwaraka of the south. T i ruva l l iken i (in Madras c l t v )
where there i s an ancient temple for Par thasa ra th i , i s
regarded by the Vaigpavas as the Brindavana of the south.
The i n s c r i p t i o n s discussed above also reveal
t ha t endowments were made by several sect ions of the
society for ce lebra t ing f e s t i v a l s in honour o^ Krsna
such as h i s b i r th -day (Krsna Jayant i ) and Uri-adl
and a l so r e c i t a t i o n of the A3.vars hymns in pra ise of
Krspa l i k e Tirur)ravaiT Tiruvavmoli. Thus, the study of
the inscr i r ) t ions and the t r a d i t i o n of Krsna temnles o^ • • •
Tamilnadu clearly reflect how Krspa worship, with its
deep roots in the Sangam and the Bhakti and post-3hakti
religious literature was integrated with the temple
culture of Tamilnadu.
1 Q7
1. Rama Rao, M., Temples of T i rumala i and T l r u m t i ^ p . ^ ? .
2 . 239 of 1903. Another i n s c r i p t i o n d a t e d A.D.IT6if
ment ions the f ive d e i t i e s Krsy.a, Rukmini, Baladeva ,
Madana, Aniruddha and S a t v a k i .
3. AR^ No.6i+1 o f 1919.
h, Raman, K.V., S r i Varadara,iaswami Temnle, Kanchj,.
5 . ARE No.2 of 1892.
6 . : ^ ^ No. 29 o f 1696.
7. ARE No.26 o^ 1896 - The H3.vars f r e q u e n t l y add re s s
Kj'spa as Van tuva rapa t i mannan (King of l>,varaka)
NamtT]aj.var 5 - 3 - 6 .
8 . 3 o f 1F92,
9 . 263 t o 292 of 1697.
10. 292 o f 1897.
1 1 . 291 o f 1897.
12. F r a n c o i s Gros and R.Nagaswamy, "Ut ta ramerur , l e g e n d s ,
h i s t o r y and mon-gments", Pond icher ry , 1970.
13 . I b i d .
u^ \J \J
^h, 187 of 1923.
15. 292 of 1897.
16. 167 of 1915.
17. 312 of 1906.
18. 333 of 1906.
19. 2W6 of 1909.
20. 71 of 1887; ^56-»+72 of 1925, 27 + t o 283 of 1953-5^.
2 1 . 273 of 1977-76.
22. 330 of 1917.
23. 5^0 of 1905-06.
2i+. 53^ of 1905.
25. Aravamuthan, T.G., Transactions of the Archaeological Society of South Indla^ 1962-65, pp.63-67.
26. 69 of 1936-37.
27. 7^ of 1892«
28. 102 of 1937-38.
- qq ^ Kj \J
^ 9 . Pe r lva Tirumoj.! : ^ - 6 - 8 .
30 . Ib ld .T 3-^0-8.
3 1 . 91 and 93 of 1925.
32 . 105 of 1897
3 3 . 102 of 1897
3^+. 326 of 1910.
35. 339 of 1921.
36. 268 of 193^-37.
37. Vide c h a p t e r - I l l .
38 . 53^ of I92O; S I I . , V o l . 1 2 , 25h,
3 9 . 529 of 1920.
i+0. Recen t ly the t h r e e o ld d i s t r i c t s have been r e - o r g a n l s e d
i n t o many smal le r u n i t s l i k e Muthuramalingam D t . ,
Chidambaranar D t . , Kamarai D t . , KattabommQ Dt. have
been adied t o the old ones .
^ 1 . 55^ of 1922.
^ 2 . 5^6 of 1922.
^ 3 . 577 of 1926.
2nn uu
kh, 5 1 of 1926.
^5. 591 of 1926
^6. 592 of 1926.
^7. 18 of 1927.
^8. 20 of 1927.
^9. 23 and 25 of 1927.
50. 107 of 1905: SII. Vol.XIV, No.132. R.Tirumalai, Ra.iendra Chola Vipnagaram.
51. l£i of 1895.
52. TAS-VIII, pp.37-38.
53. Ibid., p.36.
5W. Kanva kuroar1 Kalve 11 ukka1 .
^^5. See lTo.1£ above under Tondai-niidu.
5 6 . A mock c o n t e s t pcrforrriGd by the s'-iensrds t o e;et t h e
•ori?;e rrcney keot a t the tor* n:" a t a l l T)ole smeared
w i t h ' o i l . One' who succes t^fJ l ly want up t h t pole
eould get the r>ri"e money.