VELUDHARAN TEMPLES VISIT : Sri Somanatheeswarar Temple / Somanatheswarar Temple at Somangalam near Chennai, Chandran Sthalam, one of the Navagraha sthalam around Chennai, Kanchipuram District, Tamil Nadu.

Monday, 1 February 2016

Sri Somanatheeswarar Temple / Somanatheswarar Temple at Somangalam near Chennai, Chandran Sthalam, one of the Navagraha sthalam around Chennai, Kanchipuram District, Tamil Nadu.

1^st February 2016.

Participated with Sevas for the Uzhavaram at Sri Kamakshi Samedha Sri Somanatha Eeswarar temple at Somangalam. The work involves cleaning the temple, clearing the bushes on the side of the temple premises, and shifting Dakshinamurthy and Varahi Amman (both damaged) to the other Murtis kept adjacent to the south side of the compound wall. We also moved an epigraph tablet near the sthala Vruksham. It is one of the 108 Gajabirushta Vimana-type temples constructed by Choozhas. This is the Chandran Sthalam and one of the Navagraha sthalams in Thondai Nadu.

Moolavar : Sri Somanatheeswarar

Consort : Sri Kamakshi Amman.

Some of the important details of this temple are….

The temple faces east without Rajagopuram and Dwajasthambam. The only entrance arch is on the south side. The sanctum is of the Gajabirustam type. In the koshtam are Vinayagar, Dakshinamurthy, Mahavishnu, Brahma, and Durgai. Nandhi is facing east, opposite Moolavar. The story behind this was that during the construction of this temple, Rishabam was sent to fight with the enemies of the Chozha King.

In the front mandapam, sannidhi for Brahma in a sitting posture. Bala Murugan, Mahavishnu, and Balasubramaniar.

In the outer praharam, Murtis are positioned on a pedestal (damaged) adjacent to the Compound wall: Chandikeswarar, Subramaniyar, Ambal, Bhairavar, Navagrahas, Chandran, and Suriyan.

Brahma (in sitting posture), Subramaniyar, and Maha Vishnu

Subramaniyar Sannadhi - in Mandapam

Chandran

ARCHITECTURE

The sanctum sanctorum was built in Gajaprishta style from adhistanam to sigaram. The temple consists of sanctum sanctorum, antarala, ardha mandapam, and maha mandapam. The sanctum samctorum is on a pada bandha adhistanam with jagathy, three patta kumudam, and pattikai. The bhitti starts with vedikai. The pilasters are of vishnukantha pillasters with square base, kalasam, kudam, palakai with lotus petals, and pushpa pothyal. The prastaram consists of valapi, kapotam with nasi kudus, and vyyalavari. One stala vimana, greevam, and Gajaprishta sigaram are on the bhumi desam. Shiva, Dakshinamurthy, Maha Vishnu, and Brahma are in the tala and greeva koshtams.

HISTORY AND INSCRIPTIONS

This Gajabirushta Vimana temple is believed to have been built during the 9^th to 10^th century Chozha period. As per the inscriptions, this place was called Jayangonda Chozhamandalathu Sengattu Kottathu Somangalam, alias Rajasikamani Chathurvedi Mangalam, and Lord Shiva was called Someswarar. The inscriptions belong to Kulaothunga Chozha-I (1070 – 1120 CE), Rajaraja Chozha-II (1150 – 1163 CE), and Kulothunga Chozha–III with his meikeerthi மதிரையும் ஈழமும் கொண்டருளிய (1178 – 1216 CE). During the Rajaraja-II period, this place, Somangalam, was under Puliyur Kottam, Kulothunga Chozhavalanattu, and Kundrathur Nadu. Kulothunga Chozha-III inscription 1192 CE records the damage caused by the Adyar River flood and the rectification of the Eri (reservoir). The inscriptions mainly record the gifts of lands, Cows, money, etc., towards the burning of perpetual and Sandhi lamps. As per the inscriptions, this place was called Rajasigamani Chathurvedimangalam under Puliyur Kottathu Kulothunga Chozhavalanattu Kundrathur Nadu, and later changed to Panchanadhivan Chathurvedi Mangalam.

This inscription (No. 182 of 1901) is engraved on three walls of the Saundararaja-Perumal temple at Sômangalam, a village north of Manimangalam in the Chinglepat district. The ancient name of the temple was Chitrakûta (1.3). Like Manimangalam, Sômangalam belonged to Maganûr-nâdu, a subdivision of the district of Sêngâttu-kottam (1. 2 f.).

The inscription is dated in the 3rd year of Râjêndra-Chôla II. The introduction agrees with that of the inscriptions of his 2nd year (Nos. 64 to 66 above), but adds a reference to his queen, without mentioning her name.

Rajathiraja-II’s (1174 CE) inscription records the endowment of burning a lamp by Ekkattu Kottathu Perumunaiyur Karanaththan Chandrasekaran. For which 2 cows were gifted to this temple?

Kulothunga Chozha-III's (1190 CE) inscription records that the eri breached seven places due to heavy rain. Thiruchurakannappan Thiruvekambamudaiyan, alias Kaman Kanda Vanavan, rectified the breaches. He also gave a gift of 40 pazhangasu to rectify it in case the eri breaches again. Again, in 1192 CE, he rectified the eri bund, which breached again.

A 1206 CE inscription records the endowment of burning a sandhi lamp by Athipattu merchant ChikkaNdi Chekkar. For which one pazhangasu was gifted to this temple? Another 1209 CE inscription records the gift of 2 Pazhangasu to burn a lamp at the Somanathar shrine by Udaiya Pillai.

Another 1244 CE inscription records the cows that were gifted to this temple for Naivedyam by Kulothunga Chozha Kannappan Adhi Nayakan Neelagangarayan and Ullarilnallan Kalingatharaiyan.

Koperusinga-I’s 1257 CE inscription records that the Gopuram was built.

References

South Indian Inscriptions Volume - III