Sri Pannappeswarar Temple and Kalki Bhagavathy Temple on Bhagavathy Hills, Vellore District, Tamil Nadu.

23^rd December 2018.

This visit to this temple was a part of Vellore Heritage walk organized by the History Of Vellore. This is one of the Heritage  structures  / Temples  exists on the Bhagavathy Hills. The Hill is an abode for Jains and Hindus. The lesser known Kalki Bhagavathy Amman and Bhagavathy temple are on the top of the hill.  The Hill has natural cave / rock shelters which are once occupied by the prehistoric  human beings and latter by the Jains. The Rock shelters bears the inscriptions in Tamil and Kannada. Rashtrakuta king Kannaradevan’s ( Krishna-III )  period 10th Century Tamil inscription is inscribed on the back a rock  inside a shelter.  The 11 line inscription reads as..

1. ஸ்வஸ்தி ஸ்ரீகன்னரதெவற்கு யாண்டு இருபத்தாறாவது
2. படுவூர்க் கொட்டத்துப் பங்கள நாட்டு வடக்கில் வகைச்சூ
3. தாடு பாறை மெல்ப் பன்னப்பை எடுப்பித்த
4. பன்னப்பெஸ்வரத்துக்கு பொகமாக இந்நாட்டு வெலூ
5. ர்பாடி எந்மகன் நுளம்பன் வீரசோழர் பக்கல்
6. சூதாடுபாறைமலை அகப்பட தாரை அட்டுவித்துக் கொ
7. ண்டு சந்தராதித்தருள்ளவும் உதகபூர்வஞ் செய்
8. து குடுத்தென் நுளம்பன் திரிபுவனதீரனென்
9. இதந்மம் ரஷித்தாரடி என் முடிமெலன் ஸ்ரீபல்ல
10. வமுராரி இத்ந்மம் இறக்வான் கங்கை குமரியிடைசெ
11. ய்தார் செய்த பாவங்கொள்வான்.

As per the inscription this Pannapeswarar Temple was built by a small Chieftain Pannapai under the Rashtrakuta King Kannaradevan’s ( Krishna-III)  26^th year rule. This temple is on the “Soothadu paarai” at Bangala Nadu in Paduvur Kottam. The Village Velurpadi was gifted to this Temple. It was told that Present Vellore is that  one mentioned in the inscription. But Some experts of the opinion that the present Velapadi at the base of the Hill, may be mentioned as Velurpadi and not the present Vellore. 

PRESENT STATUS

Since this inscription is inscribed on the rock, it survived, but the fate of the temple is not known. Old structures of the temple like pillar and stone fragments are strewn around the top of the hill.  Whether these fragments belongs to the temple  is also not known. Near to the inscription there is a Temple called Sri Kalki Bhagavathy Temple. In front of Amman there is a Rishabam. The rishabam seems to be unique and beautiful. The Rishabam is like  molded from a metal. Looking at the design on the rishabam, it is awesome and may belongs to the old temple.  

LOCATION:CLICK HERE

 Beautiful rishabam

 Rashtrakuta king Kannaradevan's ( Krishna-III) 10th Century inscription

 Kalki Bhagavathy Sannadhi- Is this is the original Shiva Temple, where the rishabam in front

 A Vinayagar bas-relief on the left side of the inscription

 The pillar may belongs to old temple

Sri Kalki Bhagavathy temple in front is the rishabam ( This may be a Shiva Temple during Rashtrakuta period )

---OM SHIVAYA NAMA---