Vidya Vineetha Pallava Paramesvara Griham / Kooram Siva Temple / Vidya Vineetha Pallava Parameswarar Temple / A 7th Century Pallava period Shiva temple, Kooram, Kanchipuram District, Tamil Nadu.

The visit to this Shiva temple was a part of the visit to the Temples and heritage sites around Kanchipuram, scheduled on 10^th July 2021. This Shiva temple is situated in the northeast direction of the Village of Kooram. 

Moolavar: Sri Vidya Vineetha Parameswara

Some of the salient features of this temple are…

The temple faces west with an entrance from the south side. There is no Dwajasthambam or balipeedam. Nandi is in front of Moolavar. A Brahma Sastha idol is kept in the artha mandapam, which was unearthed from the Village.  There are two Lingas inside the sanctum sanctorum; the rear one is with Yoni peedam, and the front one is only a bana linga. Vinayagar and Murugan are in the artha mandapam.

ARCHITECTURE

The sanctum sanctorum of the original temple is built in granite stone slabs used as veneer stones on either side with a brick core in the middle, in the Gajabirushta style. The inner part of the adhistana moldings has been missing and rebuilt with brick and mortar, above which is a flat roof without Vimanam.

HISTORY AND INSCRIPTIONS

This temple is believed to be the earliest and first built temple by Pallavas in the apsidal / Gajabirushta architectural style. As per the copper plate unearthed from the premises of this temple, the temple was constructed by the Pallava King Parameswara Varman-I during his reign in the 7^th century CE. As per the inscription, the temple was called “Vidhya Vineetha Parameswara Pallava Griha”. The Copperplate records the share of Brahmins and Water management. 2 parts of 25 shares were given to the Brahmins Anantha Sivachariyar and Pullasarman. The details of cleaning the Mandapa with water and burning lamps are recorded in the Cheppedu/Copperplate. An Eri called Parameswara Thadagan existed during the Pallava period, and a water canal called Perumbidukukal was excavated.  The Copperplate also records a part of Kooram that was gifted for reciting the Mahabharata.

The Copperplate is written in the Sanskrit Grantha and the Tamil language, which gives the genealogy of the Pallava Dynasty, which starts from Mahavishnu to Parameswara. It also mentions the grant of Devadhana Brahmadeya to the Shiva Temple. The village was donated to this temple to perform an abhisheka/sacred bath. It also records that the village had possessed one hundred and eight families well versed in the four Vedas. 

The Tamil part of the inscription gives information about the land given to erect the temple and dig a pond, then to construct houses, a house garden for the worshipper, and for the offerings to the deity. The Paramechura Mangalam village, situated in Manavir Kottam of Panama Nadu, was granted on the condition that it should be divided into 25 shares, out of which 20 should be shared among Chaturvedins.

The Nandhivarman’s inscription records the gift of 6 patti of land as Archanabogam. The original inscription, as per Tholliyal Nokkil Kanchipuram mavattam, reads as 

1. ஸ்வஸ்திஸ்ரீ நந்தி

2. வரம்ம மஹாராஜ

3. ந்நெழுத்து ஊற்

4. றுக்காட்டுக் கோட்

5. டத்துக் கூரத்

6. து எப்பையார்

7. காண்க தம்மூ

8. ர் அக்கல நிம்மடி

9. மா போற்றிப் பட்டி

10. ஆயின ஆறுப்

11. ட்டி நிலமும் மு

12. ன்புபெற்றாரை மாற்றி

13. யாண்டு இருப

14. த்து…

15……

16. மஹா தேவற்கு

17. அர்ச்சநா போக

18. மாசுக் காளன் அர்ச்சி

19. த்துண்பானாகக் க

20. எனுக்குப் பணி

21. த்தலுட்டாங் கண்

22. டருள திருக்கோயி

23. லுட்பட்டார் திருவடி

24. க்கீழே சிலாலேகை

25. செய்து குடுக்க இறை

26. நீக்கி

The Kachiyum Thanjaiyum Konda Sri Kannara Deva (Krishnan-III -954 CE), the Rashtrakuda King’s  15^th reign year inscription records the endowment of Naivedyam to Perunthirukoil by Asiriyan AthiyaNan of Kooram. 

The inscription on a pillar records that the pillar was gifted by Thattan Thothavaththi. On another Pillar, gifted by Pallava Maarajan …. Mamallan (damage)

In another inscription, the King’s name is not legible. The 21^st year inscription records that some endowment for the same Gold was gifted. Another damaged inscription also records the gift of Land to this temple, and the purpose is not known.

Ko Rajakesari Barmar’s ( Aditya-I, 898 CE ), 27^th reign year inscription on the ardha mandapam pillar records the endowment of burning a perpetual lamp with Ulakku oil by the same village Thattan (Goldsmith) Sri Koovai Mangala Perunthattan, for which gold was gifted. The original inscription, as per "Tholliyal Nokkil Kanchipuram mavattam" written by S Krishnamurthy, reads as ..

1. ஸ்வஸ்திஸ்ரீ ஸ்ரீ
2. கோராஜ கே
3. ஸரி வர்மற்கு
4. யாண்டிருபத்
5. தேழாவது ஊண்
6. த்துக்காட்டுக் கோட்ட
7. த்து நீர் வேளூர் நாட்டு

8. கூரத்து ஸபையோம்

9. எம்மூர்த் தட்டான் ஸ்ரீ...

10. க்கு ... ங்க வைத்த பொ

12 ன் கொண்டு இவ்வூர் பெரு

13.ந் திருக்கோயில் மாதே

14. வர்க்கு நந்தாவிளக்கு

15. இரவும் பகலும் எரிப்

16. பதற்கு நிசதி உழக்கெண்

17. ணை அட்டுவே மானோம்

18. அவ்வாண்டுகளில்

19. ம்வத்ஸர வாரியம் செய்வா

20. ர்களட்ட கடவார் விக்கினஞ் செய்தான்

21. கங்கை யிடை குமரி

22. யிடை செய்தான் செய்த

23. பாவம் படுவாநாக பணி

24. த்தோம் ஸபையோம்

25. இது குறி இருந்து பணி

26. எழுதினேன் இவ்வூ

27. ர் மத்யஸ்த்தன் ஸ்ரீகாளி

28. ஏழாவரிவனேன்

Nirupathunga Pallava's wife, called Niraimathi, had done thirupani to this temple. 

The Pallava King Parameswaravarman I’s reign (copper) plate Sanskrit and Tamil inscription records a grant. The grant begins with the three benedictory verses addressed to Śiva and the Pallava race. Then the mythical genealogy of the Pallava race is given: Brahman; his son Angiras; his son Bṛhaspati; his son Bharadvāja; his son Droņa; his son Aśvattāman; and his son Pallava. After this, an account of Narasimhavarman is given; he repeatedly defeated the Coļas, Kõraļas, Kalabhras, and Pandyaş: routed Pulakéśin in the battles of Pariyaļa, Manimangala, Sūramāra, etc., and destroyed the city of Vātāpi. Narasimhavarman's son was Mahendravarman, and the latter's son was Prameśvaravarman, who, in a terrible battle, described vividly in this passage, made 'Vikramaditya--whose army consisted of several laksas take to flight covered only by a rag'

Then it is said, at the instance of Pallavadhirāja Vidyāvinīta, the village Parameśvaravamangala, in the Manyavāntara-rāstra called Patmā in Manayir-kõtta, was donated as dēvadāna and brahmadeya in favour of the temple of Vidyāvinīta-Pallava-Paramēśvara at Kūram, a village in the Manyavāntara-rāstra called Nirvēļür in Ürrukkāttuk-köttām by the king Parameśvara. This gift was to provide for the worship, the bathing (of the idol), flowers, perfumes, incense lamps, oblations, conches, drums, etc., and for water, fire, and the recitation of the Bharata at this (temple). The village of Kuram possessed one hundred and eight families that studied the four Vedas.

The Tamil portion records that a grant of land measuring 51 patti (one patti being equal to 1,200 kuli) was made at Küram, after prior purchase, by Viccāvinīta Pallavarāsan, to be used for erecting the temple Viccāvinita-Pallava-Parameccuragaram³ for digging a pond, for providing houses and house-gardens, for those who perform the worship in the temple, and for providing the customary offerings (olukkavi). The land included a plot used for burning tiles for building the temples and another plot on which the mandapa had been erected.

In addition to this, the village of Param cura-mangalam³ in Panmā-nādu, in Manayir-kōttam was granted with the condition that the village should be divided into 25 shares, of which three shares were to be used for worship and repairs (dēvakaruman-navakarumam) in the temple, one for reciting Bharatam in the same place, and the remaining 20 shares as bramadēya to 20 caturvēdins. The house-sites, the revenue from all taxes including ūrāțci, tari, kūlam, taragu, and kattikkāņam due from the village, and everything common to the village should be divided into the said number of shares. For performing dēvakarma and navakarma in the temple, Anantaśiva-ācārya, the son of Kūratācārya and Pullaśarman, was appointed with hereditary rights. A channel called Perum bidugu dug from Pālāru to the tank named Paramēśvara at Paramēśvaramangalam is mentioned. The executor of the grant was Mahāsēnadatta, the Uttarakāranika.

References:

1. SII, i, no. 151; 

2. Ibid., ii, plates xi and xii; 

3. Ibid., xii, Plate vii (seal) El, xvii, 340-4 and Plate;

4. TPC (Tamil), 45-80.

5. The inscriptions of Pallavas by T V Mahalingam. 

Now the temple is under the control of the Tamil Nadu State Archaeological Department.

LEGENDS

As per the legend, this Village was called “Pancha Linga Puram”, which means that 4 Shiva temples were constructed in the 4 directions of this temple. Mr. Meganathan took us to the two Shiva Lingas unearthed from the fields during recent years.  In that one is on a Padma peedam, and baanam is made of sandstone. The other one is made of granite on an avudayar. He further said that the 3^rd one is in the form of an ant hill, and the 4^th one is yet to appear.

POOJAS AND CELEBRATIONS.

Apart from oru kala pooja, special poojas are conducted on Pradosham and Maha Shivaratri.

TEMPLE TIMINGS

Since oru kala pooja is conducted and the Sivachariyar is coming from Kanchipuram, the opening and closing times are unpredictable.

CONTACT DETAILS

Mr Meganathan may be contacted on his mobile number +918668039716 to show the temple and newly unearthed Shiva Lingas.

HOW TO REACH

The place Kooram is 6.5 km from the White Gate of Kanchipuram, 11 km from Kanchipuram, 25 km from Arakkonam,  37 km from Sriperumbudur, and 77 km from Chennai.

The nearest Railway station is Kanchipuram.

LOCATION OF THE TEMPLE: CLICK HERE

---OM SHIVAYA NAMA ---