While I was searching the Aalayam Kanden website, I understood that Mrs Padma Priya Baskaran is organizing a one-day trip to Thakkolam (click here), Melpadi, Pullalur, and Thiruvalam on 9th August 2015 for the Ponniyin Selvan Group (Click here, Click Here). Even though I had been earlier to Thakkolam and Thiruvalam temples as a part of a pilgrimage yatra to cover 276 Thevar Paadal Petra Shiva Sthalam (for details, CLICK HERE ) thought of doing it once again with a group of heritage-enthusiastic people.
The temple at Melpadi is on the banks of River Palar in Vellore District. This temple is a Pallipadai Temple of Arinjaya Chozha built by his grandson Rajaraja Chozha.
Moolavar: Arinjaya Eswarar
Some of the salient features of this Pallipadai temple are....
The Pallipadai temple faces east. Rishabam and Balipeedam are in front of the sanctum sanctorum. Dwarapalas are on either side of the sanctum sanctorum. A Shivalingam is installed on the remains of the Chozha King Arinjaya Chozha. In the kostam are Vinayagar, Dakshinamurthy, Vishnu, Brahma, and Durgai. The murtis are damaged in many parts, but still the beauty is worth seeing.
Arinjaya Chola’s Pallipadai shrine
Dawarapalakas
Dakshinamurthy
Dakshinamurthy - a closer look
Maha Vishnu
Brahma
Durgai
Durgai - a closer look
ARCHITECTURE
The Pallipadai Temple consists of the sanctum sanctorum, antarala, and ardha mandapam. The sanctum sanctorum is on a pada bandha adhistanam. The eka tala vesara vimanam is built with dark green stone with kalasam (part of the stupi is missing). 4 maha nasis are on the cardinal directions of the vesara sigaram. This Pallipadai temple was constructed with stone from the adhistanam to the stupi.
The same colour stone is used for the pillars pothiyal (Pillar support) of the sanctum sanctorum and mandapam.
Krishna killing a demon in the form of a bird
Rajaraja worshiping Arinjaya Choleswara
Sri Shiva as Pichadanar at Tharukavanam
HISTORY AND INSCRIPTIONS.
This temple is also maintained by ASI. This was built in the year 1014 CE by King RajaRaja I, over the mortal remains of his grandfather Arinjaya Chozha (956–967 CE), who died in a war at Arur near Thakkolam. The temple is called Choleswaram. There are many inscriptions all over the sanctum wall.
The inscriptions are mainly about donations made in the form of ewe to supply ghee to burn the perpetual lamp in the temple till moon and sun endure, Rajaran’s meikeerthi, the boundaries of the land given for construction of the temple, watering to the illuppai field (from the seeds, oil is extracted to burn the lamps).
From the inscriptions, the place Melpadi belongs to Tunadu, a subdivision of Perumbanapadi in the district of Jayankonda Chola Mandalam. The ancient name of Melpadi is mentioned as Rajasrayapuram, and the temple Choleeswaram was called Arinjigai Iswara or Arinjiswara. The temple is also called Pallipadai (Portion of the inscription image is given below).
The Chôla king Rajaraja I’s 29th
year of the reign inscription on the base of the Choleswara shrine opens with
the usual historical introduction, where, however, this inscription and No. 16
read Tadigapadi instead of Tadigaipadi or Tadiyavali.¹
The inscription records that the citizens of Mêrpâdi granted to the Ariñjigai Îśvara
temple 5,1361 kuli of land, which was bounded in the east by the river Nugâ,
and in the north by the Chôlêndrasimheśvara temple. Nugâ is evidently the
original name of the river Niva (or Ponnai), on the western bank of which
Mélpadi is situated, and Chôlêndra Simheśvara is the ancient designation of the
Somanâthêśvara temple.
The date of this inscription is the same as that of the above inscription No. 15.
The inscription on the base of the Choleswara Shrine records that the citizens
of Merpadi granted to the Ariñjigai-Îśvara temple the hamlet of Pulikkungam on
the west of the river Nuga, on the north of Kukkanûr, on the east of Tenkolli,
and on the south of Palainellûr. Pulikkunram itself is not found on the map;
but its southern boundary, Kukkanûr, is situated on the road from Tiruvallam to
Mêlpadi, and its western and northern boundaries, Tenkolli and Palainellûr, are
probably the modern Tempalle and Śripâdanellûr."
This inscription on the north wall of the Cholesvara shrine is written in
beautiful florid characters, resembling those of the large Leyden grant, but
mixed with letters of the usual type, especially after line 12. It is dated in
the same year as Nos. 15 and 16, and records the grant of a lamp to the
Aginjiśvara temple at Mêrpâdi.
The Chola King Parakésarivarman, alias Rajendra-Chôladêva’s 9th year
of the reign inscription on the north wall of the shrine, records that certain
shepherds of Mêrpâdi pledged themselves to supply ghee for a lamp in the
Ariñjiśvara temple. This declaration was made before Lakuļiśvara-Pandita, the
head of a Matha connected with the temple. The name Lakuliśvara is interesting,
because it suggests that the Matha at Mêrpadi was a branch establishment of the
Lakulisa-Pasupatas of Kârôhana in Gujarât, who are referred to in the Cintra
prasasti. The inscription ends with the signature of a local merchant, who may
have been the donor of the lamp.
Ref:
South Indian Inscriptions Volume 3 .I extend my sincere thanks to Mrs Padmapriya Baskaran, Mr Venkatesh Ramakrishnan, Mr Vaidyanathan Ramamurthy, and other organizers of Photo Walkers for organizing a wonderful one-day trip.
HOW TO REACH
The Pallipadai Temple is about 1 km from the village of Melpadi, 19 km from Vellore, and 22 km from Ranipattai.
The nearest Railway Station is Katpadi.
LOCATION OF THE PALLIPADAI TEMPLE : CLICK HERE
---OM SHIVAYA NAMA ---
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