Read on Twitter
1. One among the panchabhootha group of siva temples, the shrine represents water. A subterranean spring inside the sanctum sanctorum fills the shrine with water throughout the year.
2. An ancient temple said to have been built first by kOchenkOt chOla, a chOla king probably from the 4th-5th CCE. He is referred to in later chOla copper plates, but there are no epigraphic record that helps us ascertain his period.
3. The earliest inscription in the shrine is from Parantaka I (947 CE ) referring to the king as maDurai konDa parakEsari and the deity as mahAdEva bhattArakar. It is abt donations made to burn a perpetual lamp.
4. Paratanka II inscription speaks abt the administrative body, mahAsabhA of the temple that congregated to audit land donations made to various temples in this region. TiruvAnaikA seem to have been an important shrine from were several temples were administered.
5. The temple campus saw severe destruction during the colonial period because of the anglo french wars fought at trichy. So a huge corpus of chOla inscriptions are missing from the temple.
6.The next available inscription is from the later chOla period, starting from kulOttunga I (1116 CE). It speaks abt a rishabhavAhana dEva and an image of pArvati that were donated by a certain villavarAyan from valambakkudi. (1/2)
He has also donated lands from the income of which the deities enshrined by him shall be offered poojas and taken out in procession. (2/2)
7.The inscptns of this temple, especially during times of Rajaraja III(available bw 1229-1245CE) helps understand the political turbulence that the mighty chOla empire faced. Several feudatories have risen up, kOperumchingan, the kADava king posed a severe threat 2 chOla empire.
8. The hoysalAs came to the rescue of RR III and vIra narasimha after defeating kOperumsingan, came in powerful to protect the chOla land.
9. Kannanur, the capital of hoysalA kings being close to tiruvAnaika made them donate shrines, jewels and more to this temple.
10.A shrine dedicated to hoysalEshwara (pOchaleshwara) was built in tiruvAnaika during the times of rAjEndra III. Land donations made to this temple is recorded by the chOla king. (this shrine is still there to the SW direction of the flagstaff.)
11. A pAnDya inscription describes land leased out to private members to be maintain a garden and supply flowers and garlands every day. The lists of flowers, number of garlands, maintaining the water course etc., are also detailed.
12. Going by the proximity of this temple to the kAvEri river, the agricultural fields donated to the temple had a detailed irrigation network. Several canals bearing interesting names are seen in the inscriptions - piLLaikolli , chOlakulamAnikkan canal, sembiyanmAdEvi canal etc
13. A kulOtungaIII inscptn mentions a flood in the river that washed away boundary stones that demarcated the temple lands on banks of the river.The admin body in presence of the rep of the king discussed & finalised original boundary and installed stones with emblem of trishul.
14. A mAravarman sunDara pAnDyan inscription speaks abt the lavish jewels he gave. It starts with a list of silk robes donated - pachchai pattu, puliyukirpoom pattu, senthilani pattu & araiyan dEvAngu. The jewel he donated was made of 4,15,803 pearls apart from several ornaments
15. A 16th CCE nAyaka period inscription speaks tax and duties collected from the fishermen community of the island. It also speaks abt water tax levied on 26 families that owned workshops and shifted them together to the NE corner of the settlement.
16. Apart from the popular shrine of akilAndEshwari, another shrine for pArvati as vaDivEimangai nAchchiyAr has existed till the pAnDya period. This shrine is not to be seen now.
17. A mutt called nArpatti ennayiravan matam(the mutt of the 48000) existed right outside the temple and the sanyAsins there trace their origin to the members of gnAnasamdandhan matam.
18.Most of the inscription refers to the donation made to the temple being done as a ritual in the name of ADi chandikeshwarar and given to the temple administrators who are in turn referred to as dEvakanmigal and mAhEshwarAs.
19. The most important inscription from this temple is abt the grahasta pAsupata scheme of worship followed in this temple. The temple seem to have been enjoying a unique worship protocol based on the pAdupatasUtrAs.
A 1585 CE inscription engraved as the divine order of sivA thru ADI chanDikEshwara, states that rights for enquiry, maintenence of account, conducting poojas etc in the temple is handed over to descendants of chandrasEkara guru uDaiyAr who should take the gruhasta pAsupata vratam
20. It is interesting to note that unlike popular siva temples of TN, the priests in tiruvAnaikA temple are called as siva panDitAs and not sivAchAriyAS.
An excellent painting of Akshilandeswari of Thiruvanaika, by @vishnur11972911
Akshilandeswari Rakshamam - one of the Panjabutha krithis set to Dvijavanthi Ragam. Rendition by vidushi @Bombay_Jayashri
@threadreaderapp unroll
