CHENNAI: Thiruppulivanam, close to Uthiramerur, is home to an ancient and historical temple for Siva, worshipped here as Vyaghrapurishwara. This temple dates back to the Pallava era as seen from evidence provided by inscriptions. However, the original Pallava structure, perhaps of brick, appears to have been rebuilt of granite in the reign of Kulottunga Chola I (1070-1125 A.D.). The temple faces east with a three-tier gopuram at the entrance. Outside the gopuram are the Nandi mandapam, bali-pitham, and also, the temple tank called Vyaghra Tirtham, on the side.
Nearby is a large mandapam shaped like a chariot (ratha) with wheels, a Chola-era structure that has seen better times. The gopuram opens into a wide outer prakaram (enclosure) which has a large mandapam. Steps from this mandapam lead to the inner mandapam of Chola vintage with another Nandi and bali-pitham. The principal sanctum houses a Swayambhu (self-manifested) Siva Linga worshipped as Vyaghrapurishwara.
It is said that this Siva Linga was hugged by Sage Vyaghrapada, an ardent devotee of God Siva, who had the legs and claws of a tiger (vyaghra in Samskrit is tiger), and hence the marks of the tiger’s claws can be seen on this Lingam even today. Sandal paste is applied on these marks even today as per the traditional practice. A small tuft is said to be on top of this Lingam, which too is connected with a traditional story of God Siva here sporting a tuft to honour the word of a temple-priest, who in order to save his life, had told a king of this region that this Linga had a tuft.
The architecture of the top part of the central sanctum, which belongs to the Chola era, is apsidal in design, called gajaprishta in technical parlance. Gaja in Samskrit is elephant and prishta is back and it is hence called, as it looks like the back of an elephant. In the niches (devakoshta) on the outer walls of this shrine are images of Ganesha, Dakshinamurti (worshipped here as Simha Dakshinamurti as His foot rests on a lion or simha), Vishnu, Brahma and Durga. Miniature sculptures, which are seen in other Chola temples are present here too. Many inscriptions have been discovered in this temple.
They belong mostly to the Chola times and to chieftains like Rajanarayana, the Sambuvaraya ruler, and Vijayagandagopala, of the Telugu Choda lineage. The original name of the deity was Thiruppulivanam Udaiya Nayanar.
This temple was located in the ancient territorial subdivision called Rajendrachola Chaturvedimangalam, a subdivision of Kaliyur Kottam in Jayankondachola Mandalam. Two interesting epigraphs of Vijayagandagopala of the 13th century AD mention that a lady dancer gave a gift of cows, a lampstand, a gold necklace, a silver plate, and a chariot to the temple in nearby Uttaramerur (Uthiramerur) and in return was given the privilege of waving the chamara (fly-whisk) in front of the deity during the chariot festival and this was also made a hereditary right.