CHENNAI: Kavantandalam, a tiny but historic village in Kanchipuram district, situated on the banks of river Cheyyar, has a small temple for Lakshminarayana Perumal (Vishnu), dating back to the Pallava times. It was built in the 9th century AD by a person named Manasarppan during the reign of King Kampavarman Pallava, one of the last Pallava rulers. Inscriptions mention the original name of the presiding deity, now worshipped as Lakshminarayana Perumal, as Vishnu-grihattu-perumanadigal.
The entrance to this east-facing temple is via modern archway, instead of a gopuram which opens into a wide prakaram (enclosure) which has a deepa-stambham (with Sankha, Chakra, Garuda and Hanuman carved on the base), bali-pitham and a small Garuda sanctum. Further inside is an ancient mandapam leading to the principal sanctum enshrining Lakshminarayana Perumal. This small image is in a seated posture, holding the Sankha and Chakra in the upper left and right hands respectively. His lower right hand is in abhaya hasta (blessing devotees) and lower left hand holds Goddess Lakshmi, seated on His left lap. The utsava-murti (processional image) is a standing pose, holding the Sankha and Chakra in the upper hands with the lower right hand in varada-hasta (boon-conferring pose) and lower left hand in uru-hasta (resting on the thigh), flanked by Ubhaya Nachiyar (Goddesses Sridevi and Bhudevi). The ardha-mandapam has stone images of Senai Mudaliar (Vishvaksena), Nammazhvar and Ramanujacharya. In front of the temple, outside the compound, is a small sanctum for Anjaneya.
Many inscriptions are seen on the outer walls of the main sanctum. An inscription of Kampavarman Pallava’s reign, mentioned earlier, found on the south wall of the central shrine, mentions that the sabha (administrative organisation) of this village sold some land and a flower-garden to Manasarppan who erected this temple in lieu of gold. Another epigraph of the same reign records the provision made for the annual celebration of the Chittirai Thiruvonam festival for God Perumanadigal of the Manasarppa Vishnugriham (another old name of this temple) for seven days, providing a hundred lamps daily, and for engaging sixteen drummers, performing the sacred bath (snapanam) of the deity, offering sacred food offerings for seven days and giving a certain amount of oil daily for the maps in the sanctum. It states that this village, called Chaturvedimangalam, was situated in Damanur Nadu in Uttrukattu-Kottam. Another stone record states that Manasarppan entrusted the temple and some land for its upkeep to a person named Narayana Muni of the Athreya Gotra. Three Chola epigraphs are seen here, one belonging to the reign of Rajendra Chola I mentioning a gift of land to the Siva temple in Kavantandalam, now called Cholishwaram and in this inscription, known as Rajendrachola Ishwaramudaiya Mahadeva. Another belongs to the time of Kulottunga Chola I dated 1073 AD while the third fragmentary inscription records the name of this village as Chaturvedimangalam alias Kavyantandalam.
A few festivals are celebrated in this temple. On Mattu Pongal day in the month of Thai, the utsava-murti is taken to the ancient and historic Appan Venkatesa Perumal temple in the village of Thirumukkudal, situated at the confluence of rivers Palar, Cheyyar, and Vegavati, about 20 km away where a few more deities join them from other temples.
In Kavantandalam are two more temples — the Cholishwara temple which belongs to the 11th century AD and the ruined and resurrected Kasi Vishwanatha temple.
Know your city
Kavantandalam is about 20 km from Kanchipuram enroute to Uttiramerur
Chithra Madhavan
cityexpresschn@gmail.com
The writer is a historian who focuses on temple architecture