Among the scores of temples in Tamil Nadu, there are some which stand out for their historicity. One such is the Talagirishwara (Siva) temple, perched on a hill in Panamalai. This Samskrit name Talagirishwara means ‘Siva of the hill covered with palm trees’. The name of the hill is Talagiri and the same in Tamil is Panamalai.
This temple is one of the first to be constructed of stone during the time of the famous Pallava dynasty. It was built of pinkish colour granite in the reign of King Narasimhavarman I, better known by one of his famous titles, Rajasimha (meaning ‘king among lions) in the 8th-century CE. It is one of the three well-known structural stone temples of his time, the others being the Shore Temple in Mamallapuram and the Kailasanatha temple in the Pallava capital Kanchipuram.
The principal sanctum enshrines a Siva Linga with a Somaskanda (Siva seated with Parvati by the side and their son Skanda between them) panel at the rear. Many sub-shrines are seen around this sanctum.
This temple is well-known for its paintings dating back to the 8th century. Though weather-worn, with only fragments seen, the painting of Goddess Parvati with a crown on her head and an umbrella with a long handle held above is very beautiful. The graceful Goddess is watching Siva (Nataraja) in a dance pose, though the painting of this divine dancer can hardly be seen now.
Parvati’s attire and ornaments and the painting as a whole, have been depicted in a superb manner. Inscriptions in Samskrit language and in the Grantha script which are etched here mention the titles of Rajasimha such as Sribhara, Chitrakarmuka, Ekavira and Sivachudamani. Another inscription gives the lineage of the Pallava dynasty and praises Rajasimha as a great conqueror, performer of auspicious deeds, who ruled according to Dharma and ‘one in whose mind Mrigankamauli (Siva) rested his foot’.
Beautiful paintings
The Panamalai temple is known for its Pallava murals
Historic temple
It is one of the important Pallava temples
Informative inscriptions
Rajasimha’s Samskrit epigraphs are found here
Chithra Madhavan
cityexpresschn@gmail.com
The writer is a historian who focuses on temple architecture