KARU.
RAJENDRAN MELAPPANAYUR
Kodumbalur - a small village is
located 40km west from Pudukkottai on Pudukkottai to Manapparai road via
Kudumiyamalai. Though now it is a small
village it was a famous town some 1500 years ago. This article sheds new light on the history
of famous Kodumbalur.
Silappathikaram mentions this Ancient
Kodumbai Nedungulak kottagam”i. Periyapuranam mentions Kodumbalur as the
capital of Konadu in the “kurukurangum konattuk kodinagaram Kodumbalur”ii. The Irukkuvelir chieftains ruled Kodumbalur
during the medieval period of Tamilnadu.
They were ruling under the Pallaasa, the Pandyas and the Cholas.
TEMPLES IN KODUMBALUR
Muvar Kovil, Mudukundramudayar Kovil an
Ainthali are the three important temples now found in Kodumbalur. Apart from the three well known temples
namely Mudukundramudayar, Muvarkoil and Akinthali now found at Kodumbalur
another temple called Alankoil though mentioned in inscriptions could not be
identified. Notable chieftains among the
Irukkuvelirs are Bhuti Vikaramakesari, Mahimalaya Irukkuvel, Parantaka Velan
and Siriya Velan.
Among the Bhuti Vikramakesari built
Muvarkoil and Mahimalaya Irukkuvel built the Mudukundramudayar temple. The builder of Ainthali tample is not
known. In these three temples
Mudukundramudayar temple is found intact except its subsidiary temples. In Muvarkoil only middle and southern shrines
are extant now and the northern shrine, the common mahamandapa of all the three
shrines are only indicating their presence by their basements. Ainthali temple also now has only its
adhishtana portion. All the remaining
portions are destroyed due to long negligence.
All the three shrines of Muvarkoil are
with 21 feet square garbhagriha, 18feet ardhamandapa and a common 91 by 41 feet
mahamandapa. One can easily understand
the form and the structure of the destroyed northern shrine from the existing
two shrines which are sharing most of the features including dimensions in
common
MDARAPPATTI AND KODUMBALUR ART
The stones of the destroyed temples of
Kodumbalur have been used in the bund costruction of the tank in front of the
Mudukkundramudayar temple of Kodumbaklur
The stones are also found in the later constructions of Perumal temple,
Periyakulam and Thalakulam of Kodumbalur.
The pair of lion pillars now found in the buildings called Kodumbalur
chatram and Kodumbalur savadi were brought from Kodumabalur ruins. So many such architectural pieces including
broken sculptures and inscriptions can
be found in the tank of Madarappati located 3km east of Kodumbaluriii.
In the Madarappati tank one can find the
stones of adhishtana sch as upana, mahapadama, kumudaka, kanta and vyala and
pieces of pada vargas and prasthara
vargas like bhuta vari kapotaka vari and vyala vari. The components of salahara of the second
floor prathara, kantha, sikara of the vimana are also found scattered in and
around the tank. Apart from these architectural pieces 2 inscriptions datable
to 10th country A.D. confirm that these stones were brought from Muvarkoil of
Kodumbalur. Two pieces of grantha
inscription of the chieftain Bhuti Vikaramakesari who built Muvarkoil.
An inscription found in Madarppatti tank
reads.
1) svathisri
2) ththur Kodumbalur
3) par minna
4) mazhai iichvara
5) mum kapalaththu
6) errup perru asi
7) thi pandithar vi
8) ra murukki nangai
9) koil prathi
10) ttai seithu ana
11) tinpu arala
12) pathi sing
13) pandithare
14) dupichcha mandapamu
15) nth thirunilai......... iv
Another inscription here written on thrippata
kumuthaka reads.
1) svasthisri ventharu......... kodumbai
2) valaru vadasei.....
3) snathu koduvari parappith thik
4)
koiledppiththavan..........yurenappatta
5)kaliyin valiyai murukkungchir
6) antharama ravianan asiri...thar
kavasamv
This inscription could not be completely
read as some portions are hidden below a big stone placed above it. While the first inscription name kodumpar,
the second inscription name kodumbai for Kodumbalur. The deity viramurukki nangai mentioned in the
first inscription could be identified as Durga. The Muvakoil inscription
mentions that Minnamazhai was the original name of Bhuti Vikramakesari. So the
the name Minnamazhai isvaram found in the first inscription would suggest that
one of the triple shrines of Muvarkoil was called as Minnamazhai isvaram. The architectural style noticed in these sone
pieces also confirm that these were brought from the fallen structures of
Muvarkoil of Kodumbalur.
MERCHANT
GUILDS OF KODUMBALUR
One of the Kodumbalur inscription
mentions that there were two types of merchant guilds in Kodumbalur. One was ainurruvar and the other was
manigramaththaar. The name of Ainurruvar
was mentioned in an inscription found by this author on a stone pillar erected
at the canal at periyakulam of Kodumbalur.
the inscription reads; “Svathisri Ainurruvar rakshai seiviththaan
Saaththan Neelan”vi. The name Manigramaththaar has been mentioned
i the Piranmamalai inscriptionvii. So it is evident that two groups of mercahnt
guilds existed at Kodumbalur.
WERE
IRUKUVELIRS FROM YATHUKULA?
While mentioning the genealogy of
Irukkuvelirs in the Muvarkoil inscription Bhuti Vikramakesari claims that he
belongs to Yathukula. Based on this evidence scholars argue that Bhuti
Vikaramakesari is from Yadava clan.
Nayaks of Amamyanayakkaur belong to Nayak family. But one of these
Nayaks while mentioning the genealogy in the thanichchiyam tank inscription
from Madurai dt. of A.D. 1802 claims that he is from Yathukulaviii.
In the Ligamanayakkan kottai inscription
of Naththam Anadhanamadam of Dindigul dt. Muththulinga Nayakar claims that he
belongs to Yadava Kothraix. These two inscriptions of Nayaks claim that
Nayaks belong to Yadava clan.
In an inscription of 17th century A.D.
found in Kulatthur, Pudukkottai. dt. while referring Lakshmana Aiyyangar to
whom donation was given by Ramasamy thondaiman it is mentioned “barathvasa
kotthiraraana aapasthanbha sutthiraraana yedhusaaga adhyaraana somaaji
letchuman aiyarukku”. Y. subbarayalu has
mentioned that the person who learnt somayaga was called somaaji. In Brahmanas Aiyangar belongs to Vaishnava
cult. Krishan is an avathar of Vishnu.
So these examples only indicate that the worshipers of Krishan just to
relate themselves with Kirshna, called they were from yathu vamsam.
Though Bhuti Vikramakesari called
himself as yedhukulathilakam, their descendants added only velir or velar after
their names. So Velirs of Kodumbalur
were oly from Vilir clan and not the yadhava clan. It is probable that Bhuti Vikramakesari caled
himself as yedhukulathilakan, because, he was the worshiper of Krishna.
So the details discussed above shed new
light on the history of Kodumbalur.
