Malayadipatti Vahisvaramudayar Temple, Pudukottai

Address

Malayadipatti Vahisvaramudayar Temple, Pudukottai

Malayadipatti, Kulathur Taluk,

Pudukottai District,

Tamil Nadu 622 502

Mobile: +91 99407 49234

Moolavar

Vahisvaramudayar

Amman

Vadivulla Mangai

Introduction

Vahisvaramudayar Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva, located in Malayadipatti Village in Kulathur Taluk in Pudukottai District of Tamil Nadu, India. Presiding Deity is called as Vagishvara / Alathurai Mahadevar and Vadivulla Mangai. The temple is famously called as Alathurthali. Malayadipatti has two temples namely Vahisvaramudayar Temple and Kanniraintha Perumal Temple, situated on the hillock called as Thiru Valattur Malai on the southern side of the village.

Puranic Significance

This cave temple is considered older than the adjacent Pallikonda Perumal temple. An inscription dated to the 16th regnal year of the Pallava King Dantivarman records that Videl Vidugu Mutharaiyan also called as Kuvavan Satthan, a feudatory under Pallava King Dantivarman had excavated this temple from Tiruvalathur Malai. He installed a Lingam and named it as Vahisvaramudayar. The hill was recorded as Tiruvalathur hill in the Pallava inscription and recorded as Tiruvayamalai in Nayaga era inscriptions. There are several inscriptions recorded in this cave temple. There is a label inscription on a rock to the north east of this temple. The inscription read as Sri Kaikkatti and can be assigned to early 7th century CE. There is an illegible inscription dated to the 40th regnal year of a Chola King can be seen on a pillar on the mandapa in front of the sanctum. The hill name Tiruvalathur can be read from the inscription rest others are not legible. There is an inscription dated to 24th regnal year of Kulothunga Chola III can be found on a pillar of the mandapa in front of the sanctum. It records the taxes levied on agricultural activities. Vijayanagara period inscriptions can also be seen in this temple. There is an interesting inscription recording a story of one Avudaiyan Thevan of Puchikudi. Once, he visited the house of dancing girl at Thirunedunkulam. He returned home later and found his wife with a brahman. Out of rage, he killed both and lost his eyesight for the heinous crime he committed. He visited this temple, worshipped Lord Vagishvara & goddess Vadivullamangai and regained his eyesight. In gratitude, he donated all his property to Lord Vagishvara. He proclaimed in the inscription that if anyone does any harm to this endowment will acquire the killing a cow on the banks of Ganga.

Special Features

This cave temple is excavated on the northern façade of the hill. This cave temple is situated little higher to the Vishnu cave temple on the eastern end of the hill. The cave is facing towards north, but the sanctum is facing towards west. The cave temple consists of sanctum, ardha mandapam and mukha mandapam. Both the sanctum and ardha mandapam are excavated on the hill and the mukha mandapam is later structural addition to the cave shrine.

The ardha mandapa is facing towards north while the entrance of the mukha mandapa is facing towards west. The mukha mandapa might have been constructed during Vijayanagara period. There are few Chola era inscriptions on the exterior of the northern wall. There is a 9th century inscription dated to Chola King Aditya Chola I in the interior of the western wall. There are four slender pillars of Vijayanagara architectural style can be seen inside the mukha mandapa.

A shrine is formed by connecting two rear pillars with an arch. This shrine enshrines the images of Lord Murugan and Ganesha. The ardha mandapam measures 12.5 feet long and 13.5 feet wide. The ardha mandapa is supported by two pillars and two pilasters of Mahendra style. Nandi, housed on a raised platform can be seen in the ardha mandapam, facing towards the sanctum. The Nandi and the platform is carved out of the mother rock.

Idols of Vinayaga and Murugan can be found in the ardha mandapam. The sanctum measures 7 feet long, 7 feet wide and 7 feet high and can be accessed through flight of four steps from ardha mandapam. The sanctum enshrines the presiding deity, Vagishvara / Alathurai Mahadevar in the form of Lingam on a circular pitha. The present Linga and pitha were later addition as the original Linga carved from the mother rock was destroyed. The dvarapalas are shown in the niches, formed between the pilasters on either side of the entrance of the sanctum.

Both the dvarapalas are two armed. The dvarapala on the left niche represents trisula (trident) and the dvarapala on the right niche represents Mazhu (axe). Both the dvarapalas are standing in similar posture with one of their hand is resting on the club and the other hand of the left side dvarapala is in tarjani mudra (one finger pointing upwards) & the other hand of the right side dvarapala is raised upwards in vismaya mudra (astonishing posture). There is a snake seen above the shoulders on both the dvarapalas.

There are three bas relief sculptures on the western lateral wall of the ardha mandapa. Sculpture of Durga standing over a lotus pedestal can be seen on northern corner of the bas relief. She is eight armed holding several weapons. The front two hands carry a (trident) which is pointed towards a figure probably Mahishasura shown on left side of the goddess. One of her leg is slightly bent and placed beside her straight leg planted over the pedestal.

Her mount, lion, is shown on her right side just adjacent to Harihara image. It is shown in rampant posture with open mouth. There are two devotees seated on the ground on either side. The central sculpture in the bas relief is Hari-Hara, combined form of Vishnu and Shiva. The left side of the sculpture represents Lord Vishnu and the right side represents Lord Shiva. He is four-armed. His upper hands holds shankha (conch) and parashu (axe).

One of his lower hands is resting over waist while the other shows abhaya mudra. There are two flying figures probably Suryan and Chandran on the top corners of the sculpture. There are two devotees on either side. Both the devotees are holding a flower in one of their hands. The southern corner sculpture represents Brahma Sastha, a form of Lord Murugan. He is depicted with four arms. His upper hand holds spear and akshamala. One of his lower hands is resting over his waist while the other shows abhaya mudra.

Sculptures of Saptamatrikas flanked with Ganesha and Veeerabadhra can be seen on the southern lateral wall of the ardha mandapa. The relief starts with Veerabhadra on the eastern end and ends with Ganesha on the western end. All the images except Veerabhadra are shown seated in sukhasana with one leg folded & placed on the seat while the other leg hanging & resting on the ground. Veerabhadra is shown seated with both legs placed on the seat and joined with a Yogapatta.

All the images are depicted with four arms. Each Matrikas are depicted with their respective flags behind them. There is another bas relief figure of Chandikeswara on the on the northern wall. He is shown two-armed carrying his axe. There are two later period structures in the temple complex. The structure found in the northwest corner is Madapalli (temple kitchen). The structure found on the northeast corner is the shrine for the goddess Vadivulla Mangai. Both the goddess shrine and Madapalli are facing towards south.

The goddess shrine consists of sanctum and mukha mandapam. The sanctum enshrines an image of Vadivulla Mangai. She is in standing posture. She is four armed. Her upper hands holds lotus and the lower hands shows abhaya and varada mudra. A sculpture of Nardana Ganapathy can be seen in the mukha mandapam. There are remains of a ruined compound wall for this temple complex. The compound wall extends up to the structural shrine in the northwest and for the remaining portion is left with the basement only

Festivals

Aadi Pooram (Jul-Aug), Purattasi Navaratri (Sep-Oct), Thiru Karthikai (Nov-Dec), Vaikunda Ekadasi & Thiruvadhirai (Dec-Jan), Masi Magam Theerthavari & Maha Shivaratri (Feb-Mar) and monthly Pradoshams are celebrated in the temple. Special pujas are conducted to Lord Vishnu on Thiruvonam star days.

References

https://tamilnadu-favtourism.blogspot.com/2015/12/shiva-cave-temple-malayadipatti.html