Kanakkiliyanallur is a village in Lalgudi taluk. In the Chola period, this village was the revenue capital of Kanakkiliyur Nadu. Nadu meant a revenue division, which included many villages. Originally, Kanakkiliyur was called Kanakkalur, as seen from a Rajendra I period inscription. Some later inscriptions revert to the original name of Kanakkalur, and some use the name Kanakkiliyur.
One of the villages that came under Kanakkiliyur Nadu was Siruvalaippur. The first reference to Siruvalaippur is seen in the Siva temple in Kanakkiliyur. It dates to Vikrama Chola’s fourth regnal year (1122 CE). It mentions a landholder of Siruvalaippur, who was a member of the Nattar body of Kanakkiliyur Nadu. In an inscription in the Oottathur Choleeswarar temple, dated 1146 C.E., 13th regnal year of Kulottunga II, there is a reference to Siruvalaippur. The inscription says that grains and gold paid as tax by Siruvalaippur would henceforth go to the Ootathur Chozheeswarar temple.
Reference to temple taxes
The last reference to Siruvalaippur is a Jatavarman period inscription dated 1321 CE. seen in the Tirupattur Ayyanar temple. It talks about the taxes fixed for the temple by the Oottathur Nattar body. One of the signatories to the order was Abathu Kaathaan from Siruvalaippur. So, right from the time of Vikrama Chola up to Pandya times, Siruvalaippur seems to have enjoyed prominence, with people from Siruvalaippur being members of the Nattar bodies. (Nattars were representatives of large landholders. They were in charge of revenue administration).
While nearby Peruvalaippur is still known by the same name, Siruvalaippur became Sirukalappur. The Kalatheeswarar temple in Sirukalappur is small with single sanctum and an ardha mandapa. There are no subsidiary shrines. All the inscriptions in the temple were discovered and recorded by archaeologist Dr. L. Thyagarajan, who feels that the temple must have been larger once upon a time. There are five inscriptions of the time of Kulottunga III, one of which gives the name of the deity as Thirupataleeswarar. When and why it became Kalatheeswarar is not clear.
One of the inscriptions speaks of the bhakti of a devotee called Tirugnanasambandan. From the inscription, dated 1197 C.E., 19th regnal year of Kulottunga III, we learn that a person named Tirugnanasambandan came to Sirukalappur from Nerkundram, which was under the revenue division of Therazhundur Nadu. When he arrived, he found the brick temple in a state of disrepair and resolved to rebuild it as a stone temple.
“The inscription says that nimaanamaai (vimana) of this temple (innayanar koil), built of ittigai (brick) and lime mortar ( anusuthamaai ) was damaged ( alampaanju ). Tirugnanasambandan vowed ( viratam kondu ) to build a tirukkattrali (stone structure) and tied his hands and legs with chains ( vilangu poondu ), wore a garment made of palm fronds ( pari uduthu ) and ate only greens ( saaganthindru ). He stayed on in Sirukalappur with hands and legs tied, consuming only greens, wearing a garment of fronds, until he finished building the temple,” explains Thyagarajan. The other inscriptions in the temple give the names of those who built some portions of the temple, and all these benefactors were residents of Sirukalappur. Tirugnanasambandan’s figure is sculpted on a wall of the ardha mandapa. He is portrayed with chains around his hands and feet.
Sadly, the temple, which is under the control of the HR&CE Department, has now been painted in hideous colours, and the sculpture of Tirugnanasambandan, who converted the brick temple into a stone structure, has been given a pink colour. Why should a stone structure be painted? Methods like water-blasting have already damaged sculptures in Chola temples, like Nageswaran temple in Kumbakonam, for example. Now with all this unnecessary painting, one fears for the image of Tirugnanasambandan and the inscriptions in the Sirukalappur temple.
