The Dilapidated Shrine of the ‘Kongu’ Shiva

Sensing the human entry, a bat flaps its wings and escapes through a hole on the damaged roof of the dilapidated sanctum sanctorum of the Kongavidangeeswarar temple. The ancient shrine, which is in a sorry state of dereliction, is located at Kadathur, a village on the banks of river Amarawathy in Udumalpet sandwiching the districts of Tirupur and Dindigul in the Kongu region

The deity in the temple is called with the region’s name as ‘Konga’Vidangeeswarar. However, the villagers simply call the shrine as ‘Konganeeswarar Koyil’.

Though the temple is alive today only in its remnants like the Arthamandapa ( The entrance hall) and Garba Graha ( Sanctum sanctorum) after losing its other architectural grandeurs like Thiruchuttru (  Temple enclosure) and  Sannathis ( Apertures on the temple enclosure with little idols of other deities), a few inscriptions on the temple’s wall throw light on its glorious past.

Deciphering a stone inscription at the Shiva temple, one can assume that the shrine could have been built over 800 years ago, as it mentions the name of the Kongu Chola King Veera Rajendran, who ruled the northern and southern parts of the Kongu region between the years 1207 and 1256 A.D.

The stone inscriptions behind the temple wall

One of the ten stone inscriptions now available on the temple’s wall, mentions that two royal officials from Keeranur donated some lands at Kadathur to the Vageeswaramudayaar Temple in Dharapuram. The inscription also notes that the Kongavidangeeswarar Temple is located at Kadathur of the Karaivali Naadu, a division of the ancient Kongu region.

Another inscription has recorded that a man donated two coins (Kaasu Irandu Achchu) to meet the expenses of burning the Sandhya Dheepam (Lamp lit during the pooja hours) at the shrine and they were deposited in the Bandaram (Temple’s treasury). The inscription also adds that the coins were spent to buy a piece of cultivable land from the nearby village Kaaraithozhu and the income obtained from the land’s agricultural produce was used for burning the Sandhya Dheepam.

Moreover, throwing light on the  practice of providing Kaanikkai (Voluntary offering of money, gold etc) and seeking the deity’s help in overcoming  troubles in life even before 700 years, another inscription discloses that Anuthiru Pallavarayan, an officer under the Kongu Chola King Veera Rajendran, donated a piece of land at Kannaadi Puthur to the temple. Interestingly, his gift to the God was to help his king get rid of the Grahadhosham (A suffering from the malignant influence of planets).

Pointing at the dilapidated structure of the Kongavidangeeswarar Temple, Dhasappan, a 72 year old agriculturist in Kadathur, says:

“My grandfather told me that Kadathur had once witnessed a mild earthquake in his ancestors’ time. It is said that the villagers rushed to the temple, poured loads of soil alongside the bottom of its walls and prevented the sanctum sanctorum from falling”

The agriculturist also informs that large pieces of inscribed stones from the temple’s debris were later used in the construction work of a well, which is still seen adjacent to the shrine.

Source: Kongavidangeeswarar Kovil – Epigraphist D.Sundaram

Link to my article in The New Indian Express: http://epaper.newindianexpress.com/c/3600947