Kaveripakkam
Kaveripakkam is a fertile and important settlement in Vellore district , it has yielded a group of remarkable sculptures, which are now housed in the TamilNadu Government museum, and are generally ascribed to the later Pallava period, 8th cent. But I have shown they belonged to the first half of the 10th cent and belonged to a temple dedicated Aghora Bhairava, called Kalapriya deva built by the Rashtrakuta king Krishna III who conquered this region from Chola Parantaka Chola. (Art and Religion of the Bhairavas by Dr.R.Nagaswamy, published by Tamil Arts Academy, Chennai, 2006) Besides these sculptures in the Madras museum, a number of Yogini sculptures, also ascribed to the later Pallava period, have found their way to several Western Museum, but T.A. Gopinatha Rao in his work, Elements of Hindu Iconography, has given an illustration of what he calls as Sadasivamurti that is said to have come from a ruined temple in Melaccheri near Kaverippakkam.
It would be interesting to trace the history of this village settlement to understand the relics from this village. A number of inscriptions, most of then fragmentary, have been copied from this village. The earliest inscription found in the village is an 8th cent record of Pallava Nandivarman II. It is damaged and is not in original position and is now found at the entrance of the gopura of Muktesvara temple and mentions some gifts. From other records we find, the Pallava ruler, Nandi III who had the title of Avani naranam who seems to have constituted a new Brahmin Colony in this village, naming it after his title Avani-narayana. It refers to a temple called 'Cirrambalam' (may even be a small village hall) where he wanted to feed a visitor to that village daily. An inscription of Kampa varman, son of Nandi III mentions a gift to the Perambala - great hall of this village.
A few inscriptions in fragmentary condition, found in Alagiya Ramar temple, are of great interest. One fragment mentions Kritimartanda. The most important inscription is found on the Jagadi of the Alagiya Rama temple and is dated in the reign of Chola, Rajakesari,. It refers to a merchant of a market named “Kirtimartanda Kalapuiyam”. The merchant named Cappakan son of Kumara chetti, gifted 90 sheep for burning a perpetual temp to Lord Kalapriyadeva, named after the title Kirti martanda. The sheep were enterested in the hands of some shepherds. The Rajakesarivarman of this record may be that of or Rajaraja Chola I.
The next record is important. The area in which the temple of Kalapriyadeva is located is now called Lokamahadevi-puram. Lokamahadevi was the name of the Chief queen of Rajaraja after whom several townships were created in the time of Rajaraja. So it is clear that Rajaraja has paid special attention to this town and re-established it as a merchant town. Earlier it was called a market town Kirti-maratanda Kalapriyam after this temple. Another fragmentary record mentions the gift of several jewels, Silver and brass vessels and also arrangement of 7 days festival.
The merchant guild received nine Kalanju of gold and in lieu of interest resolved to supply provisions for the seven days festival. The gold was gifted by a commander in chief. The village was called “Kavidippakkam” obviously a region gifted to a commander in chief who was conferred the 'Kavidi' title that also suggests the importance of it as a strategic centre. A Siva temple named “Thiruppanrisvaram” had an image of Dancing of Siva. It had an ear ring made of gold out of the interest obtained from 130 kalanju of gold endowed earlier. This ring was not traceable in the temple then and so the village assembly agreed to make another one equal to its original value.
Another fragment, probably a part of the earlier record, refers to seven day festival of Kalapriya deva, and for supply of flowers and homas, by the merchant guild of Lokamahadevi-puram, who agreed to measure the required provisions which would be carried to the temple and measured in front of the temple priests.
Another fragmentary record refers to a collection for betel nut from each shop and panippu from each shop keeper. The temple authorities, the merchant guild, the superintendent of the charities, and garland makers were made collectively responsible to over see the administration of the endowment. They caused this stone inscription to be drafted and inscribed on the temple now called Kaverip-pakkam.
The temple of Muktesvara was called Abhimuktesvara in the 13th cent., in the time of Kulottunga Chola III, in whose reign some endowments were created for Puja, sacred food offerings and other services which were to be added directly to existing endowments under the orders of one Brahmin commander Viramindan Attimallan alias Vikrama chola Brahma-marayan. He seems to have come from the line of Sengeni chiefs Ammaiappan. In addition some provisions were also made for offerings to Nataraja and for burning perpetual lamps. Kavidippakkam is now called Kaverippakkam, and an independent village situated in the sub division Paduvar-kottam of Jayamkonda Cholamandalam. The transaction is recorded in the 32nd regnal year and the donor Chalukki Naranan has signed the document.
A Pandyan record, of 13th cent, addressed to the village assembly sabha, deals with the order of the Pandya king, gifting ten velies of land for rearing “Sengalunir” flower and supply the same to the God, Vishnu of Attiyur (the modern Varadaraja temple at Kanchipuram) to be used daily in the special Puja named “Sundara pandyan sandhi”. The land was situated in Kaveripakkam. All taxes from the land from the 8th year were exempted, under the orders sent by the king himself.
In his 19th year, the Telugu ruler Vijaya Ganda-gopala-deva who was ruling this region as an independent ruler, constituted a new Brahmin colony after his name as “Vijaya Gandagopala-caturvedi-mangalam”. The Vishnu temple now called “Kottaipperumal” was then called Alagiya perumal. A subordinate of this ruler named Calukki Narayanan alias Alluvimarasan, instituted a special Puja and food offering daily after his name as Calukki-narayanan Sandhi. He made a gift of 2 velis of land that measured 4000 Kulis as Thiruvidaiyattam. The village assembly, approved tax concessions on the land gifted, which were to be paid to the temple.
The situation changes in the 14th cent. A record of 1371 shows the Vijayanagara ruler Vira Kampana, son of Bukka, wrested this region Sambhuvaraya chief. The record details the sale of a house site by three Brahmins, to whom they were gifted by Mallinatha Sambhuvarayar earlier for expounding sastra. From this time onwards the name of the village came to stay as Kaveripakkam and the old name Kavidippakkam is forgotten in the records. Another record in full, mentions that in 1370, dated in the reign of Kumara Kampana, refers to a sale of service lands to a number of Brahmins by the village sabha of Kavidippakkam; the lands were situated by the side of tank Kadapperi. The cost of the land is recorded as four hundred “Vira campan gulikai”.
Another record of Vijayanagara period dated 1455, in the reign of Mallikarjuna, son of Vira Pratapa Devaraya, records an agreement among the merchants of the merchant guild, Abhaya davala, Dharma dhavala to collect among themselves, some levy during marriage and other celebrations towards the construction of temple of Kesavap-perumal in the street and for worship.
The last record is dated 1592. A certain Narayanan gifted twenty panas as capital for utilizing the interest on the same towards meeting the nine days annual “pavitra” festival to Sri Rama called Alagiya Rama Perumal. On all the nine days of the festival, the donor was to be honored with a sacred scarf to be tied around his head, with one pot of sacred food offerings, and four sweet offerings.
Thus we find that the available epigraphical records give us a chronological history of the village that shows gradual changes in the village set up and indicate the worship of Kalapriya at Kaveripakkam was prominent in 10th and 11th cent, and gradually other temples rose to prominence, eclipsing the earlier temples. The Image of Kalapriya which that survived to this day is one of the finest sculptures of south India.
Source:http://www.tamilartsacademy.com/journals/volume11/articles/article1.xml
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