हिंदीOn this day
Standing

Jalanatheeswarar Temple, Takkolam (Tiruvural)

Tiruvural, the shrine of the spring, sung by Sambandar. Near it in 949 CE the Chola crown prince Rajaditya fell on his elephant fighting the Rashtrakuta Krishna III.

Built: Pallava foundation, Chola enlargement; present masonry largely NayakaWhere: Tamil Nadu (Ranipet district)Deity: Bhagwan Shiva as Jalanatheeswarar; Devi as Giriraja Kannikambal13.02° N, 79.74° E
  1. 949 CE
Photo: Ssriram mt · CC BY-SA 4.0

01The Lord of water

Ural is a spring, and the temple’s name, Tiruvural, says that water rises here. The linga of Jalanatheeswarar is held to be of sand, and devotees say a seam of water is always near it. The Devi is Giriraja Kannikambal, the daughter of the mountain king, in her own shrine. Sambandar’s hymn on Tiruvural is in the Tevaram. The temple was raised by the Pallavas and enlarged by the Cholas; a three-tiered gopuram opens on it, and Brahmotsavam is held in Chittirai.

02The field of Takkolam

In 949 CE the Rashtrakuta king Krishna III marched into the Chola country, and the armies met at Takkolam. Rajaditya, eldest son of Parantaka I, led the Chola host from the back of an elephant and was struck down by an arrow; the Rashtrakuta records, including the Atakur inscription, call it a victory, and the Cholas lost Tondai Nadu for a generation. Takkolam is today also the home of an Indian Navy air station, INS Rajali.

The life of this place

  1. 949 CEBattle of Takkolam: Krishna III defeats the Cholas and Rajaditya is killed.
Visiting

Takkolam is about 15 km south of Arakkonam and has its own railway station.

Nearby

Deivanayakeswarar (Chandrasekarar) Temple, IlambayankotturStanding
Cholas and the Southern Seas

Deivanayakeswarar (Chandrasekarar) Temple, Ilambayankottur

Shiva stopped the boy Sambandar on the road here, first as a child, then as an old man, then as a white cow that walked into the temple. Sambandar followed and sang.

Manikandeswarar Temple, Tirumalperu (Thirumalpur)Standing
Cholas and the Southern Seas

Manikandeswarar Temple, Tirumalperu (Thirumalpur)

Tirumal is Vishnu and peru is what he gained: here, says the temple’s katha, Bhagwan Vishnu worshipped Shiva with a thousand lotuses and offered his own eye, and received the Sudarshana chakra. Appar and Sambandar sang it.

Tripurantakar Temple, Tiruvirkolam (Kuvam)Standing
Cholas and the Southern Seas

Tripurantakar Temple, Tiruvirkolam (Kuvam)

Vil is the bow: here Shiva took up Mount Meru as his bow against the three cities. The swayambhu linga is never touched, even by the priests, and is bathed only in water from the Kuvam river.

Vadaranyeswarar Temple, Tiruvalangadu (Ratna Sabha)Standing
Cholas and the Southern Seas

Vadaranyeswarar Temple, Tiruvalangadu (Ratna Sabha)

The Ratna Sabha, hall of gems, among the five sabhas of Nataraja: here Shiva danced against Kali and won with the Urdhva Tandava, and here Karaikkal Ammaiyar sang at his feet to the end of her life.