01The chakra and the seven Mothers
The temple says Bhagwan Vishnu worshipped Shiva here and received the Sudarshana chakra, and so the place is Chakrappalli; the Lord’s name recalls the chakravaka bird. This is the first of the Sapta Mangai, seven shrines around Ayyampettai each tied to one of the Sapta Matrikas: Chakramangai, Ariyamangai, Soolamangai, Nandimangai, Pasumangai, Thazhamangai and Pullamangai. There is no tall gopuram and no flagstaff, only a sculpted entrance with Shiva’s family on the bull. The swayambhu linga has a long bana. Two inscriptions were copied in 1965–66: one of Rajaraja I exempting temple land from tax, which also names his father Sundara Chola as the king who died in the golden palace, and one of Rajendra I. Sambandar’s hymn is in the third Tirumurai.
At Chakkarappalli by Ayyampettai on the Thanjavur–Kumbakonam highway, about 27 km from Kumbakonam, beside the Kudamurutti. Pullamangai and the other Mangai shrines are nearby.
