Moovar Koil the Illustration of Chola Architecture

Aliza Rizwan

Moovar Koil the Illustration of Chola Architecture

Moovar Koil or "The Three Temples" is a Hindu temple complex situated in the village of Kodumbalur in Tamil Nadu. The temples were made by the Chola feudatory and Irukkuvel chieftain Boothi Vikramakesari. The temples are magnificent example of Chola architecture.

Moovar Koil three temples | Source-(c) tntemplesproject.in

Kodumbalur - Also Known as Vikrama Kesareeswaram, after the Irukkuvel Chieftain

Kodumbalur, an admirable state with its beautiful temple city, once consisted of a total of 108 temples in history. The Moovar Koil, an ancient structure comprising three Siva temples from the ninth century, stands as a classic and living example of early and medieval Chola architecture, making it one of the oldest surviving temple structures from that period.

Moovar Koil is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, located in Kodumbalur Village in Illupur Taluk, Pudukottai District, Tamil Nadu, India. This temple is marked as Thirupugazh Sthalam, as Saint Arunagirinathar praised this place in his Thirupugazh Hymns.

The temple walls and pillars are adorned with magnificent carvings and sculptures, becoming even more exquisite as one looks further up towards the peak. These sculptures are considered among the finest specimens of Chola art and include representations of Aiva as Ardhanareeswara, Uma-Sahita murti as Parvati, Gangadhara, Kalari murti, Tripurantakar, and Sankaranarayanar. Other deities, such as Indra, are also depicted in the sculptures.

The Koshta sculptures are perhaps the finest remaining specimens of early Chola art. The inscriptions in the temple offer a glimpse of the political climate of South India between the 8th and 10th centuries and reveal the relationship between the royal houses of Chola and Irukkuvel. The temples are now under the administration of the Archaeological Survey of India as ticketed monuments.

The temple was constructed by Bhooti Vikrama Kesari of the Irukkuvel clan, a close companion of the Cholas and Aditya Chola. Bhooti Vikrama Kesari is believed to be the son of a Chola princess, Anupama Devi, and Irukkuvel chieftain Sambarabriman. The temple was built by the Chola feudatory and Irukkuvel chieftains, with Boothi Vikramakesari being the main constructor. Irukkuvel chieftains lived around the temple. Kodumbalur was also the site of a fierce battle between the Pandyas and the Pallavas, which is believed to be the reason for the decay of the third shrine.

The place is called Moovar Koil for several reasons. First, the inscriptions on the temple portray that the three shrines were built by Bhooti Vikrama Kesari for himself and his two wives, Kattrali Devi and Nangai Varguna Perumanar. Secondly, the Tevaram Moovar—Appar, Sambandar, and Sundarar—are the three honourable kings for whom the three shrines were made. Lastly, it is known to be named after the Cheras, Cholas, and Pandyas dynasties.

The northern temple, which no longer exists, left behind a beautiful basement moulded like a full-blown lotus flower. The other two shrines, the central and southern, are unharmed and follow Pallava architecture, being relatively small in size. The porches of the temples have a fair-sized structure called an ardhamandapa attached to the sanctum, lower than the ground level in a pit-like structure. The structures are predominantly built of stone, and each shrine is a Dvi-tala structure, i.e., having two stories or levels.