The Chola inscriptions throw light on many interesting

details.
The Vataranyeshwarar temple in Thiruvalangadu, near Thiruvallur, is a shrine steeped in
history and religion. This peaceful village was once a dense forest of banyan trees as
indicated by the Tamil name Thiru-Alam-Kadu and by the Sanskrit name of the presiding
deity Vataranyeshwarar (God of the banyan forest). This is the Ratna Sabha or Hall of Gems,
one of the Pancha Sabhas for Nataraja.
Legend has it that, the Thiruvalangadu temple is where the dance contest between Kali and
Nataraja took place. During the Urdhava Thandavam, Lord Siva dropped His ear ring, picked
it up with His left toe and put it back in His ear. Unable to replicate this, Kali accepted defeat.
It is in this connection that the image of Nataraja here is known as Urdhava Thandavamurti.
Padal petra sthalam

This temple is one of the 275 Padal Petra Sthalams, sung by the Nayanmars in praise of Lord
Siva. While Appar, Thirugnanasambandar and Sundaramurti Nayanar worshipped the deity
here, what is truly noteworthy is the association of Karaikkal Ammaiyar with this temple. An
ardent devotee of Siva, she visited all the temples where He was enshrined. When she wished
to see his Urdhava Thandavam, Siva asked her to go to Tiruvalangadu.
The Thiruvalangadu temple has had an architectural evolution of many centuries. It is clear
that it was in existence during the Pallava period. This east-facing temple has five prakarams,
with the first going around the main sanctum-sanctorum which enshrines a swayambu
lingam, worshipped as Vataranyeshwarar. In the second prakaram is the sanctum for Nataraja
in Urdhva Thandavam with a bronze image of Karaikkal Ammaiyar playing the cymbals seen
next to it.
The entrance to the third prakaram is through a gopuram which has inscriptions, belonging to
the Chola period, etched near the base. It is in this circumambulatory passage that the
sanctum for Goddess Parvati, worshipped here as Vandarkuzhali Amman and
Brahmaralakamba, is located. In the hymns of Thirugnanasambandar, the goddess is referred
to as Vandarkuzhali-Umainangai while the Vijayanagara inscriptions mention her as
Vandarkuzhal Nachiyar. In this prakaram one can see the Banyan tree, (sthala vriksham) with
its aerial roots clearly visible.
A tall five-tiered gopuram greets the visitor at the entrance of the fourth prakaram which has
the Nandi and the dwajasthambam. An unfinished gopuram adorns the entrance to the
spacious fifth and last prakaram of this temple. The temple tank is seen near the Kali
sannidhi.
Many inscriptions have been etched on the walls of the Thiruvalangadu temple, recording
various donations over the centuries.
A very important Chola inscription, dated 1018 A.D., etched on thirty-one copper plates was
discovered in this temple as early as 1905. The first part of this lengthy epigraph is in
Sanskrit and the second is in Tamil. Belonging to the reign of the illustrious Chola monarch,
Rajendra I, this inscription, which is replete with historical facts, mentions the royal gift of
the village of Pazhaiyur or Pazhaiyanur, also called Purana-grama to the God Ammaiyappa or
Vataranyeshwarar.
It was in Thiruvalangadu that the splendid image of Nataraja dateable to c.1000 A.D. of the
Chola era was discovered. This image, now in the Madras Government Museum in Egmore,
Chennai, has been acclaimed by art historians as a masterpiece among the galaxy of superb
Nataraja images of the Chola era.