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{{Short description|Ancient Chola capital city}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2018}}
{{Infobox ancient site
| name = Pazhayarai
| native_name = Palayaru
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| image = Patteswaram (4).jpg
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| caption = Image of Thenupuriswarar temple at Patteeswaram
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| region = [[Thanjavur district|Thanjavur]]
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| part_of = [[Chola]] capitals
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| epochs = Medieval Cholas
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'''Pazhayarai''' or '''Pazhaiyarai''' or '''Palayarai''' ([[Tamil language|Tamil]]: பழையாறை paḻaiyāṟai) was an ancient capital of the medieval [[Chola dynasty]] in [[Tamil Nadu]]. The place is located around {{convert|7|km|mi|abbr=on}} from [[Kumbakonam]], a town in [[Thanjavur district]], in the [[South India]]n state of [[Tamil Nadu]]. It is located on the banks of T.Patnam river, one of the tributaries of the river [[Cauvery]]. There are a number of villages within the area of historic Pazhaiyarai. The place was called Ayiratalli, meaning a land of thousand temples. The place is referred under various names like Ayiratalli, Pazhayar, Ahavamallakulakalapuram and Minavanaivenkadasolapuram.

The place was originally under the rule of Muttaraiyars, the feudatories of [[Pallava]] empire when it was called Avanaiapuram. The place attained its fame when it came under the regime of the Cholas. There are a number of inscriptions from the Chola dynasty associating the importance capital during the regime of [[Parantaka Chola II|Sundara (Parantaka II)]] (957-70). It retained it importance under the subsequent Chola kings, but when it switched hands to the [[Pandya]] dynasty, the place lost its importance. There are a number of temples associated with the place, with the major ones being [[Thenupuriswarar Temple, Patteeswaram]], [[Pazhayarai Vadathali]], [[Panchavan Madeviyar Pallippadai Temple]], [[Thirunandipura Vinnagaram]] and [[Sakthivanesvara Temple]].

==Geography and etymology==
[[File:Nathankovil (1).jpg|250px|left|thumb|Image of [[Nathan Kovil]] after which the region is named]]
The historical village Pazhayarai is located around {{convert|7|km|mi|abbr=on}} from [[Kumbakonam]], a town in [[Thanjavur district]], in the [[South India]]n state of [[Tamil Nadu]]. There are lot of small villages inside the historical town of Pazhayarai - [[Thirunandipura Vinnagaram]], [[Sakthivanesvara|Sathi mutram]], [[Patteeswaram]] with all their temples. There were four legendary temples, Vadathali, Kelthali, Metrali and Thenthali across four sides of the city. The houses(''veedu'') of the warriors namely Aru padai veedu, Pudhu padai Veedu, Manapadai Veedu and Pambai padai veedu.It is located on the banks of T.Patnam river, one of the tributaries of the river [[Cauvery]].<ref name=Swami>{{cite book|title=Encyclopaedia of the Śaivism|last=Swami |first=Parmeshwaranand|publisher=Sarup & Sons|year=2004|isbn=8176254274}}</ref>

Pazhayarai was originally called Ayiratalli, meaning the land of thousand temples. Western scholars attribute different names to the place like Ariyatalli, Mudikondacholapuram and Palaiyaru. The first literary mention of Pazhayarai is found in the 7th century [[Tamil language|Tamil]] [[Saiva]] canonic literature ''[[Thevaram]]'' by saint [[Sambandar]]. He mentions the Saiva temple occupied by [[Jains]], which was cleared to be opened for Shiva worshippers under the influence of the saint on the ruling Muttaraiyar king. The saint went on to visit the ''Merrali'' or the western temple and the [[Thenupuriswarar Temple, Patteeswaram]]. Amaraneethi Nayanar, one of the 63 [[Nayanmars]] is believed to have progressed in the village. The place is also called Nandipuram, following the [[Pallava]] king of 7th century , who is believed to have built the [[Nathan Kovil]] in the place. The place came to be known as Avaninaryanapuram after the advent of [[Nandivarman III]] (846-869). The Chola king [[Virarajendra Chola]] (1063–1070) gave the name Ahavamallakulakalapuram, while [[Kulothunga I]] (1070–1120) named it Minavanaivenkadasolapuram.<ref name=Ayyar>{{cite journal|title=Ayirattali - a Cola capital|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/44137053|via=JSTOR|journal=Proceedings of the Indian History Congress|volume=9|year=1946|pages=160–6|publisher= Indian History Congress|first=Puravrittajyoti K. R. Venkatrama |last=Ayyar|jstor=44137053}}</ref>

==History==
The city was originally an important city during the rule of [[Pallavas]] in the 7th and 8th centuries. As per historians, the city was probably one of the capitals of their viceroys, the Muttaraiyars. During the regime of [[Vijayalaya Chola]] (848-71), the first medieval Chola emperor, the Muttariayars were defeated and the region came under Chola territory. The place was a capital city during the regime of [[Parantaka Chola II|Sundara (Parantaka II)]] (957-70).<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/44211361|volume=28|issue=1|year=2016|pages=21–22|journal=Traditional Dwellings and Settlements Review|publisher= International Association for the Study of Traditional Environments (IASTE)|first=Shanmugapriya |last=Balasubramanian|title=Myth, Religion and Ritual and Their Role in Defining the Existence of Tanks in Kumbakonam, A South Indian Temple Town|jstor=44211361|via=JSTOR|accessdate=27 Jun 2021}}</ref> The city had palaces where members of the royal family resided even after shifting the capital to Thanjavur during the regime of Rajaraja Chola.<ref name=Ayyar/> There was only one palace for [[Vijayalaya Chola]], but later individual palaces were built for all the princes.<ref name=Swami/> Rajaraja's sister Kundavai resided in the place and continued to issue orders and grants from the palace as seen in the inscriptions.<ref name=Ayyar/> [[Rajaraja I]], who built the [[Brihadeeswarar Temple|Big Temple of Thanjavur]] is said to have spent his last days in the city, the capital of his predecessors.<ref name=Swami/> During the regime of [[Rajendra I]] (1012-44), the capital was shifted to [[Gangaikonda Cholapuram]], but the city Palayarai still retained its importance. The place started losing its importance during the late 12th to 13th centuries when the region was occupied by [[Pandyas]].<ref name=Ayyar/> Systematic excavation was carried out in the place by the Department of Archaeology of the [[Government of Tamil Nadu]] in 1983-4 at Nandan Medu, Keezha Pazhayarai and Nathankoil. The excavations unearthed multiple dolmens and artefacts from the Chola regime.<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Quarterly Research Journal of the Tamil University|title=Quarterly Research Journal of the Tamil University |volume=5|issue=1–2|year=1987|publisher=Tañcai Tamiḻp Palkalaik Kaḻakam |page=119}}</ref> Though the region was predominantly occupied by Saivites and Vaishnavites, the verses from [[Appar]] during the 7th century indicate existence of [[Jainism|Jaina]] colonies in the region, indicating a multi cultural coexistence.<ref>{{cite book|title=Origin of Saivism and Its History in the Tamil Land|page=37|publisher=|year=2002|isbn=|last= K. R. |first=Subramanian}}</ref>

==Temples==
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|image1=Palayarai3.jpg
|image2=Dharmapurisvarar temple muzhaiyur4.jpg
|image3=Nathankovil (2).jpg
|footer=Temples in Pazhayarai
}}
[[Nathan Kovil]] (also called Thiru Nandipura Vinnagaram Temple), dedicated to the Hindu god [[Vishnu]], is glorified in the ''[[Divya Prabandha]]'', the early medieval [[Tamil literature|Tamil]] canon of the [[Alvars|Azhwar]] saints from the 6th–9th centuries AD. It is one of the 108 ''[[Divyadesam]]'' dedicated to Vishnu, who is worshipped as Jagannathan and his consort [[Lakshmi]] as Shenbagavalli. The original temple is believed to have been built during the [[Pallava]] regime.<ref name=R>{{cite book|title=An introduction to religion and Philosophy - Tévarám and Tivviyappirapantam|last=R.|first=Dr. Vijayalakshmy|publisher=International Institute of Tamil Studies| location=Chennai|year=2001|edition=1st|ref=R.|pages=510–1}}</ref> [[Parasunathar Temple, Muzhaiyur]], a Shiva temple, is named after sage [[Parasurama]], who is believed to have worshipped the presiding deity to propitiate himself off the curses due to the killing of his mother. [[Pazhayarai Vadathali]], also called Dharmapureeswarar temple, is a Shiva temple is revered in the 7th century Saiva work ''[[Thevaram]]'' and classified as [[Padal petra stalam]]. Hindu god [[Shiva]] is believed to have appeared as a column of fire and Parvathi could not bear the heat, she embraced Shiva, give the name Sakthimutram (meaning, Sakthi (Parvathi) embracing Shiva) to the [[Sakthivanesvara Temple]].<ref name=Meena>{{cite book|title=Temples in South India|last=V.|first=Meena|publisher=Harikumar Arts|location=Kanniyakumari|year=1974|edition=1st|page=27}}</ref>

[[Thenupuriswarar Temple]], a [[Shiva]] temple located in the village of [[Patteeswaram]], is revered in the 7th century Tamil Saiva canonical work, the ''[[Tevaram]]'', written by Tamil saint poets known as the [[Nayanars]] and classified as ''[[Paadal Petra Sthalam]]''. The temple is associated with the legend of [[Sambandar]] to whose view [[Nandi (bull)|Nandi]] moved to have a direct view of the presiding deity. Muthupandal festival celebrated in the temple is associated with the legend.<ref>{{cite book|title=Temple Imagery from Early Mediaeval Peninsular India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=My8rDwAAQBAJ&q=takkolam+monument&pg=PA257|page=257|last=Verma|first=Archana |publisher=Routledge|year=2017|isbn=9781351547000}}</ref> Somanathaswami temple is a temple built during the regime of Rajaraja Chola and has inscriptions indicating gifts to the temple by Kundavai Nachiyar, the sister of the king. [[Airavatesvara Temple]] at [[Darasuram]], built by [[Rajaraja Chola II]] in the 12th century [[Common Era|CE]] is classified as a [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]], along with the [[Brihadeeswara Temple]] at Thanjavur, the [[Brihadeeswarar Temple, Gangaikonda Cholapuram|Gangaikondacholisvaram Temple]] at Gangaikonda Cholapuram that are referred to as the [[Great Living Chola Temples]].<ref name=unesco>{{cite web|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/250/ |title=Great Living Chola Temples|publisher= UNESCO World Heritage Centre|year=2004|access-date=28 November 2015}}</ref> Pazhayarai Metrali, Panchavan Madheeswaram, Brahmanandeeswaram, Darasuram temple, Brahmapureeswarar temple at Keezhakorkai are other temples in the region.<ref>{{cite book|title=Temples of Forgotten Glory: A Wide Angle Exposition|first=Sekar |last=Venkataraman|date=29 July 2019 |publisher=Notion Press|pages=70–4|isbn=9781645876250}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|20em}}

[[Category:Former capital cities in India]]

Pazhayarai - Revision history

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