Pidari Ekaveeri: a fierce Goddess, a captivating smile, and Raja Raja’s mother-in-law’s grant
| Photo Credit: R. Vengadesh
Within the precincts of the ancient Sadaimudinathar Temple at Tiruvalanchuzhi, near Kumbakonam, stands a remarkable image of Pidari Ekaveeri, a deity whose significance is illuminated by the temple’s inscriptions. The temple, celebrated in the hymns of the Shaivite saints and renowned as an architectural marvel of the Chola period, is also home to inscriptions that reveal an equally fascinating chapter in its religious history.According to the inscriptions, the endowment for the worship of Pidari Ekaveeri was made by Kunthanan Amuthavalliyar, the mother of Queen Thanthisathi Vidankiyar and the mother-in-law of the Chola emperor Raja Raja I. The inscription records that she donated 40 gold coins to six Brahmins — Thalaisenan Valanchuzhian, Ezhuvan Thalaisenan, Sathan Patta Somasi, Patta Somasi Selvan, Aramudhu Tiruvikraman, and Nakkan Pandithan — for conducting Avapala Anjanai, a special ritual of worship.R. Kalaikovan of the Dr. Rajamanickanar Centre for Historical Research, who identified the dilapidated shrine hidden underneath dense vegetation within the Tiruvalanchuzhi temple complex and studied its inscriptions, said the annual interest from this endowment amounted to 30 kalam of paddy. This income was earmarked for performing the Avapala Anjanai, during which food and betel were offered to the deity while a perpetual lamp was kept burning.Dr. Kalaikovan further noted that when temple endowments were resettled during the reign of Rajendra II, an annual allocation of 15 kalam of paddy continued to be earmarked for the worship of Pidari Ekaveeri, demonstrating the continuity of the cult across successive Chola reigns.Today, Pidari Ekaveeri is identified as Ashtapuja Durgai, because she is depicted with eight arms and now stands outside the sanctum of the Vandarkuzhali shrine.
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