The 120 inscriptions in Kudumiyamalai, some of which are of great
importance, help to trace the history of both of Kudumiyamalai, and of the
region.
The musical inscription and other early Pandya (7th–8th century AD.)
inscriptions take the origin of the temple and the township to the beginning
of the seventh century AD.
The presence of the musical inscription of seventh century script
suggests that the rock-cut Siva shrine of Melak-koil could be one of the early monuments
erected after the revival of Saivism. Siva was said to be a god revelling in
playing Vina and in one of his poses he is depicted as holding the
instrument in hand (Vina-dhara, ). The place should have been a centre of
culture and much frequented by practitioners and students of music, for this
unique musical inscription to be engraved at this place.
It was not until the Imperial Chozha time that the continuous epigraphic
evidence of the growth of the Temple, and the intense activities connected
with the Township commences. The early Chozha inscriptions (9th-10th century
AD) are either in the Melak-koil or the walls of the second prakaram, but
not in the main shrine, Sikha-natha. This suggests that the shrine was
remodelled. Tradition ascribes the remodelling to the time of Mara-varman
Sundara Pandya I (முதலாம் மாரவர்மன் சுந்தரபாண்டியன்). For half a century
from about 1215 to 1265 AD, the old mandapam-s were renovated, and
additional structures were put up with the co-operation of the nadu (நாடு,
territorial assembly covering number of Ur-s, ஊர்) -s, nagaram (நகரம், guild
of merchants)-s, ur (village assembly)-s and padaip-patru (படைப்பற்று,
cantonment)-s of Konadu (கோனாடு) as well as private persons. A quota to be
paid by every person living with 24 adam-s (one league) of the village was
fixed and the temple collected contributions in money and in kind.
A significant measure of support came from a deva-dasi Umaiyalvi-Nachchi
(உமையாள்வி நாச்சி) also referred to as the daughter of Durgai-aandar (துர்கை
ஆண்டார்) who bought some of the temple's lands for 73,300 gold coins. This
woman was clearly a philanthropist, building the Amman shrine adjoining the
cave temple and consecrating the goddess Malaiya-mangai (மலையமங்கை) or
Soundara-Nayaki. The temple acquired lands, gardens, and wells in the
villages of Visalur (விசலூர்), Pinnangudi (பின்னங்குடி), Marungur (மருங்கூர்)
or Marunguppatti (மருங்குபட்டி) and Karaiyur (காரையூர்), in addition to
Melama-nallur (மேலமநல்லூர்). During this period the nadu to which
Kudumiyamalai belonged seems to have been administered by Gangaiyaraya-s (காங்கேயராயர்)
and Vanadarayan-s (வானதரையர்) of Bana chieftains as vassals of the Pandya
kings.
On the gopuram of the temple are inscribed verses in Tamil; five of them
are in praise of a Pandya king, and the others in praise of a Bana chief.
One of these verses is attributed to the famous poet, Pugazhendi (புகழேந்தி).
Kudumiyamalai felt the influence of the Vijayanagara administration, its
prince Vira-Kampana-Udaiyar (வீர கம்பண உடையார்) figuring in inscriptions.
Another Vijayanagara viceroy mentioned here is Gopa-timma of the Saluva
family.
During the period of the Madurai Nayak-s (மதுரை நாயக்கர்) and
afterwards, the Marungapuri (மருங்காபுரி) chiefs owned territories,
which extended to within a few miles west of Kudumiyamalai, and the
Vaiththur - Perungalur Pallava-rayar-s (வைத்தூர் பெருங்களூர் பல்லவராயர்)
extended their conquests westward and brought the village of Kudumiyamalai
under their rule. Sivendezhunta Pallava-rayar (சிவந்தெழுந்த பல்லவராயர்), who
was a devout Saivite, is said to have added to the temple, gopuram-s,
mandapam-s, halls, flower gardens, and groves, and built ther-s (temple
cars) for it.
Raghunatha Raya Tondaiman (இரகுநாத ராய தொண்டைமான், 1686-1730) and his
minister Kurundha Pillai (குருந்த பிள்ளை) built the front mandapam of the
rock-cut cave shrine, and Vijaya Raghunatha Raya Tondaiman (விஜயரகுநாத ராய
தொண்டைமான், 1730-1769) built the steps to the mandapam. His chief military
officer, Raghunatha Servaikar (ரகுநாத சேர்வைகாரர்), son of Lingappa
Servaikar (லிங்கப்ப சேர்வைகாரர்), dug the tank to the north of the temple
known as Sengala-nirodai (செங்கால நீரோடை), and built steps on its banks.
Pacchai Tondaiman (பச்சை தொண்டைமான்), who disputed in 1730 the
succession of Vijaya Raghunatha Raya, took shelter within the walls of the
temple and was besieged by the latter's force until he surrendered. Vijaya
Raghunatha Raya was crowned in this temple. The mandapam in front of the
Bhairava shrine is said to have been built by Ramaswami Iyer, who was Karbar
of the Pudukkottai State. In 1865, Raja Ramachandra Tondaiman (இராமச்சந்திர
தொண்டைமான்) celebrated a kumbhabhishekam (கும்பாபிஷேகம்) in this temple.
Another view of
the Raja-gopuram, Kudumiyamalai
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There are four temples on and near a rock hill. At the foot of the
hillock, in the east side, is the famous Kudumiyamalai temple complex.
The
temple complex includes three temples. They are the cave temple called
Melak-koil (மேலக்கோயில்) or Thiru-merrali (திருமேற்றளி), the Sikha-natha (சிகாநாதர்) or Kudumi-natha temple (குடுமிநாதர் கோயில்) and the
Soundara-nayaki Amman (சௌந்திரநாயகி அம்மன்) temple.
What began in the early Pandya times (7th century AD) as a simple cave
temple developed in time to one of the largest temple complex in the
district.
There is another temple dedicated to Murugan (முருகன்), on the top of
the hillock.
There is plethora of inscriptions here and the musical inscription found
on a face of the cave-temple is important in the musical history of India.
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