Tirukoilur also spelt as ''Tirukkoyilur'' or ''Tirukovilur'' is a city and the headquarters of Tirukoilur taluk in

Kallakurichi District Kallakurichi is one of the 38 districts in the state of Tamil Nadu in India. The district headquarter is Kallakurichi. Kallakurichi District was announced on 8 January 2019 and it came into existence on 26 November 2019. History During Ancient ...

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

, India. The town is located on the southern bank of Thenpennai River and famous for the Ulagalantha Perumal Temple, the Veerateeswarar Temple and the

Kabilar Kundru Kabilar Kundru (or Kabilar rock) is a hill rock in the middle of the Ponnaiyar River near Tirukoilur in Viluppuram district, Tamil Nadu, India. It is known for Tamil poet Kapilar did Vadakirrutal (fast unto death) here, after his friend Vēl ...

. Tirukoilur is located on the highway connecting cities of

Tiruvannamalai Tiruvannamalai (Tamil: ''Tiruvaṇṇāmalai'' IPA: , otherwise spelt ''Thiruvannamalai''; ''Trinomali'' or ''Trinomalee'' on British records) is a city and the administrative headquarters of Tiruvannamalai District in the Indian state of ...

and

Vellore Vellore ( ), also spelled Velur, is a sprawling city and the administrative headquarters of Vellore district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the banks of the Palar River and surrounded by the Javadi Hills in the northeastern ...

with Southern Tamil Nadu. The town is served by Tirukoilur railway station (formerly, Arakandanallur Thirukovilur railway station). Vanavan Mahadevi, the mother of

Rajaraja Chola I Rajaraja I (Middle Tamil: ''Rājarāja Cōḻaṉ''; Classical Sanskrit: ''Rājarāja Śōḷa''; 3 November 947 – January/February 1014), also known as Rajaraja the Great, was a Chola Empire, Chola emperor who reigned from 985 to 1014. He ...

, was born as a Tamil princess of

Chera The Chera dynasty ( or Cēra, ), also known as Keralaputra, from the early historic or the Sangam period in Tamil-speaking southern India, ruled over parts of present-day states Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The Cheras, known as one of the mu-ventar ...

dynasty in Tirukoilur.

Demographics

India

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

, Tirukoilur had a population of 60212. Males constitute 49% of the population and females 51%. Tirukoilur has an average literacy rate of 78%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 83%, and female literacy is 73%. In Tirukoilur, 10% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Transport

Tirukoilur is well-connected by road and rail. Many state highways pass through this municipality. State Highway 9 (Tamil Nadu), SH9

Cuddalore Cuddalore, also spelt as Kadalur (), is a heavy industries hub and a port city, and headquarters of the Cuddalore District in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Situated south of Chennai, Cuddalore was an important city and port during the Britis ...

- Thirukovilur--

SH-7 Thirukoilur-

Villupuram Viluppuram, Villupuram, or Vizhuppuram () is a municipality and the administrative headquarters of Viluppuram district. Located south west of a Tiruvannamalai and north west of Cuddalore null The town serves as a major and largest railway ...

SH-211 Thirukoilur Bye-Pass Road - Kandachipuram State Highway 68 (Tamil Nadu), SH68

- Thirukovilur-

Sankarapuram Sankarapuram is a census town panchayat of Sivaganga district in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. This census town is located in southwestern Karaikudi on national highway NH536. Currently the town panchayat has 15 wards with two villa ...

SH-137 Thirukoilur- Elavanasurkottai- Asanur-

Trichy Tiruchirappalli (), also known as Trichy, is a major tier II city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Tiruchirappalli district. The city is credited with being the best livable and the cleanest city of T ...

MDR-1014 Thirukovilur- Manalurpet-

MDR-812 Thirukoilur- Veerapandi-

Vettavalam Vettavalam is a first grade panchayat town in Tiruvanamalai district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Tamil Nadu. Geography Vettavalam is located at . It has an average elevation of 211 metres (692 foot (length) ...

MDR-784 Thirukoilur-

Rishivandiyam Rishivandiyam is a Village Panchayati Raj, panchayat in Sankarapuram Taluk of Kallakurichi district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. Rishivandhiyam is one of the 20 blocks of Kallakurichi, and has 43 panchayat villages in it. Elections and w ...

- Thiyagadurugam- Kallakurichi MDR-785 Thirukoilur - Thagadi

Significance

Tirukoilur is famous for the Ulagalantha Perumal Temple. This temple has a very big raja gopuram and is the 3rd longest

gopuram A ''gopuram'' or ''gopura'' ( Tamil: கோபுரம், Telugu: గోపురం, Kannada Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of th ...

in Tamil Nadu. The statue of

Vishnu Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...

is so beautiful with ''varnakalapam''. There is a sanathi even for

Vamana Vamana (, ) also known as Trivikrama (), Urukrama (), Upendra (), Dadhivamana (, ), and Balibandhana (), is an Dashavatara, avatar of the Hinduism, Hindu deity Vishnu. He is the fifth avatar of Vishnu and the first Dashavatara in the Treta ...

. As per Hindu legend, Vishnu appeared to the ''mudhal Alvars'' (first three ''Alvars'') at Thirukkoilur. The temple plays a special part in Vaishnavism as it is where the first three Alvars sang the first three ''Thiruvandadhis'' compiled in '' Naalayira Divya Prabandam'', the Sri Vaishnava canon.

Thirumangai Alvar Thirumangai Alvar (IAST:' ), also referred to as Thirumangai Mannan is the last of the 12 Alvar saints of south India, who are known for their affiliation to the Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism. He is considered one of the most learned Alvar ...

, another Alvar saint also revered the deity in his verses compiled in ''Nalayira Divya Prabandam'' . Ashta Veeratanams, Ashta – eight Veeratanam – Place of Bravery. As per legends, Shiva is believed to have destroyed eight different demons namely Andakasuran, Gajasuran, Jalandasuran, Thirupuradhi, Kaman, Arjunan, Dakshan and Taaragasuran. There are eight temples built signifying each of his victories in the war, and also as places where he is believed to have performed with fury. Madhavan 2014, p. 145 The eight temples are: * Tiruvadigai Veerattaaneswarar Temple at Thiruvadigai * Tirukkovilur Veerateshwarar Temple at Tirukoilur * Veerateswarar temple at Korukkai or Thirukkurukkai * Amirtagateswarar Temple at Thirukadaiyur * Vazhuvur Verateswarar Temple at Vazhuvoor *

Keelaparasalur Veerateswarar Temple Veerateswarar Temple (also called Dakshapureeswarat temple) is a Hindu temple located at Keelaparasalur in Mayiladuthurai district of Tamil Nadu, India. The historical name of the place is Tirupparialur. The presiding deity is Shiva in the for ...

at Tirupariyalur * Kandeeswarar Temple at Thirukkandiyur * Tiruvirkudi Veerataneswarar Temple at Thiruvirkudi. Shiva in all these temples are described to have used bow and arrow, trident and spear. Other significance include following: *Ulagalantha Perumal Temple or Trivikrama Temple is a

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

temple dedicated to

located in Tirukkoyilur,

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, another Alvar saint also revered the deity in his verses compiled in ''Nalayira Divya Prabandam''. *Kabilar Kundru (or Kabilar rock) is a hill rock in the middle of the Ponnaiyar River in Tirukoilur. It is known for Tamil poet

Kapilar Kapilar or Kabilar ( Tamil: கபிலர்) was the most prolific Tamil poet of the Sangam period (c. 3rd century BCE to 3rd century CE). He contributed 206 poems, or a little less than 10% of the entire Sangam-era classical corpus by 473 ...

did

Vadakirrutal Vatakkiruttal (, 'fasting facing north'), also Vadakiruthal and vadakiruttal, was a Tamil ritual of fasting till death. It was especially widespread during the Sangam age. The Tamil kings, in order to save their honour, and prestige, were prepare ...

(fast unto death) here, after his friend

Vēl Pāri Vēḷ Pari was a velir ruler who ruled Parambu nadu and surrounding regions in ancient Tamilakam during the Sangam period. He was the patron and friend of poet Kabilar and is extolled for his benevolence, patronage of art and literature. He ...

was killed in a battle. It is one of the protected monuments in Tamil Nadu by the

Archaeological Survey of India The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexander ...

. * Shri Raghuttama Teerthar was one of the greatest saints of Shri

Uttaradi Matha Sri Uttaradi Math (also written as Uttaradi Matha or Uttaradi Mutt) (IAST:''Śrī Uttarādi Maṭha'') (also known as Uttaradi Pitha), is one of the main monasteries (matha) founded by Madhvacharya with Padmanabha Tirtha as its head to pre ...

. Shri Raghuttama Teerthar entered the Brindavana at Manampundi, near Tirukoilur *Gnananandagiri Swamigal, established his modest ashra
"Sri Gnanananda Thapovanam"
which is a quiet place, situated on the northern banks of Pennar river, near Thirukovilur in Tamil Nadu. Thapovanam meaning "forest of penance" is today a place of pilgrimage.

Anecdote

While on a visit to

Ceylon Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

, the ancient female Tamil poet Avvaiyar was caught up in a torrential rain, and took shelter in the house of two women, Angavay and Sangavay. These women took care of Avvai with great kindness and promised that they will be given in marriage to the King of Tirucovalur. On hearing this the King agreed to take the women in marriage if they were given away by the

Chola The Chola Empire, which is often referred to as the Imperial Cholas, was a medieval thalassocratic empire based in southern India that was ruled by the Chola dynasty, and comprised overseas dominions, protectorates and spheres of influence ...

and the

Pandya The Pandya dynasty (), also referred to as the Pandyas of Madurai, was an ancient Tamil dynasty of South India, and among the four great kingdoms of Tamilakam, the other three being the Pallavas, the Cholas and the Cheras. Existing sinc ...

. Avvai then makes an invocation to

Ganesha Ganesha or Ganesh (, , ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped Deva (Hinduism), deities in the Hindu deities, Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in the Ganapatya sect. His depictions ...

for making the invitation on a palmyra leaf, on which Ganesha appears before her. On receiving the invitation the three kings come for marriage and give away Angavay and Sangavay in marriage (pp. 57–59). There is a mention of this time period in ''

Ponniyin Selvan ''Ponniyin Selvan'' () is a Tamil language historical fiction novel by Indian author Kalki Krishnamurthy. It was first serialised in the weekly editions of ''Kalki'', a Tamil magazine, from 29 October 1950 to 16 May 1954 and later integrated ...

.''

References

External links

* http://www.thirukovalur.org (Official Devasthanam Website) * http://www.tirukoilur.com {{Authority control Cities and towns in Kallakurichi district