Best-known as home to many an industry, Padi, to Chennai’s west, is unfortunately not as well known as home to one of the city’s oldest temples. This area, originally known as Tiruvalidayil, or Tiruvalidayam, has a medium-sized Siva temple which dates to the 7th Century C.E., as attested by the Tamil Tevaram hymns of boy-saint Tirugnanasambandar, whose association with Mylapore’s Kapaliswarar temple is well documented.

There are many architectural, iconographical and epigraphical vestiges in the Padi temple proclaiming it to be a hub of activity in the glorious epoch of the Cholas, starting from the 10th Century C.E. upto the last quarter of the 13th Century. The main sanctum, which enshrines God Siva as Thiruvaliswarar has an apsidal shape with a rounded rear end. These shrines, called Gajaprishta in technical parlance, are common in the northern part of Tamil Nadu, with many of them found in Chennai. This peculiar shape of the central sanctum gained popularity during the Chola era. The inscriptions of this age in the Padi temple, as well as the images found on the walls of this shrine which reveal fine Chola workmanship, give further credence to this dating.

Tiruvalishwara Temple, Padi, Gajaprishta vimanam The entrance to the temple

Many epigraphs have been discovered on slabs lying in the courtyard. The most ancient record here, dated 962 C.E., is of Chola times, mentioning an important person called Parthivendra Varman, sometimes identified as Aditya Chola II, elder brother of the illustrious Rajaraja Chola I. Parthivendra Varman’s inscriptions have been found in many places in and around Chennai and the one in the Padi temple provides interesting details about ancient territorial subdivisions. The etchings register that Tiruvalidayam was in Tudamuni Nadu, a sub-division of Puliyur Kottam. However, it is obvious from later inscriptions in the temple that changes were made regarding these administrative divisions. These records state that Tiruvalidayam was in Ambattur-nadu, a subdivision of Puzhal Kottam (also called Vikrama Chola Valanadu) situated in Jayamkonda Cholamandalam. Neither the exact date nor the exact reason for the change is known.

The temple complex as seen today, like numerous others, is a product of many centuries of evolution, with different parts being added at different periods in history. An epigraph of a chieftain named Vijaya Gandagopala, of the family of Telugu-Chodas, whose headquarters was Kancheepuram, and who had a firm grip over the area of present-day Chennai in the 13th Century, is found here. It records that a female dancer from the Ekamreswara temple in Kancheepuram consecrated the image of the consort of God Siva, called Tiruvidi Nachiyar, in the temple. The gifts she gave the temple are mindblowing! They include a number of jewels and vessels, one being a gold fillet, a gold crescent, a gold necklace containing eight superior pearls, 528 second class pearls, two gold beads, thirteen long corals, and forty round corals, altogether weighing ten and a half (a standard gold weight), besides a dish, a plate and a cup. The Ganesha shrine in this temple was also added in the Chola times, much after the main shrine came into existence.

The mighty emperors of Vijayanagara who brought the Tamil country under their sway from the 14th Century have also left their imprint in the temple by way of stone records. The earliest of their records is that of the powerful Harihara II, whose officer, Mallappa Udaiyar, was in charge of collecting taxes in the region comprising present-day Chennai.

The temple in Padi, as of now, still has precious inscriptions and sculptures intact which bespeak its hoary antiquity. This is indeed a blessing, considering the state of many other ancient temples in the city. What the future forebodes for this temple by way of modernisation is, however, a matter of concern.