Construction begins on seven-tier gopuram at Pazhayarai temple

The Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department has begun operation enactment connected a seven-tier gopuram astatine the Somanathar Temple successful Pazhayarai, adjacent Kumbakonam. It is simply a donor-sponsored project, with the full outgo of ₹7.95 crore contributed by a Coimbatore-based philanthropist.

“We person begun the grouting contiguous [January 13, 2026] to fortify the foundation, and the enactment volition proceed aft Pongal,” said T. Umadevi, Deputy Commissioner, Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department.

Pazhayarai holds an important spot successful Chola history, arsenic the Chola kings and their families lived determination successful a palace earlier moving to Thanjavur. The temple earlier had a gopuram that was neglected implicit clip and came to beryllium known arsenic the Mottai gopuram.

HR&CE Minister P.K. Sekar Babu said that ever since the DMK came to power, it had performed kumbabishekam astatine hundreds of temples, and the Pazhayarai temple was covered nether a task to reconstruct and repair 1,000-year-old temples successful Tamil Nadu.

Strengthening foundation

After the determination was taken to conception the gopuram, the National Institute of Technology (NIT) studied the existing operation and the quality of the ungraded successful Pazhayarai. “We are strengthening the existing instauration and gathering the gopuram. Though the earlier program was to conception a five-tier structure, we person decided to summation it to 7 tiers, taking into relationship the wide foundation. A five-tier gopuram connected specified a instauration would not look elegant,” Ms. Umadevi said.

The Somanathar Temple is 1 of the important Saivite temples, arsenic it has been lauded successful verse by Appar, Sambandar, and Sundarar.

R. Kalaikovan, an adept connected Chola history, said Pazhayarai holds immense importance, arsenic the Chola kings and their families lived determination earlier moving to Thanjavur. “The temple is known arsenic Kara Koil due to the fact that the mahamandapam has been designed similar a chariot. The east-facing gopuram, which was neglected for a agelong period, came to beryllium known arsenic the Mottai gopuram,” helium said.

Dr. Kalaikovan said the value of Pazhayarai is explained by an inscription that refers to a royal bid issued by Uttama Chola from the Pazhayarai palace. “His oral bid was recorded by 1 Puliyur Kizhavan. When the bid was issued, Rajendra Chola was eating successful the confederate hall,” helium said, quoting the inscription successful the publication Thavathuraiyum Karkudiyum.

K.A. Nilakanta Sastri, writer of the publication The Cholas, says Palaiyaru (Pazhayarai) contained a temple called Arulmolideva-Isvara, named aft Rajaraja, and appears to person had a palace which was the favourite residence of Rajaraja’s sister, Kundavai, and for immoderate time, of Rajaraja himself.

“A tiny hamlet adjacent Palaiyaru adjacent present preserves the sanction Sola-Malaigai, wrong astir 4 miles of Kumbakonam railway station, and a tiny ruined temple determination is said inactive to people the tract of the past palace, of which it served arsenic the guardian shrine,” writes Sastri.

He says the past Shiva temple successful Pazhayarai is of singular operation successful the precocious Chola style.