Around 10 kilometres from Kalpakkam, located along the East Coast Road is Vayalur, a nondescript town which was once under the reign of the formidable Pallavas. Located here is Tirupuleeswarar Temple which has inscriptions that sheds light on the Pallava period and their legacy.
On the right side pillar of the at the entrance of the temple is an inscription about Narasimhavarman II alias Rajasimhan Pallavan who ruled between 695-725 AD. Also in it are the names of 54 kings, the ancestry of Pallavas. What is surprising is that the first seven names starts with Hindu God names like Brahma, Siva, etc. The rest 47 are the names of Pallava rulers. In this, the last seven names – Vishnugopan, Simmavarman, Simma Vishnu, Mahendravarman, Narasimhavarman, Mahendravarman II, Paramesuvarman, – are historically important important kings. In the last two lines are inscribed the name of Rajasimhan Pallavan.
On the steps of the entrance, there is an inscription about Rashtrakuta king Kannaradevan who conquered Kanchipuram and Thanjavur. There are also inscriptions that references to Lord Shiva as ‘Mahadevan’ and the great Chozha emperor Rajaraja Chozhan. There are inscription that gives details of donations made to the temple. In an inscription that mentions about Jatavarman who ruled between 1251-1264 AD, the lord of the temple is referred as ‘Thirupilavayiludaya Naayanaar’. This indicated that Vayalur was earlier called as Pilavaayil as it is located at the mouth of the sea. During the reign of the Vijayanagara empire, the name of the place was changed to Pattinanadu and Jananaadhanallur
According to the Sundarapandiyan inscription, it is said that the people of the region never bought or sold or left the temple lands for lease. There is also a Perumal Temple and temple for Lord Siva who goes by the name Kaiyilaayamudayaar.
The Kayilayamudayaar temple is said to have been built during the Vijayanagara empire and has no vimana above the sanctum sanctorum. Siva’s consort Parvati is consecrated here as Angayarkanni. Also in the temple are statues of Pillaiyaar, Dakshinamoorthy, Perumal, Brahma and Durga. Near the entrance of the Kayilaayamudayaar temple is a hall constructed during Vijayanagara kings where ceremonies and festivals are held.
There have also been several potteries and coins found at Vayalur dating back to the first century which indicates that the town was in trade with Roman empire.
The temple is currently a protected monument under the Archaeological Survey of India.
(With inputs from Dinamalar)
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