History of the Pallavas of Kanchi c12.51

c12.51

It thus appears that the rock-cut monument known as the Gaṇēśa temple as well as the Rāmānujamaṇḍapa were probably excavated at the orders of Paramēśvaravarman and that the former one was a Śiva temple. From the eleven ślokas in the Gaṇēśa temple inscription we learn that Paramēśvaravarman I had Chitramāya, Guṇabhājana, Śrībhara and Raṇajaya as surnames. Vidyāvinīta Pallava was another title of Paramēśvaravarman I. In the village of Kūram Paramēśvaravarman appears to have built a structural temple to Śiva, called in the plates Vidyāvinīta-Pallava-Paramēśvaragṛha. The object of the Kūram grant is a gift of the village of Paramēśvaramaṅgalam (evidently named after the king) made to the temple of Śiva which had been built at Kūram by Vidyāvinīta Pallava. The village was probably named after the king himself and divided into twenty-five parts of which three were to be enjoyed by two Brahmans Anantaśivāchārya and Pullaśarman who looked after the divine service of the temple. The fourth part was set aside for the providing of water and fire for the temple maṇḍapa, the fifth for the reading of the Bhārata at this place while the remaining twenty parts were given to twenty Chaturvēdins. Kūram is described here as belonging to Mānyavantarāshṭra of Nīrvēlūr, a division of Uṛṛukāṭṭukoṭṭam.