CENTER FOR ART AND ARCHAEOLOGY

The Uttamadanisvara temple at Kilattanaiyam is built by Muttaraiyar Uttamadani. Although no inscription of his alias Ko-Ilango is found here, a Rajakesarivarma inscription attributable to Rajaraja Chola (985 – 1010 CE) or perhaps to Chola Gandaraditya (949 – 957 CE) is found here, that refers to the temple Uttamadanisvara. The temple’s architecture and extant sculpture are earlier than this inscription. The temple should be placed in the third quarter of the ninth century or early tenth century. Reference: M.W. Meister and M.A. Dhaky 1963, pp. 142-143.

By its style the Uttamadanisvara temple at Kiranur is a Muttaraiyar foundation. An inscription of the thirteenth year of Ko-Ilango Muttaraiyar calls the temple Uttamadanisvara, after Ko-Ilango’s alias of Uttamadani. Ko-Ilango Muttaraiyar could be the same person as Ilango Adiaraiyan alias Cattan Pudi, the builder of Vijayalaya-Colisvara. If this is indeed true then the temple belongs to the second quarter of the ninth century CE. No Chola donator inscriptions are found on this temple. Reference: M.W. Meister and M.A. Dhaky 1963, pp. 141-142.

Uttar Pradesh (Architectural Drawings)

Also known as Vada Kailasam (the place of five rivers), the Uttara Kailasa temple of the Pancanadisvara complex was built by Rajaraja I's (985 – 1014 CE) senior queen Danti Sakti Vitanki alias Loga Mahadevi in about 1006 CE. This temple is significant for it bears an inscription from the reign of Rajadhiraja I (1018-1054 CE), which gives a complete narration of the wars and the victories of the Chola king elucidating contemporary political events and the extent of the empire. References: M.W. Meister and M.A. Dhaky 1963, p. 231, S.R. Balasubrahmanyam, 1975, p. 89 and B. Venkataraman, 1976, pp. 85-90.

Uttarakhand (Architectural Drawings)

Vadakkunatha complex, Trichur, Kerala