THIRUVARUR

Tamil Nadu
ARCHITECTURAL LISTING

This volume lists 61 structures/sites as per INTACH Listing

format and guidelines.

INTACH TAMIL NADU STATE CHAPTER

November, 2017
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS - ARCHITECTURAL LISTING IN THIRUVARUR, TAMIL NADU

Thiruvarur is a small town on the Chennai-Nagapattinam rail route in Central

Tamil Nadu. Thiruvarur is located around 60km east of the historic city of
Tanjavur (or Tanjore) and 42 km south of the former French colony of Karaikal.
The bigger and more famous town of Nagapattinam is located between
Thiruvarur and Karaikal, and is not far from the town of Velankanni, most
famous for its Gothic-style Roman Catholic Church dedicated to Our Lady of
Good Health.

Thiruvarur is a very ancient and historic township. It is most well-known for its
temple dedicated to God Shiva or Thiyagaraja Swamy. The exact date of
this temple is unknown but it has been in existence atleast from around 1000
A.D. when the region was ruled by the Imperial Chola dynasty. The temple
consists of several sub-shrines built during different periods of history. There is a
large water-tank or cistern next to the temple. The temple is also noted for its
wall paintings of the late medieval times. The temple has played a vital part
in the evolution of the town. The temple was the tutelary or family shrine (Kula
Daiva Kovil) of the Tanjavur Maratha royal family that ruled the region from
around 1676 to 1855.

Thiruvarur, besides being a religious centre, was also a centre of music.

Several famous musicians including Saint Tyagaraja(1767-1847 A.D.) lived in
this town.

The Thiyagaraja temple and the houses and other buildings around it are the
most important heritage structures in Thiruvarur. In addition, the town has a
few more smaller temples, Colonial period public buildings, Brahmin houses
and some more heritage buildings.

Till now, Thiruvarur has been more a pilgrim centre than a tourist centre. This is
partially because of its connectivity—the nearest airport is around 300km
away and there is only one direct train linking this area with Chennai, the
capital of Tamil Nadu and the ‘Gateway to South India’.

Objectives:

The basic objective of this Listing has been to create a useful database that
will be of academic interest. In addition, this data will be of practical use to
the local administration that is now trying to improve and upgrade the town.
This Listing assumes greater significance because it will be the first-ever
architectural study of the area as hitherto, there has been no attempt, by
any university or any other agency including INTACH, to document and study
any of the heritage buildings in Thiruvarur. These heritage buildings, if properly
listed, documented, published and publicized, can, in due course, facilitate
enhancement of the tourism potential of the place.

Like many other towns and cities, Thiruvarur too, in recent years, has
been subject to unplanned developmental activities. In the process, some
important heritage buildings have been destroyed or thoroughly altered.
Hence, the need to speedily list the remaining heritage structures that are still
fairly well-preserved.

Methodology:

The Listing has been done strictly according to INTACH’s Architectural Listing
format. The work has been coordinated and guided by INTACH’s Tamil Nadu
State Chapter that has earlier undertaken similar projects in many other
places in Tamil Nadu. The actual field work has been done by the students of
PRIME College of Architecture and Planning, Keelvelur, Nagapattinam
District, Tamil Nadu State. The choice of this college is because it is one of the
nearest architecture colleges to Thiruvarur and the college authorities have
willingly cooperated and collaborated in this work. The student researchers
were selected by the college faculty.

Dr.S.Suresh

Tamil Nadu State Convener-INTACH

Acknowledgement:

PRIME College of Architecture and Planning, Keelvelur.

Faculty Members

1. Rtn.N.Govindaraj, Chairman
2. Ar. A. ParisuthaRajan, Principal and Life Member, INTACH
Pondicherry Chapter.
3. Ar. D. Buddhanandhan, Assistant Professor.

Student Participants:

V YEAR STUDENTS

1. Abdul Wahid . H
2. AkshayaSujaatha.A.B.K
3. Arunkumar . D
4. Chandru . T
5. Elakkiya . K
6. Gowdhaman.V
7. Keerthana . S
8. Vijayalakshmi . G

III YEAR STUDENTS

9. Achuthan . S
10. Arunachalam . S .V
11. Gokulavasan . K
12. Kavin . K

II YEAR STUDENTS

13. SHYAM HARISH.S.G

THIRUVARUR - HISTORICAL, SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL BACKGROUND:

Introduction: Location and Accessibility:

Thiruvarur is situated at 10.7713° North latitude and 79.6370° East

longitude. Till 1991, the town was a part of the erstwhile Tanjavur District in
Tamil Nadu. In 1991, when this district was divided into two—Tanjavur District
and Nagapattinam District,--Thiruvarur came within the latter district. In 1997,
Thiruvarur and some of the adjoining areas were carved into a separate
district called the Thiruvarur District. And this town became the Headquarters
of this new District. The town is located around 24km from the well-known
coastal town of Nagapattinam.
Thiruvarur is well connected by road and rail. The town’s railway station
lies on the Mayiladuthurai (earlier called Mayavaram)--
Nagapattinam/Karaikal/Velankanni branch rail line. Mayiladuthurai, 41km
from Thiruvarur, is a much bigger town with a very large railway station and
lies on the main rail line connecting Chennai (earlier called Madras) with
Tanjavur, Tiruchirappalli, Madurai and other towns further south. There are
many trains from Chennai and other important towns and cities to
Mayiladuthurai. Hence, sometimes, visitors to Thiruvarur come to
Mayiladuthurai by train and then travel to Thiruvarur by a short-distance
passenger train or by road. Thiruvarur has a large Bus Stand with frequent bus
services to Nagapattinam, Velankanni, Karaikal and many other cities and
towns of Tamil Nadu.

Climate:

The climate throughout the year is moderate. The variation between

maximum and minimum temperature is not much. The town gets rain mostly
during North East monsoon (November to January). This town has fairly
healthy climate. The maximum temperature normally occurs in the month of
May while the minimum temperature in winter occurs in December.

Geomorphology and soil types:

The present geomorphic set up in this district and the adjoining coastal
districts is the result of the action of the major rivers with their distinct
tributaries, oscillations in the sea level, tidal effects of Bay of Bengal and
forces of wind. The landforms are delineated under erosional and
depositional regime. The depositional regime comprises of a coastal plain
under marine influence, a flood plain of fluvial regime with an intermixing
section of both fluvial and marine influence. The entire area is a fairly flat
terrain with a gentle slope towards east and southeast. The maximum
elevation is about 2.1 m above mean sea level in the west.

Historical Background:
Thiruvarur and its environs have a long and eventful history. Prehistoric man
lived in this region atleast 10,000 years before Christ. Much later, around the
time of Christ, the town was under the control of the Sangam Chola kingdom
who ruled from Uraiyur (near the modern city of Tiruchirappalli) as their
capital. Shortly later, the town came under the control of the Pallava dynasty
kings who ruled from around the third to the ninth century, with Kanchipuram
(near Chennai) as their capital. In the ninth century, the Medieval Cholas or
Imperial Cholas began to rule large parts of Tamil Nadu and adjoining areas
and Thiruvarur became a part of this kingdom. The town’s Thiyagaraja
Swamy Temple and many other temples in the region were built during the
Medieval Chola rule. After the decline of the Chola power around the
thirteenth century, the Vijayanagar emperors and later, their feudatories
called the Nayaks, began to rule Thiruvarur and its neighbourhood. In the
year 1676, the Marathas established their rule in Tanjavur region of Tamil
Nadu and Thiruvarur became a part of this new kingdom. The rulers of this
dynasty offered lavish gifts to the Thyigaraja Temple. After the decline of this
kingdom in the nineteenth century, Thiruvarur passed into the hands of the
British.

Socio-Economic Conditions:
Right from ancient times, Thiruvarur was a temple town and a famed pilgrim
centre. The town is most famous for its spectacular Thiyagaraja Swamy
Temple, located almost in the town centre. For centuries, many of the
residents of the town were connected, directly or indirectly, with this temple—
either working for the temple, full-time or part-time and/or engaged in
temple-related services and businesses such as selling ritual objects, flowers
and fruits. Even now, the town has a sizeable population of priests and
traditional scholars and small entrepreneurs engaged in businesses close to
and connected with the temple. Besides, in recent decades, several new
government offices have sprung up and thus, the town has a good number
of government officials. The town boasts of several educational institutions
including English-medium and Tamil-medium schools, colleges and the
newly-established Central University of Tamil Nadu in the town’s outskirts.
LIST OF STRUCTURES/SITES DOCUMENTED
S.NO STRUCTURES /SITES
01 Public Building – Pannai Valaagam(O.L.V Nursery School)

02 Residence -Karthikeyan Residence

03 Structure –Naalukaal Mandapam

04 Residence -Subramaniam Residence

05 Structure /Memorial - 60 Feet Bawa Tomb

06 Structure -Odambogiar Weir

07 Public Building - TNEB Office of the Assistant Engineer

08 Public Building -Seshasayee Power House

09 Structure -Mandapam at Durgalaya Road

10 Residence –Manjakollai Mudaliyar Residence

11 Residence –Mennatchi Nilayam

12 Residence -Rajan Colony

13 Residence -Thirunavukarasu Residence

14 Residence - Guru Bakyavathi Vilas

15 Public Building –Sabapathi Mudhaliyar School

16 Residence –Shanmuga Mudhaliyar Residence

17 Residence -Annachathiram

18 Residence -Veeramani Residence

19 Residence -Gajendran Residence

20 Tank -Kamalalayam Tank

21 Public Building - Consumer Court

22 Public Building - Fire Service Station

23 Structure - Fire Service Shed

24 Public Building – IWCCDC

25 Public Building - Municipal Office

26 Temple –Thiyagaraja Swamy Temple

27 Residence –Ranganatha Mudhaliar Residence

28 Temple - Rudhrakodeeswarar Temple

29 Public Building –Annadhana Kattalai

30 Structure - Stone Chariot

31 Public Building –Raajaanga Kattalai

S.NO STRUCTURES /SITES
32 Residence -Vijayalakshmi Residence

33 Public Building - Sub-Treasury Office

34 Residence -Kannan Residence

35 Public Building –Arupathu Moovar Guru Poojai Madam

36 Structure – Ther Mutti 3

37 Structure –Ther Mutti 2

38 Structure –Ther Mutti 1

39 Structure –Ther Mutti 4

40 Structure –Ther Mutti 5

41 Residence -Rajagopal Residence

42 Church - TELC Church

43 Public Building - Guest House

44 Residence -Subulakshimi Residence

45 Residence -Ravichandran Residence

46 Residence -Saravanan Residence

47 Residence -Dakshinamoorthy Residence

48 Structure -Ramanujam Arch

49 Residence -Sethuraman Residence

50 Structure - Municipal Jubilee Market Entrance

51 Public Building - Railway Station Old Ticket Counter

52 Public building-cum-Residence(mixed use) - Sri Venkateswara Home

53 Residence -Sundara Vilas

54 Residence - Sri Guru Vilas

55 Mosque –Pulivalam Jamiya Masjid

56 Residence –Dawood Manzil Residence 2

57 Residence –Dawood Manzil Residence 1

58 Residence -Durairaj Residence

59 Residence - Compounder Residence

60 Residence -Annachi Residence

61 Public Building – Sabapathi Mudaliar Primary School for the Deaf

SELECT GLOSSARY

The meanings of most of the technical terms including architectural terms as

well as non-English (mostly Tamil or Sanskrit) words, used in this Report, have
been clearly explained, often within brackets, wherever the term/word is
used. In addition, this Glossary lists and explains some of these terms.

Agraharam: A row or cluster of houses, usually near a Hindu temple, and

inhabited by families of the Brahmin caste.

Dravida Style, Draividian Style: The traditional style of temple architecture in

the southernmost part of India. It is characterized by a sanctum with a
prominent vimana or tower normally crowned by a metal kalasa or kalasam.
The adjoining halls or mandapas usually have a flat roof.

Garbhagriha: Sanctum housing the deity in a Hindu temple.

Jali: A lattice or perforated pattern, usually made4 of wood or stone, on a

screen or window opening in a building. More popular in North India than in
the South.

Kalasa, Kalasam: A water-pot, normally considered sacred.

Koodam: The main living room or drawing room or hall, usually adjoining the
courtyard, in a traditional style house in Tamil Nadu.

Linga: The non-iconic representation of God Shiva. Usually made of stone

and somewhat cylindrical in shape, the linga is one of the commonest forms
in which Shiva is represented.

Mandapa, Mandapam: A hall or chamber adjoining the sanctum in a Hindu

temple. The mandapas usually have rows of columns or pillars. The term is
sometimes used to denote similar halls in palaces and other buildings.

Muttram: The name given to the courtyard, usually adjoining the koodam or
hall, within a traditional style house in Tamil Nadu.

Prakara, Prakaram: The perimeter walls enclosing the sanctum and the
adjoining mandapas in a Hindu temple. Also, the space, usually open to the
sky and sometimes, covered, between these perimeter walls and the
sanctum and the adjoining mandapas.
Rezhi: A quadrangular room, usually, like a passage or corridor, between the
thinnai (front verandah) and the living room or hall in a traditional style house
in Tamil Nadu.

Taalvaram: The semi-open space, often with columns, enclosing the

courtyard (that is open to the sky) mwithin a traditional style house in Tamil
Nadu. open

Thinnai: The front verandah in a traditional style house in Tamil Nadu.

Vimana. , Vimanam: The tower, often crowned by a domed structure, above

the sanctum in a Hindu temple.
SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY

1.F.R.Hemingway, Madras District Gazetteers--Tanjore, Volume I, Government

Press, Madras, 1906.

2.Prema Kasturi and Chithra Madhavan eds., South India Heritage—An

Introduction, East west Books (Madras) Pvt. Ltd. , Chennai , 2007.

3.A.Somasundaran, Thevara Kalanjiyam (Tamil), Ponmudi Pathippagam,

48/123, Muthupatnam III Street, Karaikudi., 2006.

4. S.Suresh, The Tanjavur Marathas—Art, Architecture and Culture, INTACH

and Aryan Books International, New Delhi, 2015.

Website:

1.http://www.thiyagarajaswamytemple.tnhrce.in/ (last accessed on 23

November, 2017).