Tiruppalaivanam Temple Inscriptions with Special reference to Lamp donation

The study presents a narrative history of the Tiruppalaivanam Temple at Tiruppalaivanam, which is one of the unique temples in Tiruvallore district. Studies on important South Indian temples are not uncommon, for the temple was essentially a religious, social and cultural institution in ancient Tamilagam. In the past, the temple was the nucleus around which centred the religious, social and cultural life of the people. The temple inspired and sustained private piety. And private piety was expressed in the form of gifts from individuals and State to the temple. This facilitated proper temple administration. As a great centre of learning from very early times the temple attracted many ruling dynasties of ancient Tamilagam make substantial gifts of gold or land for the maintenance and development of all the institutions connected with it. The temple acted as a land-holded consumer of goods and served as a bank, museum and partly as a hospital and a service agent for relief the poor. In short, as an all pervasive institution the medieval temple played a unique role. Thus the history of every important temple forms an indispensable key to the local history. The Tiruppalaivaneswara Temple attracts the curiosity of not merely the historian but also the sociologist, economist, architect and sculptors of its entire history and the story of the contemporary society, and its richness both economic terms and in terms of architecture and the sculptures. The exhaustive documentation available from 71 inscriptions engraved on the walls and pillars of the temple is rare wealth indeed and of immeasurable value. The temple also sports a depiction in stone of different sculptures for setting the pace for many others to follow in the succeeding centuries.