Site Name: Kodambalur
Date: 880 CE
Subject: Lose sculpture in courtyard
CENTER FOR ART AND ARCHAEOLOGY
The Aivar Kovil is a Panchayatana temple or a temple of five shrines. Once on a common plinth there must have been a central shrine surrounded by a narrow circumambulatory wall (prakara), with four subsidiary shrines on the sides. Each sub-shrine had a short balustraded flight of steps leading to them and one would approach the shrine either from the west or east. All the five sancta enshrine lingas of the Pandyan convention. This temple is an example of the Panchayatana temple style of Central and Eastern India, but, unfortunately, today only the basement and wreckage of a single temple survive. The few surviving sculptures such as Mahisamardini image, seated siddhas and apsaras follow Tondainadu style. The foundation of the temple possibly dates from the time of Irrukuvel chief, Marvan Pudi’s father Cattan Maravan (early ninth century CE). References: M.W. Meister and M.A. Dhaky 1963, pp. 200 – 202, S.R. Balasubrahmanyam, 1971, p.28 and S.K.V. Rajan, 1980, p. 45.