Pazhayarai

Pazhayarai

Palayaru
Image of Thenupuriswarar temple at Patteeswaram
Region	Thanjavur
Part of	Chola capitals
History
Periods	Medieval Cholas

Pazhayarai or Pazhaiyarai or Palayarai (Tamil: பழையாறை paḻaiyāṟai) was an ancient capital of the medieval Chola dynasty in Tamil Nadu. The place is located around 7 km (4.3 mi) from Kumbakonam, a city in Thanjavur district, in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the banks of T.Patnam river, one of the distributaries of the river Kaveri. There are a number of villages within the area of historic Pazhaiyarai. The place was called Ayiratalli, meaning a land of thousand temples. The place is referred under various names like Ayiratalli, Pazhayar, Ahavamallakulakalapuram and Minavanaivenkadasolapuram.

The place was originally under the rule of Muttaraiyars, the feudatories of Pallava empire when it was called Avanaiapuram. The place attained its fame when it came under the regime of the Cholas. There are a number of inscriptions from the Chola dynasty associating the importance capital during the regime of Sundara (Parantaka II) (957-70). It retained it importance under the subsequent Chola kings, but when it switched hands to the Pandya dynasty, the place lost its importance. There are a number of temples associated with the place, with the major ones being Thenupuriswarar Temple, Patteeswaram, Pazhayarai Vadathali, Panchavan Madeviyar Pallippadai Temple, Thirunandipura Vinnagaram and Sakthivanesvara Temple.