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Chilamkur, an ancient village in Kamalapuram taluk, lies between latitude 14° 39” N, and longitude 78° 28’ E. The village is located on the Kadapa – Tadparti road at a distance of 6 km from Yerraguntla railway station and 2 km to the south of the Kalamalla railway station, on the Madras-Bombay broad guage line.
Chilamkur figures in many inscriptions from sixth to sixteenth century A.D. as Chyumbari, Chizumbiru, Sizumira, Chizamakaru, Muthyala Chilmukiri and Chiluma Agrahara. The word Chilamkur is derived from two Telugu words ‘chirumbu’ and ‘uru’ meaning ‘small village’ Thus the name Chilamkur is denotative of the size of the village.
History :
The history of this village goes back to early medieval times. It was an important adminstrative unit under the Rénadu Cholas. Chilamkur figures in many inscriptions of the Renadu Cholas and also of the subsequent periods. It is mentioned in an inscription at Kalamalla, which belongs to the reign of Dhananjaya of Renadu and is assigned to the last quarters of the sixth century A.D., as Chirumbari along with Chennuru, a village in Cuddapah taluk. An inscription belonging to the reign of the Renadu Chola king Vikrama-ditya Chola Maharajulu, registers the gift of a garden of one marutupdu by the queen Elan Chola-Mahadevulu, while Uttamaditya Samantaka was camping at Chirumbiru., The gift was witnessed by certain Tolpa-Kami-Rattagaullu, Choliya-Rattagullu, AtiSaya Rattagullu; Vallava-Rattagudi, Chalki-Rattagudi, etc. The inscription is in the characters of the eighth century A D.
Another inscription at Chilamkur, in the characters of about ninth century A.D., registers the gift of land by the eldest son of Vikramaditya Pebhannadhirdja. An epigraph at the same village mentions Cholamahadévulu. A damaged epigraph at the same place refers to certain Bandaya, son of Harirachaparu and mentions Vallavasalki and Chiruburu (Chilamkur).
Another epigraph, dated in Chalukya Vikrama year 56 (A.D. 1132) records the construction of a tank at Chiramakuru by Nalikabbe, the mother of Singeya, who was the agent of Singarasa. Mahamandalésvara Trailokyamalla Mallideva Maharaja, a subordinate of Western Chajukyas of Kalyana, is said to have been ruling over the Muliki 300 and Bhivarasa was administering Chiramkuru.
An inscription, dated in S. 1304 (A.D. 1382) and referring to the Vijayanagara king Harihara II son of Vira Bukkaraya, records the gift of land made while the Mahamandlésvara Vira Devariya Ogdeya, the kings son, was governing Udayagiri. Chilamkur is stated to have been situated in Mulkinadu. Another inscription of S. 1431 (A.D. 1509) records the construction of a tank to the west of Mutyala Chilamkuru by the chief Chodaparaja Kalayya for the merit of his parents.
Another inscription dated S. 1469 (A.D. 1547) refers to Sadasivaraya and records the remission of taxes on barbers in three specified districts under orders from Ramarajayya.
DATE OF THE TEMPLE
The temple of Agastygévara is not mentioned in any of the inscriptions referred above. But, Chilamkar figures as ‘Chirumbur’ in an inscription of the Renati Cholas. In the same inscription it is said that while Vikramaditya was ruling, his queen Elan Chola Mahadevi made a gift of garden of one marutupdu, probably to the Agastesvara temple. The inscription is in the Telugu characters of the eighth century A.D. Hence it is probable, that the Agastyesvara temple at Chilamkur may be assigned to the eighth century A.D.
The unique architectural features of the Agastyesvara temple and the shrine of Ganapati erected within the same compound suggest an early date for the construction of the temple. The apsidal plan of the Agastygsvara temple indicates that this temple was built on the model of a Buddhist Chaityagriha. The exterior apsidal plan of the garbhagriha and gajaprishtha sikhara with a prominent gable front built in stone of the miniature Ganapati shrine may also help us to assign the temple to the eighth century A.D.
DESCRIPTION OF THE TEMPLE
The Agastyesvara temple is located in the old village of Chilamkur. Oriented towards east, the temple consists of a garbhagrika and a mukhamandapa. There is another mapdapa with four pillars in front of the mukhamapdapa. This seems to be a later addition.
THE MUKHAMANDAPA
The mukhamandapa is a square structure measuring 5.5 m each side and covered with walls on all sides with a doorway in the east wall. The mukhamandapa stands on an adhishthana which is decorated with plain mouldings, The walls and the kapota are also plain without any decorative motifs.
The jambs of the doorway have three perpendicular sections or Sakhas decorated with creeper motifs, pilaster and lotus patterns. The central section consists of a row of human figures keeping their hands in adoration. The dvarapalas are represented on the lower portions of the door jambs and Gajalakshmi in the lalata.
The mukhamandapa has sixteen pillars each with a height of 1.95 m. The four central pillars are exquisitely carved with beautiful and elaborate sculptures. The lower most member of the pillar (asvapadam) is decorated with a succession of plain pattikas. The lower square block which is placed immediately above the asvapadam is adorned with beautiful sculptures representing gods and goddesses. The next section which is polygonal in shape is also very intersting. On the facing sides of this part and in sunken niches are sculptured human figures. The central square block is again a marvel in the decorative art. Here the central portion is adorned with a prominent kirtimukha, squatish ganas on the lower portions and arabesque design and motifs on the top portion. It is very interesting to note that the top corners of this central square block are adorned with prominent lions. Beautiful sculptures representing Seshasayi, Narasimha, Manmada, Nataraja, Kiratarjuniyam, etc., are found on these pillars. The central square block is followed by a sloping circular section, a projecting and circular wheel like moulding, padma or idal and abacus or phalaka and finally the capital. All these pillars have roll and leaf corbels. The ceiling of the mandapa consists of a lotus medallion or padmasila in the centre.
THE GARBHAGRIHA
The garbhagriha is apsidal externally and measures 6.48 m length and 5.05 m breadth The adhishthana is of one metre in height and decorated with plain binds. The walls are alsc plain and each wall measures 2.6 m height from the top of the base to kapota. The super structure is not extant. The simple and plain prapaia is set in the north wall at the adhishthan level. The interior of the grabhagriha is oblong and measures 4.11 m x 2.74 m. There are two pillars in the garbhagriha set on either side of the walls very near to the door way entrance and supporting a horizontal beam. The garbhagriha enshrines a linga set in a round panivattam. The ceiling of the garbhagriha has an ashthakona design adorned with : padmasila in the centre. The door jambs of the sanctum are plain.
THE GANAPATI SHRINE
This shrine lies to the south of the mukhamapdapa of the Agastyevara temple and is oriented towards north. It has an apsidal garbhagriha measuring 2.62 m length and 2.29 m breadth. The shrine measures 3.23 m in height.
It consists of an adhishthana, plain wall with prominent kapota, griva and gajaprishtha sikhara. The adhishthana has the following members from bottom upwards – upana, patta and kapota or prati. Above the wall portion lies kapota. Above it are the mouldings like gala, kapota like moulding and a phalaka on which lies the griva and Sikhara proper.
The sikhara has a semicircular gable facing in the front. The inner portion of the gable is plain unlike Pottapi or Chezerla examples. Another peculiar feature of this Sikhara is that, although broadly it resembles those at Chazerla and Pottapi, it differs from them in many respects. Firstly, the sikhara is built completely of dressed stones. Secondly the gable or chaitya motif on the front is not a true chaitya gable motif as at Chezerla. Thirdly, there are no denticulated mouldings along the edge of the gable as at Chézerla or Pottapi. Another interesting feature is that here the Sikhara rises over the wall supported by kapota, phalaka, griva, etc., in between where as there are no such members in the Pottapi temple. The Ganapati shrine like the Agastgsvara temple has an oblong interior housing an image of Ganapati.
(Courtesy : Temples of Cuddapah Distric by A Gurumurthy)
