Tiruvadi
Tiruvadi, 1908
This article has been extracted from THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908. OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS. |
Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts.Many units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value.
Town in the District and taluk of Tanjore, Madras, situated in 10° 53' N. and 79° 6' E., 6 miles north of Tanjore city. Population (1901), 7,821. It was the head-quarters of a separate taluk of the same name until i860. A deputy-tahsildar and a District Munsif are now stationed here. It is also called Tiruvaiyar (in Sanskrit Fanchanadam), or ' the holy five rivers,' from the fact that the Coleroon, the Cauvery, the Kodamurutti, the Vettar, and the Vennar all run in nearly parallel courses within a distance of six miles from it. It is for this reason considered a particularly sacred place, and is one of the chief centres of Brahmanism in the District. From the southern bank of the Cauvery its temples give it almost the appearance of a miniature Benares. Of a group of seven shrines locally known as Saptasthalam, that at Tiruvadi is the principal. During the great annual festival the gods from the other temples are brought to visit the deity in this. The concourse of pilgrims on this occasion is exceedingly large. There are many old inscriptions in the temple, more than forty of which have been transcribed by the Govern- ment Epigraphist. All but four of these are of Chola origin; two belong to the Vijayanagar, one to the Pandya, and one to the little- known Udaiyar dynasty. Tiruvadi contains a Sanskrit high school. under the management of the Tanjore taluk board, with 100 boarders ; and also a Vedic school and an English high school, both of which are maintained by native gentlemen.
