I was about to place a request to collect details on the Summary on Rajendra I expeditions from the South East Asian Conference - Nov 2007 held in Singapore and post high points.
And that Pallava (Narasimha Varman II ) constructing Chinese temples in tamilnadu. More details when possible.
Sir Walter ELLIOT, K.C.S.I., to whom Yule refers for the information given about this pagoda, has since published in the _Indian Antiquary_, VII., 1878, pp. 224-227, an interesting article with the title: _The Edifice formerly known as the Chinese or Jaina Pagoda at Negapatam_, from which we gather the following particulars regarding its destruction:--
"It went by various names, as the _Puduveli-gopuram_, the old pagoda, Chinese pagoda, black pagoda, and in the map of the Trigonometrical Survey (Sheet 79) it stands as the Jeyna (Jaina) pagoda. But save in name it has nothing in common with Hindu or Muhammadan architecture, either in form or ornament."
"In 1859, the Jesuit Fathers presented a petition to the Madras Government representing the tower to be in a dangerous condition, and requesting permission to pull it down and appropriate the materials to their own use...." In 1867 "the Fathers renewed their application for leave to remove it, on the following grounds: '1st, because they considered it to be unsafe in its present condition; 2nd, because it obstructed light and sea-breeze from a chapel which they had built behind it; 3rd, because they would very much like to get the land on which it stood; and 4th, because the bricks of which it was built would be very useful to them for building purposes.'
"The Chief Engineer, who meanwhile had himself examined the edifice, and had directed the District Engineer to prepare a small estimate for its repair, reported that the first only of the above reasons had any weight, and that it would be met if Colonel O'Connell's estimate, prepared under his own orders, received the sanction of Government. He therefore recommended that this should be given, and the tower allowed to stand....
"The Chief Engineer's proposal did not meet with approval, and on the 28th August 1867, the following order was made on the Jesuits' petition: 'The Governor in Council is pleased to sanction the removal of the old tower at Negapatam by the officers of St. Joseph's College, at their own expense, and the appropriation of the available material to such school- building purposes as they appear to have in contemplation.
"The Fathers were not slow in availing themselves of this permission. The venerable building was speedily levelled, and the site cleared."
In making excavations connected with the college a bronze image representing a Buddhist or Jaina priest in the costume and attitude of the figures in wood and metal brought from Burma was found; it was presented to Lord Napier, in 1868; a reproduction of it is given in Sir Walter Elliot's paper.
In a note added by Dr. Burnell to this paper, we read: "As I several times in 1866 visited the ruin referred to, I may be permitted to say that it had become merely a shapeless mass of bricks. I have no doubt that it was originally a _vimana_ or shrine of some temple; there are some of precisely the same construction in parts of the Chingleput district."
-Sen notes the intimate relationship between the temples, merchant guilds, Brahman communities and the Chola rulers, and how the Chola rulers frequently turned over conquered regions to Brahman communities for developmental purposes, and that these communities then involved the merchant guilds in temple construction.99 This idea continued that of Meera Abraham, who noted that the intimate links among the Chola state, merchant guilds, and religious institutions was one of the "vital elements of the Chola state synthesis of the eleventh century."100
Abraham in turn drew much from earlier studies by Nilakanta Sastri. =================
Vijay,
I remember to have read in the Bibliography - KAN Sastry's book related to Foreign trade activities !
> > AND VIJAY - WHAT ARE THE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN " MAAMALLAI " AND SEVEN > PAGODAS ? > > anbudan / > > sps > hi sir,
swaminathans detailed work) - the seven pagodas seem more a legend - there is strong proof of structures that are under the sea, but the current shore temple was built specifically by the sea side...this is clear because of the name given to the diety in the temple - jala sayana perumal in inscriptions ( both pallava and chola)- as compared to the sthala sayana perumal ( later temple) much inside mallai town. Further the kasakudi Copper Plate grants of Nandhivarman talk of a mandabam erected over a vishnu image. Thirumangai Azhwar's reference to this image is as lord who lays on the sea shore.
the vishnu image ( now in really sad state) seems to be an earlier structure around which two temples of shiva were erected by rajasimha pallava.
This eastern temple is called Kshatriya-simhesvara ( four storied), and the western one is Rajasimhesvara ( three storied). The Vishnu shrine sandwiched is called Narapati-simha-Pallava-Vishnu-griha (the name is inscribed in pallava grantam) and as per scholars is the oldest sculpture in mallai .
These names are inscribed on the temples and are named after the titles of Rajasimha.
The inscription of Rajaraja, the greatest Chola, found here calls the complex as Jalasayanam and the Vishnu shrine as Pall-kandaruliya- thevar ... so too rajendra chola's inscriptions. ( south indian inscriptions volume 2)