Muthurajas are heavily populated in and around of Uraiyur which was the Head quarter of Early Cholas. Muthurajas ruled cholamandalam for 300 years with the help of Pallavas. Among mutharayar kings, Swaran maran a legend who ruled independently without the help of Pallavas and kept other tribal communities such as Kallars, Vellalas, Pallars under his control. Thatswhy he was called Kalvar kalvan and the inscription is found in Senthalai. Muthurajas also had matrimonial alliances with Pandyas, who were also known as Maha Rayas.
The Muthurajas or Mutharaiyars were a line of powerful kings and were for a long time feudatory to the Pallavas, rulling over large portions of the Tamilnadu. "The centre of their power was somewhere in the district of Thanjavur, Sendalai, at present a small village near Tirukkattupalli, appears once to have been a flourishing town with the beautiful name Candralekha, and either this place or Niyamam in its neighbourhood was most probably the centre of Muttaraiya rule." As their territory lay between the Pandya and Pallava empires, they were involved in almost all the contests between the two powers. Their subordination was of great assistance to the Pallavas not only in their struggle againt the Pandyas but also in holding the Cholas under subjection.
Muthurajas (A.D 655 - A.D 851), also called Mutharaiyars, were a line of kings in what is now Tamil Nadu, India. They were a long time feudatory to the Pallavas. The centre of their power was somewhere in the districts of Tanjore, Sendalai, at present a small village near Tirukkattupalli, appears once to have been a flourishing town with the beautiful name Candralekha, and either this place or Niyamam in its neighbourhood was most probably the centre of Muttaraiya rule."
As their territory lay between the Pandya and Pallava kings, they were involved in almost all the contests between the two powers. Their subordination was of great assistance to the Pallavas not only in their struggle against the Pandyas but also in holding the Cholas under subjection.
NāladiyārDuring the pre-Chola period, the chiefs of the Muthuraja/Muttaraiyar community ruled over the Tanjore district in Tamilakkam. They controlled the fertile plains of the Kaveri region. When the Cholas came to power, the Muttaraiyar were turned into feudatories. Muttaraiyar literally means King of three territories. They built many temples for Siva. One of the most famous from this clan was Peru Muttaraiyar, who was known for his great wealth and grand feasts. Two stanzas (200, 296) of Nāladiyār, one of the works of ancient Tamil literature, is dedicated to him.. One of their titles was Lord of Tanjore
During the period of Ko Rajakesarivarman Rajaraja Chola I, we know of at least one high ranking chief and a feudatory of the Chola from this community: Śēkkizhār Araiyan Sankaranarayanan, also known as Chola-Muttaraiyan. Araiyan, which is the Tamil equivalent of the Sanskrit Raja or King, in this context means a chieftain or a governor. The title Chola Muttaraiyan means that he was a subordinate of the Chola King and was the Lord of the Muttaraiyar people.
Great BuildersIt was well recorded that Kolis built Mumbai (Bombay), the great commercial capital of India on the West coast (Arabian Sea). Many people do not know that the fishing community built the cultural city of Madras (Chennai) on the East Coast (Bay of Bengal) of South India. The Founder of the city was a Chieftain of the Mudiraj fishing community and his name was Mutharasu Chennayya. The city was named after Mutharasu Chennayya (Madras and Chennai). The city of Thanjavoor was built by a Mutharayar king whose name is believed to be Thananjaya ( Dhananjaya ) Rayar and ruled his kingdom by making this city as his capital. The city which was initially known as "Thananjaya Voor" got gradually modified to present names - Thanjavoor and Thanjai.
Temple buildingMuthurajas were instrumental in building many magnificent Temples including Narthamalai A cluster of small hillocks, 25 km from Tiruchi on the Tiruchi-Pudukottai road hosts some of the finest and oldest architectural models and rock cut cave temples, and the longest of rock-cut edicts, similar to Asokan edicts the likes of which are extremely rare in the south. Narthamalai, a heritage complex, consists of nine small hillocks - Melamalai, Kottaimalai, Aluruttimalai, Kadambarmalai, Perayarmalai, Uvakkanmalai, Manmalai, Bommattimalai and Ponmalai and the shrub forests surrounding the same is a habitat for peacock, deer and other animals. According to mythology they were parts of the Sanjeevimalai carried by Lord Hanuman during the war between Rama and Ravana.
Thirumaiyam TempleLocated in Tamil Nadu. This cave temple was established by Kuvavan Mutharayar during his rule at Thanjavur from 610 AD – 649 AD. There stands a statue of Kuvavan Mutharayar in the form of Twara Balaga (Dwara Palaka = Gate keeper = Security guard) on the right side of temple door. It is believed that Kuvavan was brought from Renadu (Rayalseema) as a step son by his ancestor Nalladi alias Bhima Solan. Mahendra Pallavan took over Kanchi from Bhima Solan.
On the left side of temple entrance, there stands another Twara Balaga, which is said to be the statue of Kuvavan's younger brother Punniakumaran. At the time of Kuvavan's rule Punnia Kumaran was the Yuvaraja. That is why the Dwara Palaka on left entrance is seen without crown. At that time his father was on the seat of power in Renadu. The elder brother Kuvavan was crowned as king at Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu. The younger brother was serving his elder brother faithfully by staying with him. The elder brother Kuvavan honored his younger brother for his love and faithful services by installing his statue along with him as Dwara Palaka in Thirumaiyam temple in Pudukottai Temple.
Vijayala CholeeswaramVijayala Choleeswaram was originally built by Mutharayar kings. Vijayala Chola who defeated Mutharayar king and occupied Tanjore is believed to have renovated and renamed the Mutharayar temple as Vijayala Cholleswaram.
Narthamalai came under the sway of the Mutharayars from 7th to 9th century who were the vassals of the Pallava kings of Kanchi and Pandya kings of Madurai and was later conquered by the Cholas of Thanjavur.
Vijayalaya Choleeswaram is a structural temple. Most structural temples of Pallava period have Griva Koshtas. The Vijayalaya Choleeswaram temple of Naarthmalai belonging to the reign of Muttaraiyars who ruled Chola heartland before cholas hosts an excellent Griva Koshtas.
There is an inscription at the base of the dwarapalaka statue which clearly states that the original temple was built by Ilangovathi Mutharayar (alias) Chathambuthi which was damaged by rain and the same was rebuilt with granite stones by Mallan Vithuman Mutharaya king in 886 AD. This is a clear evidence that the temple was in existence prior to Vijayalaya chola, though at present the temple is called Vijayalaya Choleeswaram.
PazhiyileeswaramAnother rock-cut cave temple, dedicated to Siva, opposite to the Vijayalaya Chozhisvaram temple, about 30 feet south of Samanar-kudagu.
This Siva cave temple was excavated in the seventh year of the Pallava king Nripatunga (862 AD.) by a Muttaraiyar chief, Sattan-pazhiyili, son of Videl-vidugu Muttaraiyan, which is where the temple gets the name. An inscription on the basement, states that the temple was excavated by Pazhiyili. It also states that his son built the front mandapam and installed a nandi, while his daughter Pazhiyili Siriya-nangai made a gift of land to the temple.
Pazhiyili was a Mutharayar king, who ruled in 857 AD in Narthamalai region. Pazhiyili figures in the inscriptions found near Pudukkottai - Narthamamai - in 857 AD. Pazhiyili practised Jainism and donated lands to Siva temple and named it as Pazhiyileeswaram. Pazhiyili as the contemporary chieftain under Pallava rule in Kodumbalur region and deviating from his predecessors practised Saivism and made a rock cut temple.
