A historical Lord Shiva temple located in the Tiruvarur district’s Thirupoovanur neighborhood, close to Needamangalam, said to be associated with the game of chess that has sparked curiosity among the general public ahead of the Chess Olympiad, which will begin in Mahabalipuram near Chennai on July 28. Chennai’s iconic Napier bridge has been painted as a chess platform, adding what gains the people’s interest now? It’s ‘Sathuranga Vallabhanathar’, the deity of the game of chess.
Precisely, the Tamil word ‘Sathurangam’ denotes the game of Chess. Also, the presiding deity of this ancient Shiva temple is ‘Sathuranga Vallabhanathar’. According to legend, Lord Shiva adopted the name ‘Sathuranga Vallabhanathar’ after earning the right to wed the local king’s daughter by outplaying her in a game of chess. Rajarajeswari, the princess, is thought to be a manifestation of the goddess Parvathi.
The king promised to make his daughter married to whoever defeats her in a game of chess as she was a genius at the game. As no one could defeat her, the worried king prayed to Lord Shiva. Legend has it that, the Lord Shiva first appeared as an old man or saint, overcame the difficulty to defeat princess Rajarajeswari, and then shed his disguise to wed the ‘Goddess’. A unique shrine for Chamundeeswari, who is believed to have been born to serve Rajarajeswari in Tamil Nadu, is also housed in the temple. Tamil poet-saint Tirunavukkarasar had sung in praise of the temple in Thevaram.
Moreover, Archeological studies suggest that the Vimana of the main deity may date back to the 13th or 14th century. During the years 1946-1947, the Department of Epigraphy in Mysuru copied eleven inscriptions from the temple. They date roughly from the 13th to the 16th century and are also said to belong to the period of the later Pandya and Vijayanayakar kings. The majority of the fragmentary or damaged inscriptions are about endowments, according to R Kalaikkovan, director of the Dr. M Rajamanikkanar Centre for Historical Research in Tamil Nadu’s Trichy.
Chess was played in Tamil Nadu even 1,500 years ago, as per the temple records. According to Thiruvadikudil Swamigal, founder of the forum of devotees Jothimalai Iraipani Thirukoottam, who recently performed special pujas at the temple praying for the successful conduct of the Olympiad, said that although it had underwent some minor changes, chess in its earliest forms originated in India and traveled to Europe. As the nation is hosting the Chess Olympiad for the first time, he said, this was an opportunity to highlight the temple’s history and Tamil Nadu’s historical ties to the game.
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