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Home > Kerala Temples > Introduction to Kerala Temples > Ninth to Eleventh Centuries A.D Ninth to Eleventh Centuries A.DThis period is known as Kulasekhara period*, is considered as ‘Golden age’ in the history of temples in the state, as is particularly significant due to the emergence of the first Bhakthi movement and the revival of Hinduism led by ADI Sankaracharya. This great saint reformed Hinduism by some popular features of Buddhism like monasticism and sanghs. Apart from establishing four principal maths at the four corners of India viz Badarinath, (Jyothir math), Puri (Govardhan math), Dwaraka (Sarada math) and Sringeri (Sringeri math), he founded four maths at Thrissur in kerala viz Vadakke math, Natuvil math, Itayil math and Thekke math. Karunadadakkan (857-885 AD) who ruled the Ay kingdom established saalas (Vedic colleges) in the precincts of the ftemples at Parthivasekharapuram (Parthivapuram near Munchira in Kanyakumari district) and at Kandalursaala (Valiasaala in Thiruvananthapuram city). A recent manuscript obtained from Munchira math mentions the Valiasaala temple as the Kantalur Mahadeva temple. Yet another premier saala which existed in kerala was the one (Sree Vallabhaswami temple), at Thiruvalla. During the rule of the second Chera empire (800-1102 A.D) which covered the whole of kerala, Hinduism continued to be the predominant religion. The Bhakthi movement was in fact led by Aazhvaars and Naayanaars. There were twelve Aazhvaars and sixty three Naayanaars of which Kulasekhara Aazhvaar and Cheraman Perumal Naayannar and Viralminda Naayanaar belonged to Kerala. Kulasekhara Aazhvaar’s Perumal Thirumozhi in Tamil form part of the Vaishnavite Divya Prabandham. Among the literary compositions, the Ponvannattandadi, is famous. The Aazhvaars and Naayanaars established a number of Vaishnava and Saiva shrines. The Sree Krishna temple of Thirukulasekharapuram (near Kodungallur) is believed to have been founded by Kulasekhara Aazhvaar, the great saint during the first half of the ninth century. The inscriptional evidence found in Kantiyur Siva temple in Mavelikkara, on a stone lying in front of the temple, records the gift of land to the temple on the 123rd year of the God of Kantiyur which corresponds to 823 AD. The Siva temple at Thiruvanchikkulam (near Kodungallur) was founded by the Saivite saint Sundaramurthi Naayanaar, a royal friend of Cheraman Perumal Naayanaar. The Mooshika vamsam, a Sanskrit epic of the eleventh century and composed by one Athula (acourt poet of Srikanta, the ruler of Mooshika dynasty), gives vivid accounts of some important temples in northern Kerala like Narayana Kannur temple (Ramanthali), Sree Krishna temple, Thricchambaram, Sree Raja Rajeswara (Siva) temple (Taliparamba)etc. the inscriptions, lyrics etc give details of many temples in kerala. It can be presumed that several important temples found in kerala existed at the close of the eleventh century A.D. *
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