Sholinghur
| Sholinghur | |
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| Town | |
Distant view of the temple town from the Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple
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 Sholinghur
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| Coordinates: 13°07′N 79°25′E / 13.12°N 79.42°ECoordinates: 13°07′N 79°25′E / 13.12°N 79.42°E | |
| Country |
 India
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| State | Tamil Nadu |
| District | Vellore |
| Lok Sabha Constituency | Arakkonam |
| State Assembly constituency | Sholinghur |
| Area | |
| • Total | 20 km2 (8 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 155 m (509 ft) |
| Population (2009) | |
| • Total | 126,597 |
| • Density | 6,300/km2 (16,000/sq mi) |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Tamil |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| PIN | 631102 |
| Telephone code | 04172 |
| Vehicle registration | TN-73 |
| Website | sholingur |
Sholinghur (Tamil: சோளிங்கர்) is a town under Walajapet taluk in Vellore district of Tamil Nadu, India. The town is famous in Tamil Nadu and other neighboring states for the Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple. Sholinghur was once ruled by the Chola Empire, Nawabs of Arcot and Tippu Sultan.
The first name for this town was Thirukkadigai. This signifies its status as one of the 108 Divya Desams in Vaishnavism. The reason behind the name Thirukkadigai is due to one of the following myths.
During the days of Cholas & Nawabs, the name Thirukkadigai was less used and the name Chozha Lingapuram acquired prominence.
Reference is made to a ghatika in the Tiruvallam inscription of Nandivarman Pallavamalla dated in his 61st year. Again an arbitrator having the title Trairjyua ghatika madhyasthan is mentioned in three inscriptions of Parthivendradhipathi from Brahmadesam in North Arcot District (Kanchipuram district) of Tamil Nadu This ghatika was presumably a different one from the famous one at the Pallava capital Kanchipuram. It was probably the Ghatikachala at the Sholinghur hill. This place is referred to as Kadigai in the siriya thirumadal and periya thirumoli of Vaishnava saint Tirumangai Alvar, a contemporary of Nandivaraman Pallavamalla. During the Pallava period it was a well-known centre of Sanskrit learning and stronghold of Vaisnavism. The early Vaisnava saint Peyalvar refers to this temple as Pungatikai in his Iyarpa third Andadi. Pallava influences are traceable in the neighbourhood of this place. A cave temple belonging to Mahendravarma I who reigned early in the seventh century is from Kanchipuram bearing the name Mahendravisnugrha is found in Mahendravadi. It is not unlikely that a ghatika was founded there by the successors of Mahendravarman and the place was named Ghatikachalam. In his hymns on the Tirukkannapuram on the hill of Ghatikai. The ghatika is Sholinghur hill consisted of Vaisnava Brahmans who carried on a programme of higher studies specially drawn up for the institution. The institution presumably attracted its students from several places around Ghatikachalam. The ghatika was probably located the hill temple itself dedicated to Narasimha. Sholinghur which a Kadigai was seat of Great learning in the later Pallava age continued to be an educational centre in subsequent days during the chola age. Even to this day there is a Sanskrit College at this place.
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Wikipedia