Sri Kottai Maariyamman  - Salem

The Cosmic Mother, Amman, who is worshipped in many different names by devotees in various places, has manifested herself as ‘Maariyamman’ in Salem to bless her devotees. Her temple is located on the banks of Manimuththaaru in Salem.

When the Chera kings ruled Salem, they built this temple and also a Perumal temple. Though there are eight Maariyamman temples in Salem, this Maariyamman is said to be the oldest and the most powerful. So, she is referred to as the ‘Great (Periya) Maariyamman’.

The Location of the Temple:
The temple is located near the old bus depot, at a distance of 6 km from the railway station. The temple has sanctum, front mandap, bali peetam, outer prahaara mandap, parrot mandap, vasanth mandap and huge granite Rajagopuram. The front mandap rests on 30 stone pillars of beautiful carvings. The bali peetam is placed in the middle of this mandap. When we walk through the prahaaram of the outer mandap, we see Lord Madurai veeran with Vellaiyammal and Bommiyammal. In the Dwajasthamba mandap, rows of lamps are lit in the form of a cone. Vasanth mandap lies next to this. Here, Lord Vinayaka is seated facing north, blessing His devotees.

Belief:
Prediction through flower is a popular practice in this temple. White and red colored flowers are kept in separate packets and are placed at the feet of Amman. Devotees pick up any one of them and if they find the flower to be of their choice, they go back with the hope that whatever they had wished for would be fulfilled soon.

Those affected with small pox pray to Maariyamma for speedy recovery. The sacred water (Theertham) is sprinkled on the body of the patient. After recovery, the affected person carries human figurines on his head, goes around the temple 3 times and puts them down near the bali peetam, which symbolizes offering of the recovered person himself to the Goddess in gratitude.

The Temple Festivals:
Festivals including Vinayaka chaturthi, Navarathri, Diwali, Karthikai, Pongal, Maha Sivarathri, Tamil New Year, Aadi thiruvizhaa are being celebrated in this temple. Aadi thiruvizhaa is celebrated with special features among other festivals.

Naganathaswamy - Rahusthalam – Thirunageswaram, Kethusthalam – Kizhaperumpallam

Astrological texts describe Rahu – Kethu as being more powerful than the other seven planets. Rahu is the lord of fortune while Kethu is of wisdom.

If Rahu is placed favorably in a person’s horoscope, he will be bestowed with all prosperity in life. That is why Rahukala puja is recommended as remedy for those whose marriages are delayed. Now, Rahu-Kethu transits have taken place. Let us go to both Rahu and Kethu sthalas near Kumbakonam.

The Location of the Temple:

Rahusthalam – Thirunageswaram is situated east of Kumbakonam at a distance of 6 kms. The glory of this place has been praised by three Nayanmars in their Devaram songs. It is one among the 274 Chola shrines and it was here that Sekkizhar was blessed with wisdom by God. The temple, facing eastward, comprises four gopurams, three praharams and four streets that are used for car festival. On entering, we see the statues of Nirutha Ganapathy, Nandi and Lord Vinayaka. On the left side Surya Pushkarani and on the right a hundred-pillar mandap are located. In the interior, mounts are kept in the decorated mandap. And Navagraha sannadhi is also there.

Adjacent to the sanctum of the presiding deity, sannadhis of Vinayaka, Chandrasekhara, Muruga, Panchalingam and Goddess Lakshmi are situated. To the right, the sannadhi of Nataraja is located. To the south, sannadhis of Sekkizhar, Balaravayar and his mother are situated. Nandi, located to the right of Sekkizhar statue is a sculptural marvel. The sannadhi of Girigujambika deserves special mention. The statues of samana saints are kept around this sannadhi in the outer praharam. There’s no abishekam for this deity as the deity is not made a silavigraha. During the Tamil month of Thai, She is bedecked with oil. The Vinayaka in this temple is known as Chenpaga Vinayaka and Sanru Vinayaka. The main deity is known as Naganathar and Nagesarar. Rahu sannadhi is on the south-west direction of the second praharam.

History:
The history of this shrine tells us about how Gods, devas and sages benefited by their prayers here. Sun God, Vinayaka, Gouthama, Nala, saints Parasara and Vasishta, Pandavas, Indra, Brahma and Bahiratha, snake kings Adhiseshan, Thakkan and Karkodakan etc. had sought and got redemption from their curses, sins etc. Sage Narguna brought back to life his children who died due to snakebite through his nonbu here.

The story of redemption of king Saambumali is quite interesting. This Kerala king incurred the wrath of sage Kalangiri when he could not give him the gold he asked for. The enraged sage cursed the king. When the king begged for his mercy the sage told him to go to Thirunageswaram, bathe in the temple tank there and pray to Naganathar and Mulaiyammai for redemption. The king carried out the sage’s words and was redeemed from his curse. The king’s figure has been sculptured on one of the pillars in the alangara mandap.

Special feature:
By performing abhisheka during Rahu-kaalam to Rahu bhagwan, all Rahu, Kethu and sarpa doshas are ridden of. The color of the milk changes from white to blue during abhishekam!

Kethusthalam:
Now, let us visit the Kethusthalam at Kizhperumpallam. The temple has been built with its sannadhi facing east. The temple tank called Nagatheertham is facing the temple. Those having nagadosha install figurines of serpent here under the Pipal and Neem trees. High walls surround the temple while there is no gopuram for the entrance. On entering the temple, going round the right side, we can see the statues of Vinayaka, Subrahmanya with His consorts, Durga, Lakshminarayana, Maheswari and Gajalakshmi. In the north praharam, sannadhis of Sanndeswar and Durga are situated. There’s a well here. In the east praharam, sannadhis of Sani, Bairava, Sambandhar, Nagar, and Sun God are situated. Here, Kethu baghwan has been portrayed in a standing pose facing west. He has a human body and the head of a five-hood snake. His hands are folded in prayer. In the sanctum, adjacent to the mahamandap, Naganathar is portrayed in the form of a lingam. At the entrance of the sanctum, Siddhi Vinayaka is there. On returning, we can see Soundaranayaki deity in the south-faced sannidhi.

Kethu was an Asura by birth. His name was Sparbhanu in his younger days. His grandfather was saint Kasipa, his father was Viprasiddhu. His mother’s name was Simhikai. When the devas and asuras churned the Ocean of Milk and obtained amirtha, Sparbhanu assumed the form of a deva and sat in between the Sun and the Moon Gods and drank the amirtha. The Sun and the Moon Gods informed Vishnu who had taken the avtar of a dazzling beauty Mohini about Sparbhanu. Mohini hit the head of the asura with the metal spoon in her hand. The asura’s body was cut into two pieces, the body and the head. His head acquired a snake’s body and became Rahu while his body got a snake’s head to become Kethu. Both of them attained the status of a graha through penance. People started worshipping them along with the other seven grahas. As Kethu’s color is believed to be red, he is worshipped with red flowers and adorned with red colored clothes.

• Thiruvenkadu, Bhudhasthalam lies at 6 kms distance in the north.
• Thirukadavur Amirthakadeswarar temple lies at 15 kms distance in the south.
• Velaperumpallam, also known as Thiruvalampuram temple lies at 2 kms distancein the west.
• Vaitheeswaran temple, Sevvaisthalam lies at 10 kms distance in northwest.

Sri Rinavimochana Lingeswarar – Thirucherai

Poverty is the root cause for many problems including food and marriage. We learnt that Rinatheeswarar deity in Thirucherai temple is the God for solving these problems. Let us go to Thicherai.

Rinavimochana Lingeswarar
Let us first know how this deity came to be known Rinavimochana Lingeswarar. Rina – debt, vimochana – remedy that is, a deity for remedy for debt-related problems. Rinavimochakar neutralizes not only the previous jenma’s sins but also removes poverty of the present jenma and blesses the devotee with a prosperous life. One may possess intelligence, capacity, beauty and health but if he is poor, poverty will deprive him of the enjoyment he’ll get from these factors. The deity in Thirucherai removes this poverty. Now, let us get into the temple.

Architecture of the temple
Thirucherai is at a distance of 15 kms from Kumbakonam en route Kumbakonam – Thiruvarur. You first spot the temple tank Bindusudha, built by the king Kulothunga Chola. It is around 1,500 years old. On entering the temple, we see Vinayaka and moving further into the temple, we see the presiding deity Senneriyappar, the deity that gives prosperity to us. Lord Shiva is portrayed here in the form of a lingam. The Goddess is called Gyanavalli. She blesses one with wisdom. On 13, 14 and 15 of the Tamil month Maasi, the rays of sun fall directly on the lingam and the feet of the Goddess. On these days special worship services are offered.

The deities Nataraja, Dakshinamoorthi, Durga in the prahara favor the devotees with blessings. Durga is portrayed in three forms –Sivadurga, Vaishnavi and Vishnudurga in the same sannadhi. Next is Bhairava. On the lines of the devaram song sung by Appar, Lord Shiva has been portrayed here in the form of Bhairava. On the day of ashtami, vadaimaalai and Sahasranama archana are offered to Bhairava. Bhairava blesses one with success in his endeavors and litigation and also neutralizes navagriha dosha.

Rinavimochana lIngeswarar, installed by saint Markandeya for removing the poverty of the people, has His sannadhi in the west prahara. As people benefit by His blessings, this sthalam is being referred to as ‘Kadan nivarthi sthalam’.

Daily poojas and festivals
Four worship services and abhisheka aaradhanaas are offered daily to Sanneriyappar and Rinavimochana Lingeswar. And, on Mondays, continuous special poojas are offered to Rinavimochana Lingeswar. On the days of ashtami, there’ll be special worship services and on the day of Mahasivarathri, there’ll be four services of abhishekam and poojas. The annual festivals include Aadipooram, navarathri vizha and Kandasashti vizha.

Sthalavritcham
Maavilangai is the sthalavritcham of this temple. This tree will have only leaves for four months and pure white flowers for the next four months and will be without flowers or leaves for the remaining four months.

Theertham
This temple is special in its deity, sthalam and theertham. Bindusudha theertham is situated in front of the temple, Markandeya tank is the theppakulam of the temple and Gyanatheertham is the well of the temple. Let us leave the temple after praying to Senneriyappar for prosperity and to Rinavimochana Lingeswara for removal of poverty.

Worship procedure for Rinavimochana Lingeswar
Rinavimochana Lingeswar is portrayed here as blessing the devotees with immediate prosperity! After performing archana to Him, we should offer prayers to Goddess Mahalakshmi and Jeshta Devi. By offering archana on 11 Mondays and by completing our prayer with performing abhishekam on the 11th Monday, our debts will be cleared and prosperity will flourish. The deity will bestow whatever form of wealth one prays for – good married life, children, education, wealth etc. is the firm belief. Ekadasam means Laabhasthaanam. Monday is special for Lord Shiva. And, that’s why 11 Mondays are prescribed.

Sri Koniamman – Coimbatore

Coimbatore is enriched not only by industrial growth, but also by the numerous temples there. Koniamman temple is one among them.

Speciality of the temple
Arunagirinathar Swamigal has sung the praise of Lord Muruga, the deity of Kottai Eswaran temple. Koniamman temple is located in between the two Shiva temples – Kottai Eswaran and Koilpettai Eswaran. ‘Kon’ means the king. Koniamman means the Goddess worshipped by all kings. Also, we can say that She is the Ruler of all Gods!

History of the temple
In Sangam period, Kosas lived in mud forts and the people and the soldiers in pettai. The Kottaimedu in Coimbatore is the erstwhile fort of the kings of those times. The present Eswaran temple and the Subrahmanya temple were inside the fort and the Koniamman temple was outside the fort. When Cheran Senguttuvan went to the northern region for bringing stones for Kannagi statue, Kovanputtur and the fort were destroyed by enemies who invaded the place. Kovan Koniamman temple was spared. From that day onwards, the temple has been taken special care of. Koniamman blesses and protects Her devotees with Her grace. Even today, people pray and worship Her for cure from contagious diseases like cholera etc. There are many incidents in real life that attest to this belief.

Architecture of the temple
The statue of Amman, facing north is 21/2 ft. tall and 3 ft. wide. The expression of anger on her face speaks of the success of Good over Evil, when an asura’s head was chopped off by the Goddess. Her four right hands hold soolam, udukkai, sword and conch and Her left hands hold skull, chakra, bell and shield. The urchavamoorthy is portrayed in standing pose with four hands. In the right hands, She is holding soolam and sword and in the left hands, udukkai and fire. In the sanctum, She is portrayed with a ear stud on the left ear, and a kundalam on the right ear. The statue of Koniamman, installed by the Kosas, has been sculptured as per the features of the Tamil sculpture. This is one of the many portrayals of Parasakthi. But due to many events like invasions, religious riots etc, the statue had been destroyed with only the upper part remaining in tact. This is kept at the upper portion of the temple with seven kanniyarkal and is worshipped as Aadhi Koniamman. Daily pujas are being offered.

Festivals
The Tamil months of Maasi and Panguni are festival months. The car festival, conducted for 14 days is the specialty of this temple. On the first Tuesday in the month of Maasi, flower decoration is done, on the second Tuesday, agnichattu is done and on the third Tuesday, Thirukalyana urchavam is held. The next day, that is on Wednesday car festival is held. On the Friday that follows, Indra vimana theppam is conducted. Theerthavari and kodiyirakkam follow. The festival ends with Vasantha urchavam. On the next day of kodiyetram, the deity Koniamman is taken out on the mounts of tiger, parrot, lion, swan, Kamadhenu, horse and white elephant. It will be a beautiful sight to see Arulmigu Koniamman on various mounts. On the first Friday of the festival, Thiruvilakku vazhipadu by women is a very popular festivity.  The only car festival held in Coimbatore is that of Koniamman temple. The car starts from the stand at exactly 4 p.m. and goes through Rajaveedhi, Oppanakkaraveedhi, Vaisyalveedhi and Karuppa Gownder Street and returns to the stand. People from the neighboring towns and villages come here to watch the festival.

On the night of the teppam, urchavamoorthy is carried in the Indravimana palanquin. It reaches Venugopalaswamy temple and theppam is started on the waters of the temple tank at 4 a.m. There’ll be fire works at the car stand. And then, special abhishekam is done in the temple. In the evening, the flag is lowered (kodiyirakkam). During the Vasantha urchavam, the deity is kept in the Vasantha mandap. With the Vasanthavizha, the car festival is complete.

Other festivals
Every month, the first day is celebrated. On the full moon day, Koniamman urchava purappadu is held inside the temple. On Fridays in the month of Aadi, the deity is adorned is a special way. During the entire month of Aadi, urchava amman will be kept on the swing. During navarathri, the deity is adorned differently on each day. On the last day, the moolavar and the urchava deities are kept together at the same place. Kalyanammalai wishes everyone all the blessings of Koniamman!

Sri Sarabeswarar – Thirubhuvanam

Lord Sarabeswara stands for victory. He grants the wishes of His devotees. “My astrologer told me that there’s some dosham in my daughter’s horoscope. He asked us to pray to Lord Sarabeswara. That’s why we’ve come here,” tells a devotee. “I’ve incurred heavy loss in business. Only Sarabeswara can save me,” says another devotee. Devotees throng the place with different prayers. What is the specialty about this temple? How did the Lord get the name Sarabeswara? Let’s see.

Sri Sarabeswara - name
Narasimhavathaaram by Lord Vishnu was taken to destroy the asura Hiranyan, who was filled with haughtiness proclaiming himself as God. Asura samharam was over. But Narasimha’s anger didn’t abate. The Universe couldn’t bear His anger. The ‘devas’appealed to Lord Shiva. To appease Narasimha’s anger, Lord Shiva assumed the form of a bird Sarabha. This form comprises the forms of an animal, human and bird - the face of a yali, human body and the form of a bird. The form of Narasimha consisted of a human body and the face of a lion. Kaali and Durga became the wings of Saraba. Lord Sarabeswara lifted Narasimha to space, drew out the asura blood (Hiranyan’s) and pacified him. He took him to space because even if a drop of asura blood fell on the earth, it would lead to the emergence of many asuras. So, Lord Sarabeswara took Narasimha above the gravitational sphere to prevent his blood falling on earth. The form of Sarabeswara comprises four Gods – Shiva, Kaali, Durga and Vishnu.

Pariharasthalam
The devotees firmly believe that for removing obstacles in marriage, for begetting a child, for recovery from debts, for winning legal battles, for neutralizing the effects of black magic etc., worshipping Lord Sarabeswara is the best remedy. They pray for 11 weeks or light 11 lamps or do 11 pradakshanams.

Architecture of the temple
The 1000-year old temple has been built by Kulothunga Chola III as per Chola style. We enter through east gopuram. Lord Vinayaka welcomes us! Passing by kodimaram, altar and Nandi, we find Kambahareswarar sannadhi. He relieved Varaguna Pandian of his apprehensions and brahmahathi dosham. His consort Dharmasamvardini has a separate temple. The architecture of the temples of those times is astonishing. During rains and floods, people took shelter in these temples. The sannadhis have been built at a height with steps leading to them. During floods, these temples served as relief centers! Most of the temples on the banks of Cauvery River have been built in this style, keeping in mind human considerations.

On coming out of Dharmasamvardhini sannadhi, we see the temple of Lord Sarabeswara. In other temples, Lord Sarabeswara is sculptured on pillars, but here, He has a temple. The temple has 2 gopurams and 3 sthoobhis. Its theertham is Saraba theertham, sthalavritcham is vilva tree.

Daily pujas and festivals
Three worship services are done daily. The annual festival is celebrated on Pankuni Uthiram day (April month) and thirukalyanam is done. Festival for Lord Sarabeswara is celebrated annually. During this festival, laksharchanai and ekadhina laksharchanai are done. Special pujas are conducted during Rahukaalam on every day, especially on Sundays. Saraba homam is done for any devotee’s star. You have to register with the temple office. Kattalai archana for 11 weeks can also be done.

Sri Thenubhureeswarar – Madambakkam

The benevolent Thenubhureeswarar deity at Madambakkam temple is famous for granting the prayers of devotees for marriage and progeny. Come, let us visit this temple!.Years ago, sage Kapila, who lived in the form of a cow, worshiped the deity known as Sidherinathar or Aaludai Nayanar, by showering milk on the statue. Because of this, the God there was called Thenubhureeswarar. The deity here is swayambu (not created by any one but has appeared on its own) in white color. His consort is called Thenukambal. She has been praised as Nambiratti in stone inscriptions. She has been portrayed with eyes full of kindness.

Architecture of the temple
Madambakkam is located near Tambaram, Chennai. ‘Madu’ in Tamil means cattle wealth. As cows were more in number, the place was praised as having wealth. The name Madambakkam was given to this place due to this reason. The temple is very ancient. It was built by Paranthaka Chola I in the year 954. The vimanam is shaped after Gajabrishta. The pillars in the front mandap bear beautiful sculptures. The carving of Dakshinamoorthi along with His consort is a rare piece. Veerapathirar and Thirupuranthakar sculptures have also been carved in a very beautiful manner. The tank of the temple is Kapilatheertham. Sthalavritcham is vilvam. This temple comes under the jurisdiction of the Tamil Nadu Hindu religious endowment department.

Pujas and festivals
Apart from the daily worship services, the pradosha puja, conducted twice a month deserves special mention. The Pankuni uthiram festival, celebrated in Shiva temples, is celebrated here also in a very grand manner. On that day, Thirukalyanam is done with all glory. It is strongly believed that those, waiting for marriage will get married soon if they attend the Thirukalyanam. Also, childless are blessed with offspring if they pray at this temple. So, devotees throng the place on the day of the Pankuni uthiram festival.

Sarabeswarar Jayanthi
To the deity, Sarabeswarar Swamy, sculptured on a pillar in the front mandap, special pujas are conducted on Sundays during the Raahukaalam time from 4.30 p.m. to 6.00 p.m. Mass prayers are also held at this time. The devotees believe that Lord Sarabeswara will bless them with a healthy and prosperous life.

Brahmotsava vizha
After a gap of hundred years, Brahmotsavam is being conducted from 9 May to 20 May to Lord Thenubhureeswarar and His consort, the benevolent Thenukambal.

Sri Vedapureeswarar – Thiruverkadu

There are various temples around the city of Chennai. Lord Vedapureeswarar, the presiding deity in Thiruverkadu temple is also called Verkattu eesan. The temple is situated at the northern bank of Paalar, in the midst of greenery and beautiful surrounding. The Lord, along with His consort has been installed under babool trees.After the Great Deluge, which immersed the entire earth, Lord Shiva wished to recreate it. He made the water dry up and asked the Vedas to be babool trees on the earth promising that He would appear as lingam under them. It is Thiruverkadu where Lord Shiva appeared as lingam. When His consort Umadevi asked Him what was Her role, Lord Shiva told her to create devas like Brahma and recreate all the lives that had been destroyed in the Deluge. Umadevi did her job and appeared alongside the Lord.

Architecture of the temple
The entrance gopuram has five stages. The moolavar has been installed facing east. In the northern prahara, the idol of Goddess Balambika has been installed facing the south. Those who worship Thiruverkadu Balambika, Thiruvalithayam Jegadhambika and Thiruvotriyur Vadivambika on the same day will get all the prosperity not only in this jenma but also the next. In the inner prahara, Agathiya, Sun God, Nayanmars, Chandikeswarar, Ganapathy, Dakshinamoorthy, Brahma and Durga have been installed. Also, there is a sannadhi for Navagraha. At the south-east corner of the outer prahara, sannadhis of Sani bhagwan and Moorganayanar are situated.Lord Muruga is depicted with bow and arrow instead of vel in his hand and with one foot on a peacock. Lord Muruga imprisoned Brahma who was not able to tell the meaning of Pranava. On learning about this, Lord Shiva sent Nandi to retrieve Brahma. Then Shiva came to Muruga in person and got Brahma released by explaining to Muruga that the work of Creation had been affected due to the imprisonment of Brahma. When Shiva punished Muruga for his reckless action, Muruga dug Velayutha theertham to worship Shiva. The lingam, installed by Muruga is at the western part of the inner prahara.

Festivals and Special Occasions:
They say that those who organize or help in organizing Brahmotsav, Vasanthothsv and Pavithrorsav in Shiva temples will attain moksha. Those who hold these utsavas and other utsavas in Thiruverkadu will have all the happiness in the present birth and will ascend to heaven thereafter. Those who attend the festivals in Thiruverkadu will become heads of Shivaganas. Those who are unable to come for darshan, can stay just for a few minutes in any holy temple like Thiruverkadu and pray to Verkattu eesan, they’ll attain greatness.

Special features of Thiruverkadu Vedapureeswarar temple

For the attention of devotees
Thiruverkadu sthalam is situated at 3 km distance from the point where the road branches off at the right from the Poovirunthavalli Main Road, which is at 17 km distance from Chennai. The temple is located at half a kilometer distance from the Thiruverkadu bus depot.

Timings for darshan
From 6.30 a.m. to 12 noon; from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Sri Thiripuraandagar – Thiruvirkolam

When you think of a God with a bow, Lord Rama will come to everyone’s mind. If you want to see Lord Shiva with a bow, you can see Him only at the Thiripuraandagar temple in Thiruvallur district. The place is called Thiruvirkolam. The practice that is in vogue is that devotees who come to this temple should first worship Goddess Thiripurasindhari before worshipping Thiripuraandagar. It is strongly believed that any problem between husband and wife will be solved by worshipping the deity of this temple.

History of the temple
Three asuras who were given boons by Brahma tortured the Devas. The Devas pleaded Lord Shiva to save them from the clutches of asuras. Lord Shiva went in a chariot to destroy the asuras. It is a rule that before beginning any task, Lord Vinayaka should be worshipped. But Shiva, in his anxiety to protect the Devas went without praying to Vinayaka. The Devas also forgot. The wheel of the chariot in which Shiva traveled, broke and the axle got struck. This is the sthalam where this incident happened. Shiva realized His mistake. When Shiva prayed to Vinayaka in mind, Vinayaka set the axle right. Then, Shiva destroyed the asuras and saved the Devas. The idol of Shiva appeared at the spot where the axle pierced the ground.

Temple tank:
The temple tank is called Agnitheertham. The priests perform archanas after bathing in this tank. The tank doesn’t dry up even during severe drought. Abhishekam to the deity is done only with the water of Coovam, which is at 4 km distance from the temple. When this water is not available, tender coconut water is used. For abhishekam during daytime, only the milk brought from the neighboring helmet Pinchavakkam is used.

Architecture:
This is the Agnisthalam out of the five Panchabhootha sthalams around the city of Chennai. The five-level tower at the south is the main entrance. We can reach the sannadhis of Ambal and Swami through the entrance of the south outer prahara. The sannadhi of Goddess Thiripurasundhari and the adjoining Thiripuraandaga Swami sannadhi are situated facing east. There’s a prahara for going around the two sannadhis. There are separate altars and kodimaram for the sannadhis. At the south-west corner of the inner prahara, Achirutha Vinayaka sannadhi is located. Vinayaka is referred to by this affix due to his act of breaking the axle of Shiva’s car. There are another two Vinayakas on either side of this Vinayaka. Nataraja sannadhi, facing the south is situated before the entrance of Swami sannadhi. The deities Muruga with His two consorts Valli and Deivayani and Dakshinamoorthy are not to be missed. The Lingothpavar statue in the sanctum is an art piece. The navagraha sannadhi is situated at the north-east corner of the north outer praharam. Bhairava is portrayed here without his mount dog.

Thiripurandhaga Swami:
Lord Shiva is known here as Thiripuraandagar due to the reason that He went to destroy the asuras. The Goddess is known as Thiripuraandagi. When Shiva went on the mission of destroying the asuras, the axle of the car broke and pierced the earth. When Shiva tried to lift it with His head, He was injured. There is a scar even today on the head of the linga. They shower camphor and perform milk abhishekam to this linga. Even the priests do not touch the divine body of the linga. The deity is also called ‘Theendaa Thirumeninathar’ because of this. Thirugyanasambhandar has sung in praise of this deity here.

Festivals
The Brahmotsav in the Tamil month of Chithirai and the Flower skirt (Pooppaavaadai) for the Goddess in the month of Aadi are special festivals here. During the Brahmotsav festival, Lord Shiva is portrayed with a bow in his hand. So, He is also called Thiruvirkolanathar. During the rains in this place, the body of the lingam turns white! The ‘Pooppaavaadai’ during ‘Aadi pooram’ is also a grand festival here.

Tips for devotees
Name of the sthalam: Thiruvirkolam (It is called Coovam nowadays).
Main deity’s name: Thiripuraandaga swami.
Name of the Goddess: Thiripurasundari Ambal.
Location of the temple: It is placed at 9 km distance from Kadamputhur station on the Chennai – Arakonam route. We can go to Thiruvallur and from there to Coovam by Kancheepuram bound buses through Kadamputhur/ Perambakkam. The temple is at 1 km distance from the Coovam bus stand.
Worship timings: From 6 a.m. to 12 noon and From 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Sri Pralayakaleshwarar – Pennagadam (Pennadam)

During the Great Deluge, the stretch between Vellaru and Thenpennaru remained lofty unaffected by the inundating waters, puzzling the Devas. They soon realized that the God whose abode was on the banks of Vellaru was the reason for this miracle and prayed to Him to save the world from extinction. Let us visit the temple of Pralayakaleshwarar.

Reason for the name of the temple
In celestial world, one day Devendra could not find flowers for his Siva puja. He sent two women from Devaloka to the Planet Earth to fetch flowers. They could not find flowers anywhere. On learning about the flower garden of the Pralayakaleshwarar temple in Pennagadam, the duo went and picked up flowers from the garden. Carried away by the deep thought of Lord Shiva, they forgot themselves. With their minds full of devotion to Lord Siva, they offered those flowers to the Sivalinga there. Devendra, who was enraged at the women not returning, ordered Kamadhenu to bring the duo to him. Kamadhenu, which saw the two women engulfed in Sivapuja, forgot herself and worshipping Pralayakaleshwara by showering milk on Him. As Kamadhenu too didn’t return, Indra sent his white elephant Iravatham in search of the women and Kamadhenu. Iravatham also joined the women and Kamadhenu in the puja forgetting his purpose, on seeing them all worshipping the Lord Pralayakaleshwara. The name Pennagadam was given because Penn (the duo) + aa (Kamadhenu) + gadam (white elephant) all together performed Sivapuja here. Thirugyanasambhandar and Thirunavukkarasar had referred to this place as Kadanthai. As the vimanam of Moolavar has been portrayed with a white elephant protecting it by its shadow, it is called Gajabrshta vimanam.

Also, the sthalam has got other names - as Parvathy worshipped, the place is known as Parvathypuram; as the rare flower garden existed here, it is known as Pushparanyam and because Iravatham worshipped, it is known as Dayarasapathy. When the Lord ordered Nandi to stop the deluge, Nandi turned eastward and sucked the deluge waters, says Thirukadanthai puranam. Nandikeshwara of this sthalam got the name Adhikaranandi because of this incident. In this temple, we can see Nandikeshwara facing the east unlike in other Siva temples where Nandi would be facing the Lord. The deity is called Pralayakaleshwarar because of His act of saving the people from the Deluge. The Bali peedam (altar) and a 9-mtr. tall kodikambam (flagstaff) are there in front of the sannadhi. Adjoining this, Nandidevar sannadhi is situated facing the east. The Nandi is called Prathosha Nandidevar. A small statue of Nandidevar is installed in front of the Pralayakaleshwarar sannadhi. At the Sanctum Sanctorum, Lord Siva has been portrayed in the form of a Sivalinga, facing east.

Temple tank:
It is said that there were ten tanks in this sthalam. The tank in front of the temple is called Paramanantha theertham. As Goddess Parvathy bathed in this tank, it is also called Parvathy theertham.

Structure and Architecture of the temple:
There are high compound walls around the temple on all the four sides. There is no tower for the entrance. But the figures of Panchamoorthys have been sculptured at the entrance . On entering, we first see Kudaivarai Vinayaka temple. The altar is situated to its west and adjoining it, Adhikaranandhi is installed inside a mandap. The temple tower is to the west of Adhikaranandi. Inside, in the sannadhi at the south, Meikandar is portrayed in standing posture facing the west.

Stone Inscriptions:
Forty inscriptions have been found by the archaeological department at the Pralayakaleshwara and Parimalarenganatha temples. The inscriptions say that this temple was built by Kochengat Chola. The sthalam has been sung by Thirugyanasambhandar and Thirunavukkarasar. Meikandadevar, the author of Sivagyanabodham, the main Shiva shastra was born here.

Pujas and festivals:
Four worship services are offered daily. Pradosham is celebrated twice a month. Krithigai is observed every month. Karthigai light festival, Annabhishekam, Aadi poora thirukalyanam, Chathurthi, Navarathri, Natraja abhishekam are the festivals celebrated by the management and devotees together. Chithrai peruvizha, celebrated yearly, is a special festival here. During the Tamil month Chithrai, thiruvizha is celebrated for 12 days and car festival is held on the 9th day. During this festival, Panchamoorthis are brought on various mounts for veedhi ula. The fifth thiruvizha, which signifies the day on which Thirunavukkarasar was branded with the emblems of soolam and Rishaba deserves special mention.

Route to the temple:
The temple is situated facing east in Pennadam, which is at 1 1/2 km distance in the east from the Pennadam railway station on the railway route of Chennai – Trichy.

Sri Maappilai Swami – Thiruvezhimizhalai (Thiruvarur district)

Sage Kathyayana didn’t have offspring. He did penance along with his wife Sumangalai praying to Lord Siva. Ambikai appeared before him as Annapoorni and asked him what boon he wanted. The sage requested that Ambikai should be born to him as his daughter. Ambikai granted his wish and was born as his daughter and named Kathyayini. When Kathyayni attained marriageable age, the sage requested Lord Siva to marry her. The Lord agreed and married Kathyayini. At that time, the sage prayed to the Lord to make the place his abode and to appear in wedding costume. The Lord agreed for his wish. He is portrayed in wedding costume. He got the name ‘Maappilai Swami’ because of this.

Darshan
The Lord is portrayed with a flower bouquet in his right hand and a bamboo in his left hand. Those whose marriage is getting delayed will be blessed with an early marriage if they pray to the deity here, it is firmly believed. Mappillai Swami is portrayed with Ambikai to his right. But, at the moolasthanam, Balambikai is to the left of Lord Siva behind the lingam. Lord Siva is portrayed in two different ways at the same sthalam! At the prahara, Thyagaraja and Kamalambikai are portrayed in the same peedam. In between, Mahavishnu is portrayed along with Ambikai. Dakshinamoorthy is installed next. He is portrayed in a sitting posture with His right leg placed on a lotus. But unlike in other temples, there’s no banyan tree behind Him. He is called Aadhi Dakshinamoorthy. Those with nervous problems pray to Him.

Usually, in Siva temples, Nandi and kodimaram will be placed in front of Siva. But here, Siva is portrayed as lingam, facing moolasthanam. There’s another Nandi installed under the steps leading to sannadhi. Usually, in all temples, Ambal or Swami will be popular. But here, Veezhilinathar, Maappilai Swami, Moolanathar and Nataraja are the main deities. In the evening, the first service is offered to Maapilai Swami, then to Nataraja, Moolanathar and Veezhilinathar in order. The mandap, facing Siva sannadhi is designed as a wedding dais. The pandalkal is at its northeast corner and arasanikkaal is in the arthamandap. The belief is that after praying to Maappilai Swami, if we go around the pandakkal, the marriage will be settled soon.

Debt of Lord Shiva:
Everyone knows the story that Mahavishnu borrowed from Kubhera for his marriage with Padmavathy when he took the Srinivasa avtar. Lord Siva of this sthalam also faced a similar situation. He also borrowed money. He descended to the Planet Earth as Pitchandavar and begged. He married Ambikai with that money. On the fourth day after the marriage, He again went begging to meet the expenses for maruvedu. As He incurred debt for the expenditure for marriage, He is called Manakkadan petra Sivan. In commemoration of this incident, He is taken out as Pitchandavar on the previous day and fourth day of the thirukalyanam during the Brahmotsav in the month of Chithrai.

Lord who blessed with chakrayudham:
Once, Lord Mahavishnu lost his chakrayudham when he destroyed an asura. He did penance to Lord Siva to get back His chakrayudha. He offered thousand lotus flowers to Siva daily. Lord Siva wanted to put Vishnu to test and hid one lotus flower. Vishnu was confounded and offered his right eye as the thousandth flower. Siva was pleased and gave Visnu his Chakra. The urchavamoorthy here is portrayed with a chakra on his foot. Near Him, Mahavishnu is portrayed with His hands in receiving gesture. Mahavishnu is also portrayed wearing a Rudrakshamalai and sacred ash on his forehead!

Siva who gave padikaasu:
Once, there was severe drought in this sthalam. At that time, Thirugyanasambhandar and Sundarar came here. They visited the temple daily and sang padhigam, praying to God to save the people from the drought. When they were returning from the temple, by God’s grace, each of them spotted a gold coin on a step. They sold them off and bought food for the people. The peedam where Sambhandar found the gold coin is located near the kodimaram and the peedam where Sundarar found the coin is in the south prahara. Vinayaka who was a witness to this incident has His own sannadhi. He is called Padikaasu Vinayaka. Devotees believe that if they pray to Siva, placing a coin on the padikaasu peedam and then keep it in their home, they’ll not have problem for food. Even today, this practice is in vogue.

Bat mandap:
The bat mandap in this temple is very famous. This spacious mandap without pillars in the centre stands a living proof for the eminence of the Tamils in the art of construction.

Route to the temple:
First go to Thiruvarur, from there to Poonthottam which is at 28 km distance. The temple is located at 4 km distance from here, which can be reached by an auto. Or you can travel by the bus that is going to Iravancheri from Kumbakonam. You’ve to get down at Thenkarai stop (26 km). The temple is nearby, you can walk the distance.

The Lord who worshiped Himself! – Sri Aiyaarappar (Thiruvaiyaru)

There were 24 Shaiva Brahmins in Thiruvaiyaru who were authorized to perform the worship services to the deity. One of them undertook a trip to Banares. As he didn’t return, the remaining 23 Brahmins took over his properties. The wife and the son of the Adhi Shaiva, who didn’t return, appealed to God for help in the injustice done to them. To teach the Shaivites a lesson and to help the wronged mother and son, God assumed the form of the Shaivite who had gone to Banares, came to Thiruvaiaru with the Ganges water and performed worship at the temple. The wife and her son were very happy, the 23 Shaivites became subdued.

After a few days, the original Brahmin returned from Banares and confusion arose as to who was the real one. When all assembled to know the truth, the Shaivite who came first disappeared to the realization of everyone that it was Lord Siva Himself who had come as the Aadhi Shaivite. Thus Lord Siva worshipped His own self at this temple, when He came as the Aadhi Shaivite. Thiruvaiyaru is one among the six Siva sthalams on the banks of River Cauvery that are considered holy on par with Banares. The other five are – Thiruvenkadu, Sayavanam, Mayiladuthurai, Thiruvidaimaruthur and Thiruvanjiyam.

Structure and Architecture of the temple:
The temple is very big, built on a 15-acre land area with a Rajagopuram of seven levels and with 5 praharas. The temple is renowned for the three glories – moorthi, sthalam and tank. Dakshinamoortham in the first prahara has its own specialty. There’s a separate temple for Somaskandar at the second prahara. At the nearby Jabbeswara mandap, Panchaboothalingams, Saptakannis, Aadhi Vinayaka and Navagrahas have been installed. Also, the statues of Vinayaka, Subrahmanyar, Somaskandar, Dakshinamoorthy and Nataraja have been installed. At the third prahara, there are two towers, one at the east and the other at the south. At the fourth prahara, Suryapushkaranitheertham and North Kailash are situated. There are towers on all the four sides of this prahara. At the fifth prahara, east-facing Aiyaarappar sannadhi and the sannadhi of Thiripurasundhari are located. There are separate Rajagopurams for the sannadhis of Swami and Ambal.

Aiyaarappar:
There are separate temples with east-facing sannadhis for both the Lord and His consort. Moolavar Aiyaarappar is a swayambu lingam. It is a Prithvi lingam. So, there’s no abhishekam for it. Abhishekam is performed only for Avudaiyar. The Goddess Dharmasamvardhini is also known as Aram valartha nayaki. She is portrayed like Mahavishnu with Her left arm resting on her waist and with conch and charka in Her two upper hands.

Dhanush Subrahmanyam:
Here, Lord Muruga, portrayed with a bow, spear and arrow in His hands is called Dhanush Subrahmanya. He is portrayed with one face and four hands, with His two consorts, one on each side and with a south-facing peacock at His back. Arunagirinathar’s Thirupugazh contains a song on Lord Muruga of this sthalam.

Aatkondar:
The Dakshinamoorthy here is called Srihari Gurusivayoga Dakshinamoorthi. The figure of a tortoise has been installed underneath the foot of the deity. The Aatkondar sannadhi at the entrance of the south tower is very important. As the devotees offer incense at the sacrificial fire, its fragrance will be pervading the atmosphere here. Aatkondar is the form taken By Lord Siva when He saved the boy Sucharita from Yama. The practice is people prostrate before Aatkondar before entering the temple. The belief is if we pray to Him we’ll get over the fear of death.

Vinayakar:
When Sundarar and Cheraman Peruman came to Thiruvaiyaru, River Cauvery was in floods. When Sundarar, who was at the other bank sang a pathigam, Vinayakar who was on the other side, controlled the floods by shouting ‘Olam, olam’. He is called Olamitta Vinayakar because of this.

Kailash as seen by Thirunavukkarasar:
Thirunavukkarasar wanted to visit Kailash to have a darshan of Lord Siva. He asked his fellow men to stay back at Banares and left for Kailash all alone. The journey was very difficult, when he couldn’t walk any more; he tried to cover the distance by crawling. The Lord, who saw Thirunavukkarasu struggling, wanted to help him. He created a tank nearby and took the form of a sage and approached Thirunavukkarasu and told him to return, explaining the difficulties in the journey to Kailash. But Thirunavukkarasu was adamant. Lord Siva called out to Thirunavukkarasu from Heaven and told him to immerse in the tank and appear at Thiruvaiyaru where he could have a darshan of Him. Accordingly, Thirunavukkarasu appeared at the Suriya pushkarani theertham. Lord Siva blessed him with a vision of Kailash. The north Kailash and south Kailash at the outer prahara of the temple are not to be missed.

Information desk:
Sthalam: Thiruvaiyaru
Deity: Aiyaarappar, Panchanadheswarar
Goddess: Dharmasamvardhini, Thiripurasundhari
Pathigam: Thirunavukkarasar 12, Sundarar 1, Thirugyanasambhandar 5
Route: It is situated at the centre of Thiruvaiyaru town, which is at 10 km distance from Thanjavur district.

Sri Lakshmi Narayani – Thirumalaikodi, Vellore

General Introduction:
The Tamil month of Aadi is most suitable to worship Annai Mahasakthi. The majestic and arresting gargantuan temple built for Devi Lakshmi Narayani near Vellore is the temple of this week. The words Golden Temple will remind everyone of the Sikh’s pride, the Golden Temple in Amritsar. The golden Lakshmi Narayani temple in Thirumalaikodi near Vellore is covered fully with gold. Established by Sri Sakthi Amma, it is a famous worship place for devotees. This golden temple stands magnificently on a 100-acre salubrious stretch amid natural surroundings, with meticulous artistic work. Consecration was done last year in a grand way and the temple was opened for devotees.

Architecture:
This splendid temple has been covered fully with gold. The golden temple glitters and gleams when the rays of the sun fall on it. The beauty of the temple is beyond description. We en