Manavur
Encyclopedia
The historical village of Manavur lay 54 kilometers from Chennai
on the Central-Arakkonam
rail route. This village dates back to as early as the 7th century. Historical facts reveal that Kurumbas ruled the ancient Thondai Mandalam by dividing it into 24 divisions of which Manavur was the 4th division.
True to its legacy, this small village boasts several inscriptions and sculptures found in the sanctum sanctorum of 1200 years old Thirunandeeswarar, Karkadakeswarar, Kandhaswami and Vinayagar temple
s. The sculptures as well as architectural design of this temple depict typical Chola
construction.
It is said that Lord Shiva after his celestial dance performance in Thiruvalangadu gave darshan to Agasthiar in Thirumanakolam along with His consort Anandavalli, hence the village came to be known as Manavur. Nandhi Baghavan and Sage Agasthiar had worshipped here. Inscriptions found in Koovam and Thakkolam temples talk about the glory of this temple. The temples in Manavur were built with perfect alignment as mentioned in the aagama sastras (Karshanathi, Prathishtandham, Prathishtandhi, Uthsavandham and Uthsavandhi).
Shiva temple was built in Eashanya, Vijayaraghava Perumal temple in Niruthi moola; Sakthi Ganapthi temple facing north and Kandhaswami temple facing east have been consecrated. A unique urchava moorthi statue of Sri Kannapa Nayanar, who donated his eye to Lord Shiva, relates his connection to this temple.
Legend has it that Nandhi Baghavan, initiated a sacred water source, which is now serving as the temple tank, took a holy dip in the temple pond, worshipped Lord Shiva and got his curse lifted. Hence the temple tank has the name Nandi theertham and the Lord is called Thirunandeeswarar. It is also believed that Ganga Devi who was captivated in Lord Shiva’s siras is the source of water flow to this temple tank. Lord Shiva, after his celestial dance which Karaikal Ammaiyar witnessed, came to Manavur and gave darshan to Sage Agasthiar with his consort.
It is believed that Lord Shiva danced in Thiruvalangadu, rested in Thiruvooral (now known as Thakkolam) and married Parvathi at Manavur.
It is also being said that when this temple was well maintained, the doors of this temple even when closed one could hear the bell-toll as far as Chidambaram, only after which the Chidambaram temple will be closed.
Also, during the Moghul invasion, the villagers, in a measure to save such beautiful doors, said to have hidden these doors, by throwing it in the village pond.
Present state of the temple
Thirunandeeswarar temple was in a dilapidated state and is currently being renovated.
In an effort to restore the original glory and to uphold the falling majesty the local villagers worked without pay and restored part of this historic temple. However, there are other tasks that require specific expertise, which is directly proportional to the cost involved.
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
on the Central-Arakkonam
Arakkonam
Arakkonam is a mid-sized City in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, with a population of about 101,626 as per the census 2011...
rail route. This village dates back to as early as the 7th century. Historical facts reveal that Kurumbas ruled the ancient Thondai Mandalam by dividing it into 24 divisions of which Manavur was the 4th division.
True to its legacy, this small village boasts several inscriptions and sculptures found in the sanctum sanctorum of 1200 years old Thirunandeeswarar, Karkadakeswarar, Kandhaswami and Vinayagar temple
Temple
A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur. It has the same root as the word "template," a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out...
s. The sculptures as well as architectural design of this temple depict typical Chola
Chola Dynasty
The Chola dynasty was a Tamil dynasty which was one of the longest-ruling in some parts of southern India. The earliest datable references to this Tamil dynasty are in inscriptions from the 3rd century BC left by Asoka, of Maurya Empire; the dynasty continued to govern over varying territory until...
construction.
Sri Anandavalli Sametha Thirunandeeswarar Temple
The temple houses Thirunandeeswarar as moolavar. In the northern side, resides Goddess Anandavalli Thayar. Outer pragaras host Ganapathy, Subramaniar and Bairavar as kshetrabalagar. Around the sanctum sanctorum the idols of Lord Dakshinamoorthy, Lingothbavar, Brahma and Durgai had been installed.It is said that Lord Shiva after his celestial dance performance in Thiruvalangadu gave darshan to Agasthiar in Thirumanakolam along with His consort Anandavalli, hence the village came to be known as Manavur. Nandhi Baghavan and Sage Agasthiar had worshipped here. Inscriptions found in Koovam and Thakkolam temples talk about the glory of this temple. The temples in Manavur were built with perfect alignment as mentioned in the aagama sastras (Karshanathi, Prathishtandham, Prathishtandhi, Uthsavandham and Uthsavandhi).
Shiva temple was built in Eashanya, Vijayaraghava Perumal temple in Niruthi moola; Sakthi Ganapthi temple facing north and Kandhaswami temple facing east have been consecrated. A unique urchava moorthi statue of Sri Kannapa Nayanar, who donated his eye to Lord Shiva, relates his connection to this temple.
Legend has it that Nandhi Baghavan, initiated a sacred water source, which is now serving as the temple tank, took a holy dip in the temple pond, worshipped Lord Shiva and got his curse lifted. Hence the temple tank has the name Nandi theertham and the Lord is called Thirunandeeswarar. It is also believed that Ganga Devi who was captivated in Lord Shiva’s siras is the source of water flow to this temple tank. Lord Shiva, after his celestial dance which Karaikal Ammaiyar witnessed, came to Manavur and gave darshan to Sage Agasthiar with his consort.
It is believed that Lord Shiva danced in Thiruvalangadu, rested in Thiruvooral (now known as Thakkolam) and married Parvathi at Manavur.
It is also being said that when this temple was well maintained, the doors of this temple even when closed one could hear the bell-toll as far as Chidambaram, only after which the Chidambaram temple will be closed.
Also, during the Moghul invasion, the villagers, in a measure to save such beautiful doors, said to have hidden these doors, by throwing it in the village pond.
Present state of the temple
Thirunandeeswarar temple was in a dilapidated state and is currently being renovated.
In an effort to restore the original glory and to uphold the falling majesty the local villagers worked without pay and restored part of this historic temple. However, there are other tasks that require specific expertise, which is directly proportional to the cost involved.