Thiruvisanallur also called Thiruvisalur (formerly known as Shahajirajapuram) is a village

Village

A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...

 in the Thanjavur district

Thanjavur District

Thanjavur District is one of the 32 districts of the state of Tamil Nadu, in southeastern India. Its headquarters is Thanjavur.-Geography:...

 of Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...

. The village is known for the Sivayoginathar Temple

Sivayoginathar Temple

Sivayoginathar Temple is located in Thiruvisanallur in Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu, India. The temple is incarnated by the hymns of Thevaram and is classifed as Paadal Petra Sthalam...

, a Hindu Temple

Hindu temple

A Mandir, Devalayam, Devasthanam, or a Hindu temple is a place of worship for followers of Hinduism...

 dedicated to Lord Siva.

History

The history of Thiruvisanallur can be traced to the time of the Medieval Cholas

Medieval Cholas

Medieval Cholas rose to prominence during the middle of the 9th century C.E. and established the greatest empire South India had seen. They successfully united the South India under their rule and through their naval strength extended their influence in the Southeast Asian countries such as Srivijaya...

 who established the village as Vembarur or Solamarthanda chaturvedimangalam. There are inscriptions dating to the time of Raja Raja Chola I.

The Thanjavur Maratha king Shahuji I endowed Thiruvisanallur to forty-six Brahmins as a brahmadeya in the year 1695. Following this endowment, the name of the village was changed to Shahajirajapuram. At about this time, a Hindu saint by name Sridhara Venkatesa Ayyaval

Sridhara Venkatesa Ayyaval

Sridhara Venkatesa Dikshitar , popularly known as Ayyaval, was a Hindu saint and composer who lived in the village of Thiruvisanallur in the then Thanjavur Maratha kingdom.- Ancestry and early life :...

 a companion of the Shankaracharya

Shankaracharya

Shankaracharya, is a commonly used title of heads of mathas in the Advaita Vedanta tradition. The title derives from Adi Shankara, a 9th century CE reformer of Hinduism. He is honored as Jagadguru, a title that was used earlier only to Lord Krishna...

 Bodhendra Saraswathi settled down in Thiruvisanallur and founded the Sri Sridhara Ayyaval Mutt

Sri Sridhara Ayyaval Mutt

The Sri Sridhara Ayyaval Mutt is a Hindu mutt in the village of Thiruvisanallur. The mutt was established by a Saivite saint Sridhara Venkatesa Ayyaval who lived and preached here in the late 17th century. The main duties of the mutt are to perpetuate the memory of Sridhara Ayyaval...

.

Sivayoginathar Temple

The Sivayoginathar Temple

Sivayoginathar Temple

Sivayoginathar Temple is located in Thiruvisanallur in Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu, India. The temple is incarnated by the hymns of Thevaram and is classifed as Paadal Petra Sthalam...

 is old and is believed to be built at the spot where eight Siva yogis(sages} attained salvation and merged with the lingam

Lingam

The Lingam is a representation of the Hindu deity Shiva used for worship in temples....

. The shrine is dedicated to Chatur Kala Bhairavar, one of the four Bhairava

Bhairava

Bhairava , sometimes known as Bhairo or Bhairon or Bhairadya or Bheruji , Kaala Bhairavar or Vairavar , is the fierce manifestation of Lord Shiva associated with annihilation...

s. The Sthala Vriksha

Sthala Vriksha

A Sthala Vriksha or Sthala Vruksham , is a monumental tree that is indigenous to every historical Hindu temple. This forms a prominent feature of Koils, Hindu temples of the Dravidian style....

(temple tree) of the temple is vilva. The temple is frequented by people who were born under the sign Rishabha

Rishabha

Rishabha also spelled as Rsabha or Vrsabha may refer to:* Rishabha , the first Jain tirthankar* Rishabha , a sage mentioned in the Vaishnava texts, incarnation of Visnu, the son of King Nabhi and Merudevi; father of the great king - BharatIn Sanskrit, Rishabha may also mean:* The bull* The great one...

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