Tiruttalinathar temple
Encyclopedia
This Siva temple is located in a small town, Thiruputhur near Karaikkudi. This temple is regarded as the 6th of the Tevara Stalams in the Pandya kingdom
of Tamilnadu. The temples Rameswaram and Tiruvadanai
are the other Shivastalams nearby.
and Kaarkotakan worshipped Lord Shiva here and hence the separate shrine for Tirunageswarar in the outer 3rd prakaram
(outer courtyard). The concept of Pranavam is said to have realized that Shiva & Pranavam were one and the same here, & is said to have manifested itself as the Konrai Maram. The legend has it that, Goddess Mahalaskhmi once wished to have a darshan of Lord Shiva's dance. Lord Shiva conceded to her request and told her that she can have a vision of his dance at this sthalam. Accordingly Shiva is said to have revealed a vision of his Cosmic Dance known as Gowri Thandavam to Goddess Mahalakshmi here. Agasthyar, Valmiki, Jayanthan the son of Devendran are said to have worshipped here. This temple has got the royal patranage from the early Chola, Pandiya and Chera
kings, and by the later period Pallavas, Sethupathy Raja, Maruthu Pandiyar
etc.
(outer courtyard) is a wide courtyard on all the 4 sides. In the 2nd middle prakaram
(outer courtyard) there are shrines for Lord Subramanya
along with His 2 consorts Valli and Deivaanai . The presiding deity lord shiva is called as Tiruttalinathar, Sreetalinathar and the Ambal his consort mother Parvathy is called as Sivakami, Soundarya Nayaki. The shrine for Tiruttalinathar is situated at an elevated portion and is facing east. The shrine for Sivagami is situated parallel to the north of the main sanctum sanctorum and is also facing east. The mandapam in front of the sanctum sanctorum has pillars with beautiful sculptured images of Rishabavaaganar, Narthana Ganapathy, Venugpolan, Narasimhar etc. Interesting metal images of Rama
, Sita and Lakshmana are also seen here. Stone images of Nataraja and Sivakami are seen in this temple. The Yoga Bhairavar shrine (facing West) is of significance here. Interesting metal images of Rama, Sita and Lakshmana are also seen here. The Navagrahams are in a seated posture. Entering the 3rd inner prakaram
(outer courtyard) from the east side, one can see the small shrines for Sun God Sooriyan, Mahalakshmi, Mahaganapathy, Dakshinamurthy
, Varunalingam, Visalakshmi Amman, Agasthiyalingam, Sandeswarar and Durgai on the 4 pathways of the prakaram
(outer courtyard). The sthala vriksham is Konrai tree and the Theertham is called as Garuda Theertham
In addition to this Vinayaka Chaturthi, Navaratri, Kartikai Deepam, Arudra Darisanam and Vaikasi Visaakam are celebrated here .
and Karaikudi and can be reached by road from both the places. It is located about 65 km from Madurai, 20 km from Karaikudi and about 35 km from Sivagangai.
Pandya Kingdom
The Pandyas were fierce warriors who took part in the Kurukshetra War as per the epic Mahabharata. A Pandya king named Sarangadhwaja, is mentioned as participating in the Kurukshetra War, siding with the Pandavas. It is not clear if Pandyas were linked to the Pandavas of North India...
of Tamilnadu. The temples Rameswaram and Tiruvadanai
Tiruvadanai
This Shiva temple is a vast temple at Tiruvaadanai near Devakottai. This temple is regarded as the 8th of the Tevara Stalams in the Pandya region of Tamilnadu.-Mythology:...
are the other Shivastalams nearby.
Mythology
According to the legend, the prominent snakes VasukiVasuki
Vasuki is a Sanskrit name for a naga, one of the serpents of Buddhist and Hindu mythology. He is a great King of the nagas and has a gem on his head. Manasa, another naga, is his sister...
and Kaarkotakan worshipped Lord Shiva here and hence the separate shrine for Tirunageswarar in the outer 3rd prakaram
Prakaram
A Prakaram, also spelled Pragaram or Pragaaram) in Indian architecture is an outer parth around the Hindu temple sanctum. These may be enclosed or open and are typically enclosed for the inner most prakaram....
(outer courtyard). The concept of Pranavam is said to have realized that Shiva & Pranavam were one and the same here, & is said to have manifested itself as the Konrai Maram. The legend has it that, Goddess Mahalaskhmi once wished to have a darshan of Lord Shiva's dance. Lord Shiva conceded to her request and told her that she can have a vision of his dance at this sthalam. Accordingly Shiva is said to have revealed a vision of his Cosmic Dance known as Gowri Thandavam to Goddess Mahalakshmi here. Agasthyar, Valmiki, Jayanthan the son of Devendran are said to have worshipped here. This temple has got the royal patranage from the early Chola, Pandiya and Chera
Chera dynasty
Chera Dynasty in South India is one of the most ancient ruling dynasties in India. Together with the Cholas and the Pandyas, they formed the three principle warring Iron Age Tamil kingdoms in southern India...
kings, and by the later period Pallavas, Sethupathy Raja, Maruthu Pandiyar
Maruthu Pandiyar
The Marudhu Pandiyar brothers ruled Sivagangai, Tamil Nadu towards the end of the 18th century...
etc.
Temple structure
Although Thiruputhur is a small town, the shiva temple here is big and as we go inside the temple, it is really huge and causes fascination to the visitor. This 15 acres (60,702.9 m²) temple has a main vimanam with several stucco images on the east side and has 3 prakarams(outer courtyard). The outer 3rd prakaramPrakaram
A Prakaram, also spelled Pragaram or Pragaaram) in Indian architecture is an outer parth around the Hindu temple sanctum. These may be enclosed or open and are typically enclosed for the inner most prakaram....
(outer courtyard) is a wide courtyard on all the 4 sides. In the 2nd middle prakaram
Prakaram
A Prakaram, also spelled Pragaram or Pragaaram) in Indian architecture is an outer parth around the Hindu temple sanctum. These may be enclosed or open and are typically enclosed for the inner most prakaram....
(outer courtyard) there are shrines for Lord Subramanya
Subramanya
Subramanya is a commonly used Indian name. It is also another name for the Hindu deity Murugan. Other common spellings are Subrahmanya, Subramania and Subramaniam. The name may refer to:People...
along with His 2 consorts Valli and Deivaanai . The presiding deity lord shiva is called as Tiruttalinathar, Sreetalinathar and the Ambal his consort mother Parvathy is called as Sivakami, Soundarya Nayaki. The shrine for Tiruttalinathar is situated at an elevated portion and is facing east. The shrine for Sivagami is situated parallel to the north of the main sanctum sanctorum and is also facing east. The mandapam in front of the sanctum sanctorum has pillars with beautiful sculptured images of Rishabavaaganar, Narthana Ganapathy, Venugpolan, Narasimhar etc. Interesting metal images of Rama
Rama
Rama or full name Ramachandra is considered to be the seventh avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism, and a king of Ayodhya in ancient Indian...
, Sita and Lakshmana are also seen here. Stone images of Nataraja and Sivakami are seen in this temple. The Yoga Bhairavar shrine (facing West) is of significance here. Interesting metal images of Rama, Sita and Lakshmana are also seen here. The Navagrahams are in a seated posture. Entering the 3rd inner prakaram
Prakaram
A Prakaram, also spelled Pragaram or Pragaaram) in Indian architecture is an outer parth around the Hindu temple sanctum. These may be enclosed or open and are typically enclosed for the inner most prakaram....
(outer courtyard) from the east side, one can see the small shrines for Sun God Sooriyan, Mahalakshmi, Mahaganapathy, Dakshinamurthy
Dakshinamurthy
Dakshinamurthy or Jnana Dakshinamurti Dakshinamurthy or Jnana Dakshinamurti Dakshinamurthy or Jnana Dakshinamurti(Tamil: தட்சிணாமூர்த்தி, Sanskrit: is an aspect of Shiva as a guru (teacher) of all type of knowledge, particularly the jnana. This aspect of Shiva is his personification as the...
, Varunalingam, Visalakshmi Amman, Agasthiyalingam, Sandeswarar and Durgai on the 4 pathways of the prakaram
Prakaram
A Prakaram, also spelled Pragaram or Pragaaram) in Indian architecture is an outer parth around the Hindu temple sanctum. These may be enclosed or open and are typically enclosed for the inner most prakaram....
(outer courtyard). The sthala vriksham is Konrai tree and the Theertham is called as Garuda Theertham
Festivals
The Jayantan Festival is celebrated on the 1st Friday in the Tamil month of Chittirai .In addition to this Vinayaka Chaturthi, Navaratri, Kartikai Deepam, Arudra Darisanam and Vaikasi Visaakam are celebrated here .
Location
This temple is located in between MaduraiMadurai
Madurai is the third largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It served as the capital city of the Pandyan Kingdom. It is the administrative headquarters of Madurai District and is famous for its temples built by Pandyan and...
and Karaikudi and can be reached by road from both the places. It is located about 65 km from Madurai, 20 km from Karaikudi and about 35 km from Sivagangai.
External links
- http://www.templenet.com/Tamilnadu/s205.html
- http://www.shivatemples.com/pnaadu/pn06.html