Thirukazhippalai Sri Palvannanathar Siva temple Chidambaram - a padal petra sthalam

Chidambaram is a very sacred town which houses many temples. The Natarajar temple is world famous and it is the first among the temples sung about by the nayanmars on the northern bank of the cauvery. There are 3 more padal petra sthalams in Chidambaram which are equally ancient but rarely visited as the Nataraja temple dwarfs the other temples by its uniqueness.

All four temples are within 2-3 kms radius in the southern direction from the Nataraja temple .

This is the fourth Padal petra sthalam on the northern bank of the cauvery

HOW TO REACH:

Head towards the bus stand and ask for the Annamalai university . The road crosses the Coleroon river and at the far end of  the bridge here you take a right turn and in a KM you will see the Annamalai university .

Proceed straight for about 2 kms in the same road you will cross mariappan nagar on the right the road will curve right , you enter the present day Sivapuram.You can see the pond of the Thirunelvayil temple with the majestic temple behind on your right. A half KM away is the Sri Palvanna nathar Siva temple in the same road on the right.

LEGENDS AND STORIES ;

The temple was originally further away but during a floods in the Kollidam about 500 years ago was washed away the idols were retrieved and a new temple was built here.

Saint Agastya received the vision of Shiva Parvathi wedding here and they are enshrined in figures being the lingam

Saint Kapila built the shivalingam for his pooja but a king rode on this lingam and it received a hoof mark on the top. When Kapila rishi wanted to re build the lingam he received divine vision of both Siva and Parvathi who poured milk of Kamadhenu on this idol and fortified it and made it white. Till today only milk abhishekam is done to this lingam and all other offerings are placed below.

The Bhairavar sannidhi here is very famous. in fact the locals call it Bhairava koil only. Every new moon day and ashtami and during Rahukalam special poojas are done to this Bhairava. Unlike in other places Bhairava is not accompanied by his vahanam . he has a loin cloth, a sacred thread of 27 strung skulls, a tuft and lions fangs and smiles here. The lord Shani is supposed to worship Bhairava here. Shani  underwent training in sastras under Bhairava and both Guru and Sishya are very peaceful here.

The Bhairava here is supposed to be as famous as in Kasi and the place is called Dakshina Bhairava ksethram and the lord as Swarna Bhairava 

Thirugnana sambandar and Thirunavukkarasar have sung many padigams about this lord

As you enter the Rajagopuram you see the main temple complex. It is quite small with a single praharam

The east facing temple hall has a east facing Shivalingam which is quite small jus,t the size of an ordinary brick but sparkling white with a wedge on top  The back wall has

 the figures of Shiva and Parvathi as seen by Agastya and Kapila maharishis

(Pic from the net thanks to Dinamalar.com)

click here for the pic

The south facing Vedanayaki  ambal sannidhi can be seen on the right

The Koshta vigrahas are as seen below

                                                    Vinayaka

                                                Dakshinamurthy

                                                Vinayaka sannidhi

                                                    Lingodhbhavar

                                                        Brahma

                                                            Durga

The Bhairava sannidhi  is next and is remodeled with modern construction and I was asked not to click that

The Sthala Vriksham is Vilwam

Its a very famous destination as Bhairavar koil

Sri Uchinatheswarar Temple at Thirunelvayil (Sivapuri), Chidambaram- A padal petra sthalam

Chidambaram is a very sacred town which houses many temples. The Natarajar temple is world famous and it is the first among the temples sung about by the nayanmars on the northern bank of the cauvery. There are 3 more padal petra sthalams in Chidambaram which are equally ancient but rarely visited as the Nataraja temple dwarfs the other temples by its uniqueness.

All four temples are within 2-3 kms radius in the southern direction from the Nataraja temple .

How to reach:

All four temples are within 2-3 kms radius in the southern direction from the Nataraja temple . Head towards the bus stand and ask for the Annamalai university . The road crosses the Coleroon river and here you take a right turn at the end of the bridge and in a KM you will see the Annamalai university .

Proceed straight for about 2 kms in the same road you will cross mariappan nagar on the right the road will curve right and  you enter Sivapuram there you can see the pond of the Thirunelvayil temple with the majestic temple behind. A half KM away is the Sri Palvanna nathar Siva temple on the same road

LEGENDS AND STORIES;

The temple has been visited by Gnana sambandar who has sung about the temple. the wedding party of this saint came from Sirkali and was proceeding towards Achalapuram near cuddalore . it was peak afternoon and the party rested here in this temple in the hot sun and were served food by the Lord himself in the afternoon in the guise of an old priest, hence he is called Sri Uchinatheswarar or also Madhyaneshwarar.

Sage Kanva and Agastya have prayed here to the lord Shiva 

Sri Arunagirinathar has sung songs on Murugan here As you enter you see Nandi and his consort on the left side he is called Adikara Nandi

The temple by itself is small but has many exquisite carvings and is patronised by the nagarthar Chettiars . It is well maintained.

The Nandi and Ambal sannidhi is seen below

                                    There is a single praharam with the majestic Shiva Lingam which is a Swayambhu one who manifested himself facing east. Behind the linga are sculptures of Siva and Parvathi seen in Kalyana kolam as seen by Agastya.

 The Ambal Kanagambikai graces us from the north side from her sannidhi facing south

The kosta vigrahas are Ganapathy,

Dakshinamurthy

Lingodhbhavar

Brahma

There are separate sannidhis for Vinayaka, Murugan

Shrine for Vinayaka

Shrine for Subrahmanya

Durga

.

The sthala vriksham is Vilvam

Thiruvetkalam - Sri Pashupatheshwarar temple Chidambaram- A Padal Petra sthalam

This temple is the second famous temple on the northern banks of the cauvery.

Chidambaram is a very sacred town which houses many temples. The Natarajar temple is world famous and it is the first among the temples sung about by the nayanmars on the northern bank of the cauvery. There are 3 more padal petra sthalams in Chidambaram which are equally ancient but rarely visited as the Nataraja temple dwarfs the other temples by its uniqueness.

HOW TO REACH:

Head towards the bus stand and ask for the Annamalai university . A crowded small one way leads to the bridge The road crosses the Coleroon river and here you take a right turn and in a kilometer you will see the Annamalai university .

Take a  left to enter the campus  and proceed straight you will land by the temple. on sundays a shanty is held around the temple

View of the temple from inside the Rajagopuram

LEGENDS AND STORIES OF THE TEMPLE:

Arjuna was instructed by Krishna to do penance and obtain the divine bow Pasupatham from Shiva.

He sat in meditation , Shiva and Parvathi appeared dressed as hunters. A wild boar ran across and both Arjuna and Shiva shot arrows and each claimed the kill. A fight ensued between these two  as to who killed the boar and Arjuna landed a blow on Shiva , and the Shiva Lingam bears the evidence of the same! Parvati took a step forward to intervene but Shiva placated her .

Shiva thrashed Arjuna with his bow string and Arjuna realised it was no ordinary soul and he prayed for mercy and Shiva blessed him and handed over the divine Pasupata astra to Arjuna

View of the Nandi

The main prahara houses the sannidhi of Shiva facing east.

The ambal is called Satgunambal or Nalla nayaki and faces south in the sanctum inside

The Koshta vigrahas are as follows

                                    Vinayaka

                                            Dakshinamurthy

                                            Lingodhbhavar

                                                    Brahma

                                                        Durga

                                    Sthala vriksham Bamboo

                                        View of the Dwaja sthamba

                        Suryan and Chandra both in one enclosure

Adhishtanam of Shri.Jayendra Saraswathi the 69th Pontiff of the Kanchi Mutt

It was with profound sadness 

we woke up on the 28^th February 2018 to learn that his holiness Sri Jayendra Saraswathi swamiji had attained siddhi. Like many other devotees we too have been the recipients of his  bountiful advice,grace and blessings with regular  interactions for the past many decades. It was a sad day for the devotees  when he was interned next to his poojya guru

The 69th Pontiff His Holiness Sri Jayendra Saraswathi Swamigal

(from Kamakoti.org the official website of the Kanchi Mutt)
Sri Subramaniyam, born on July 18, 1935 at Irulneekki in Thanjavur District had Veda Adyayanam at Tiruvidaimarudur under the direction of Mahaswamigal and was initiated into Sanyasa on March 22, 1954 and was declared as successor Acharya and given the Sanyasa name Sri Jayendra Saraswathi . In the footsteps of the Mahaswamigal, He too undertook yatra throughout the country. He attracted people from every nook and corner. He intensified the activities of the Matam to cover new social objectives -education, health, employment, temple renovation etc. It is due to His untiring efforts, Kamakoti Peetam established religious and social institutions in many parts of the country. Kamakoti Peetam has now become a beehive of socio- religious renaissance. The King of Nepal has erected an arch "Welcome to the only Hindu Kingdom in the world" at the instance of Sri Jayendra Saraswathi, in 1988. The only Sankaracharya after the Adi Sankara to visit Manasarovar and Kailash is Sri Jayendra Saraswathi Swamigal, in 1998; there He installed the idol of Adi Sankara. He had the unique distinction in being honoured by both Nepal and Chinese Governments. In known recent history, He is the only Sankaracharya to visit Dhaka in Bangladesh in June 2000. In honouring His visit, Sri Dhakeswari Temple named the entrance to the temple as "Sankaracharya Gate". His most notable contribution yet is the founding of the Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi Viswa Mahavidyalaya, a Deemed University in the name of His Guru.

Some pictures of Gurujis received from friends and relatives via whatsapp

Sri Varadaraja Perumal temple–MG road, Pondicherry

This temple is right next to the Vedapureswarar temple  with a street separating the two.The temple is a simple construction with idols which were unearthed nearby. The vasantha mantap was donated by a Muslim trader it seems. When the French demolished the Shiva temple next door 1n 1700’s Sri Ananda ranga Pillai collected the idols and kept them here for safekeeping,

Originally this was a Narasimha temple between two Bodhi trees but later the temple grew and the original Narasimha idol is housed in a sannidhi behind

There is a separate sannidhi for Andal and also sannidhi for Sri  Ramanuja and Sri Nikamanda mahadesikan

The temple houses idols of many divyadesams which were all found in the lands nearby.The Sundara Anjaneyar is a big draw in this temple

The Rajagopuram leads to the Dwajasthambam with Garuda alwar facing the main deity The main sannidhi has a 5 feet tall Varadaraja Perumal standing. the southern side has a Mahalakshmi sannidhi and the north the Andal sannidhi

Sri Hanuman is found facing West in the North east corner

Sri Tripurasundari sametha Sri Vedapureswarar temple- MG road Pondicherry

This is the oldest temple in Pondicherry town. Today was the Kumbabishekam of this temple recently renovated hence it was very crowded and I had to rush through

The MG road is one of the prime market areas and easy to find it is next to the Perumal temple

LEGEND AND STORIES:

There is not much in legends here but in the Franco Indian war of 1788 the temple was razed to the ground and rebuilt in 1899 by Dewan  Kandappa mudaliar a local patron and the townsfolk.

The rajagopuram leads us to a small hall where Kumbabishekam pooja were in full swing. we next enter the outer praharam which has the dwaja sthamba

Ambal Tripura sundari sannidhi on the right seen below facing south

The mural showing the builders/renovators and nayanmars appar, Sundarar

Outer praharam showing the way to do pradakshina

Some  pounding activity for the Kumbabishekam

The Dakshinamurthy sannidhi made out as a separate enclosure

Ganapathi sannidhi in the outer praharam

Exquisite  paintings on the walls and the roof depicting tales from the Sivapuranam

the roof

The temple pond

An old edict

the main sanctum was closed due to balalayam which is seen below

Sri Kameshwarar sametha Kokilambal Temple Villianur near Pondicherry

Today I had a whirl wind visit of three temples in Pondicherry on a visit.

The first visit was to the  above  temple  which I passed by 2 months ago and was longing to visit. The temple was chock a bloc full of people as some yaga was going on and I could not take pictures of the temple on the inside

HOW TO REACH:

On the pondy Vizhupuram road at 8 kms you reach Villianur . There is a new rail overbridge being constructed on the state highway  hence local detours on narrow side  lanes were in order and we reached the temple

The temple is famous for the solar worship in april (Tamil month Panguni 9-12) when the sun’s rays fall on the shivalinga directly

LEGENDS ANDSTORIES ;

Brahma was directed by Shiva to plant Vilva trees here to atone for the sin of lying . Hence the place was known as Vilvanur which is now referred to as Villianur. He prayed here to the lord and received release for his sin

A chola king Dharmapala Chola was suffering from leprosy and was cured after taking a bath here in the pond and he re built this temple in 1500 AD

The French under Dupleix helped  renovate this temple in 1800 AD

As you enter there is an  outer praharam  leading to a small inner praharam with the dhwaja stambha.This place today was hosting a homam with many people crowding it

The dwajasthambam has 3 Nandis around it one facing the Shiva linga the other two at right angles facing each other one is a bigger one and the other facing  a small calf is referred to as prasava Nandi  one who helps deliver  as in childbirth and women pray here for a safe delivery.

(Pic courtesy Dinamalar.com)

The main temple is quite small we enter from the south and see a small shivalinga . In a weeks time the sun's rays will illuminate the lord at dawn 

The  walls of the shrine have the Koshta vigrahas, Ganapathy, Dakshinamurthy , Perumal,Brahma and Durga.

There are separate shrines for Ganapathy and Murugan and also huge Murugan. there are many prahara Shivalingas, including a koti linga . The Navagraha sannidhi is in front

the Kokilambal sannidhi is in the front facing south with a petite amman standing  and smilingly blessing devotees

There are statues of Somaskandar,Sivagami, Nataraja all exquisite