Devara Paadal Petra Sthalam | 33rd Shiva Sthalams(One of the Devara Paadal Petra Shiva Sthalam) |
Region | Nadu Naadu |
Nadu Naadu | 1st Shiva Sthalam |
Pathigam | Saint Thirugnanasambanthar, Saint Thirunavukarasar (Appar)
and Saint Sundaramurthy (Sundarar) |
HISTORY:
Adiseshan and Vayu had an
argument between them regarding their respective strengths. To prove that, he
is more powerful, Adiseshan encircled Meru Mountain and Vayu could not dislodge
the mountain from the snake’s grip. He consulted Narada. The rishi took his
Magadi Veena and started reciting a melody. It was so enchanting that Adiseshan
temporarily lost grip and Vayu blew away a piece of Meru. The defeated
Adiseshan was consoled by Brahma who advised him to pray here to restore his
status. Hence Adiseshan worshipped to Lord Shiva here. Due to this, the place is
known as “Aravathurai” (Aravam means snake in Tamil) and
this subsequently became Arathurai. “Thirunelvayil
Arathurai” is the ancient name of this place. Now this village is called
Thiruvattathurai. Sri
Theerthapureeswarar temple is situated on the southern bank
of the river Neevaa / Vellaru.
Saint
Thirugnanasambanthar got Muthu Chivigai, Muthu Kodai, Muthu Chinnam:
Saint Thirugnanasambanthar after
worshiping the lord Sri Pralaya Kaleswarar at Pennaagadam, he stayed overnight
at Maranpadi (Eraiyur). From there, the journey to this temple was tiring and
exhausting. On knowing this, the Lord advised the local Vethiyars (Brahmins) to
take the pearl palanquin (Muthu Chivigai), a pearl umbrella (Muthu Kodai) and
other pearl-bedecked paraphernalia (Muthu Chinnam) to Eraiyur, offer them to
Thirugnanasambanthar and bring him here. It is believed that the lord himself
had arranged these items for Saint Thirugnanasambanthar. On the way to
Eraiyur, they met Thirugnanasambanthar at a place called Kudalur and brought
him to this temple in a procession in that palanquin. Lord Shiva bestowed him
with the title of “Achariyan” (Teacher). From there on, Thirugnanasambanthar
travelled to many places in this Muthu Chivigai.
Nandi’s
head turned towards right side:
The distinctive feature of this
temple is that the Nandi’s head is lifted up and turned towards the right side.
Once there was a flood in the river Neevaa and Lord Shiva advised Nandi, to
turn its head towards the river and prevent the water from causing any damage.
River Nee
Vaa:
It is believed that Lord Shiva helped
the Saptha Rishis to perform their rituals in this place by calling the Vellaru
River here (“Nee Vaa” meaning, you come here). Because of this the river
is also called Neevaa. They worshiped Lord Shiva here and the fingerprints of
all the seven sages can be seen on this lingam.
They have worshiped Lord Shiva in
a similar manner at seven holy places on the banks of river Vellaru /Nee Vaa.
These are called the Thurai Temples and they are –
Adi Thurai (Kaariyanoor);
Thirumanthurai;
Thiruvalanthurai;
Su.Aduthurai;
Thiruvathittathuri (Thittakudi);
Thiruvattathurai (Thirunelvayil
Arathurai),
Thirukkaranthurai (Pelanthurai)
Sage
Vasishtar got rajarishi title here:
Sage Vasishtar performed rigorous
penance here and was blessed with the title of “Raja Rishi” by Lord Shiva. Based
on the title, he was appointed as the ‘Kula Guru’ (family teacher) for the
royal families of Chola King Manu, Dasarath and Sri Ram. As the guru of Sri
Ram, Vasishtar gave a collection of advices which was written down and codified
as the ‘Gnana Vasishtam’. This is similar to the Bhagavad Geeta which contains
dialogue between Arjuna and Lord Krishna.
People Worshipped
lord shiva here:
Lords Mahavishnu, Brahma,
Adisheshan, Saneeswaran (planet Saturn), Angarakan (planet Mars) and sages
Valmiki, Sanakar and Barathvasar have worshipped the lord here. It is also
believed that king Janakar (Sita’s father) and the kings of Chera, Chola and
Pandiya kingdoms have worshiped the lord here.
SALIENT
FEATURE:
·
Saint Arunagirinadhar has sung songs in
praise of Lord Murugan of this temple in his revered Thirupugazh.
·
Saint Thirugnanasambanthar’s hymn of
this temple contains a reference to the Neevaa river, which is nowadays known
as “Vadavellaru”.
·
There are three Kasi shetrams –
Balakasi, Virudhakasi and Uzhikasi. This temple is considered to be as
Uzhikasi.
·
There is an entrance at the left side of
the temple known as “Magam Vasal”. This entrance exists due to a custom being
followed here.
·
This is one of the few temples where all
the three Tamil kings-Chera, Chozha and Pandya- worshipped. Due to
this, we see separate Lingams with the names of these dynasties, in the
prakaram.
·
At the entrance, there is a five tier rajagopuram.
This is a relatively large temple on the Southern banks of river Vada Vellar.
TEMPLE INFORMATION:
|
Moolavar |
Sri Theerthapureeswarar, Sri Anandeeswarar,Sri Arathurai Nathar |
|
Ambal |
Sri Thiripura Sundari, Sri Anandha Nayagi, |
|
Theertham |
Neelamalar Poikai, Annamalar Poikai, Vada Vellaru river |
|
Sthala
Vriksham |
Banyan tree(Aala Maram) |
BELIEF:
Devotees believe
Saneeswaran and Angarakan worshipped the lord shiva here to get rid of the
curse given by Surya and Chandra, So worshiping the lord here would relieve
them of the “dosham” related to these two planets.
As Saint
Thirugnanasambanthar got a turning point in his life, devotees believe by
worshiping the lord here will bring changes to their life and the Lord will
give them fame, recognition and a better position in life.
The sacred tree of this
temple is a banyan tree and represents the “Maham nakshatram” (Maham
constellation). Due to this reason, this temple is famous with devotees born in
the period of the Maham nakshatram.
There is one peculiar custom in
this temple, Ladies who have lost their husbands, should enter this temple
after bath in the river, one year after the demise of their husband, through an
entrance left of the moolasthanam (Magam vasal), worship lord and return
through the same entrance.
TEMPLE
FESTIVAL:
|
Tamil Month |
English Month |
Festival Name |
|
Maasi |
Feb-Mar |
10 days Brahmotsavam (Maasi Maham festival) |
|
Maasi |
Feb-Mar |
Maha Shivrathri |
|
Panguni |
Mar-Apr |
Panguni Uthiram |
|
Markazhi |
Dec-Jan |
Thiruvadhirai |
HOW
TO REACH:
Thiruvatathurai is
situated at a distance of about 5 Kms from Pennadam on the Penndam to
Thittakudi route.From Thittakudi it is at a distance of about 9 Kms and from
Virudhachalam it is about 25 Kms.
TEMPLE
ADDRESS:
Sri Theerthapureeswarar
Temple,
Thiruvattathurai Post,
Thittakudi Taluk,
Cuddalore,
Tamil Nadu - 606111.
LOCATION:
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