91. SRI BRAHMAPUREESWARAR TEMPLE AT THIRU KARAVEERAM (KARAIYAPURAM)

Devara Paadal Petra Sthalam	208th Shiva Sthalams(One of the Devara Paadal Petra Shiva Sthalam)
Region	Chola Naadu - South
Chola Naadu - South	91st Shiva Sthalam
Pathigam	Saint Thirugnanasambanthar

HISTORY:

In ancient times, this region was a forest densely covered with Karaveeram trees. This temple’s Sthala Viruksham is “Pon Alari” / “Sevvarali” (Karaveeram), hence this place gets the name Karaveeram. However, now this place is known as Vadakandam Karaiyapuram. This ancient temple is situated on the southern bank of the river Vettaru.

Another reason why this village got the name Karaveeram is because it is believed that a donkey (“karam” in Tamil) worshiped the lord here.

Sri Brahmapureeswarar:

Lord Brahma worshiped Lord Shiva here. Hence Lord Shiva here is praised “Sri Brahmapureeswarar”.

Goddess Parvathy:

The legend of this temple is that Goddess Parvathy is waiting in the main hall for Lord Shiva to return from his stroll in the village.

Sage Gowtama:

Lord Shiva created and installed a Shivalingam here. The lord advised Sage Gowtama to take care of that Shivalingam. The sage obeyed the lord’s advice, stayed here and performed penance. Pleased with his penance, Lord Shiva granted him his darshan and asked him about his wish.

The sage prayed to the lord that after his death, he should become this temple’s sacred tree. The lord granted him this boon. Later the saint attained salvation here and his burial place (“Jeeva Samadhi”) is inside the temple complex. It is also believed that he is present here in the form of the Sthala Viruksham (Pon Alari tree). There is also a separate shrine for him in this temple.

Donkey:

 The donkey did penance here to receive the darshan of Lord Shiva but it failed in its attempt. Frustrated, the donkey decided to jump into the sea and went up to Nagore. It was about to fall in to the sea but heard a sound and turned back. To its surprise, Lord Shiva was there to grant his darshan. Lord Shiva blessed the donkey with salvation. There is no flag post in this temple. There is also no construction that obstructs the path from this temple till the sea shore at Nagore (about 35 kms away).

SALIENT FEATURE:

·        In this temple, shrines of both Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathy are facing the east direction. Goddess Parvathy’s shrine is on the right side of Lord Shiva’s shrine. This is considered to symbolise their wedding posture.

·        Both Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathy’s idols are about six and a half feet tall. Both these sanctum towers are very tall and there are many sculptures on it.

·        Lord Vinayakar of this temple is praised as Lord Raja Ganapathy.

·        Saint Thirugnanasambanthar reached this place at night. Hence, he stayed back and worshiped the lord on the next morning. In all the stanzas of his hymn about this temple, he mentions that by worshiping the lord here, devotees will be absolved from all their sins.

·        The front hall (Mandapam) of this temple is designed to look like the forehead of a bat (“Vovval Nethi Mandapam”). This looks very beautiful.

TEMPLE INFORMATION:

Moolavar	Sri Brahmapureeswarar, Sri Karaveereswarar, Sri Alarivana Nathar
Ambal	Sri Prathyaksha Minnammai, Sri Karaveera Nayagi
Theertham	Brahma Theertham / Anavarada Theertham
Sthala Vriksham	Pon Alali / Sevvarali

BELIEF:

It is considered auspicious for women to water the Sthala Viruksham (Pon Alari) and worship Lord Brahmapureeswarar on new moon days. Devotees believe that by doing so, their marriage proposal will be finalised soon.

Devotees also consider it auspicious to stay a night in this place before worshiping the lord, just like Saint Thirugnanasambanthar did. They believe that by doing so they will be freed from all kind of troubles and they will be blessed with prosperity.

TEMPLE FESTIVAL:

Tamil Month	English Month	Festival Name
Avani	Aug-Sept	Vinayakar Chaturthi
Markazhi	Dec-Jan	Thiruvadhirai
Thai	Jan-Feb	Makara Sankranthi
Maasi	Feb-Mar	Maha Shivrathri
Panguni	Mar-Apr	Panguni Uthiram

HOW TO REACH:

Thiru Karaveeram is situated at a distance of about 10 kms from Thiruvarur on the Thiruvarur to Kumbakonam route. Take the diversion road from Vadakandam village and proceed to Karaveeram.

TEMPLE ADDRESS:

Sri Brahmapureeswarar/Sri Karaveeranathar Temple,
Karaiyapuram (Thiru Karaveeram),
Manakkal Iyyampettai,
Vadakandam-Via,
Kudavasal,
Thiruvarur,
Tamil Nadu – 610 104.

LOCATION: