Devara Paadal Petra Sthalam | 149th Shiva Sthalams(One of the Devara Paadal Petra Shiva Sthalam) |
Region | Chola Naadu - South |
Chola Naadu - South | 32nd Shiva Sthalam |
Pathigam | Saint Thirunavukarasar (Appar) |
HISTORY:
When
“Thirupparkadal” was churned to find nectar, first instead of nectar poison
came out. Lord Shiva consumed this poison. However, in order to stop the poison
from entering Lord Shiva’s stomach, Goddess Parvathy held his throat with her
hands. The lord’s throat turned blue in colour due to the poison. For this
reason, the lord is praised as “Sri Neelakandeswarar” and the place is known as
“Neelakkudi”. (“Neelam” means blue and “Kandam” means throat in Tamil).
When
a devotee hears the name Thiruneelakkudi, he is immediately reminded of the
“oil abhishekam of the lord”. This temple’s Sthala Viruksham (Pancha Vilva
tree) is very significant, hence this place is known as “Pancha Vilvaaranya
kshetram”. Often five leaves of this Vilva tree can be seen together on a
twig which is rare.
Goddess Parvathy:
In
this temple, “gingelly (sesame) oil abhishekam” of the lord is very famous. It
is believed that to reduce the poison’s effect, Goddess Parvathy performed oil
abhishekam to the lord here quite often. It is also believed that the lord
informed the goddess that whatever the quantity of oil she offered, it will be
absorbed by him in its entirety.
Sri Thailapriyangeswarar:
As
per the “Sthala Puranam” a fixed quantity of oil is offered to the lord in the
Tamil months of Chithirai, Karthigai and Masi. Traditionally, the oil and rest
of the items for the pooja are first kept in front of Goddess Parvathy and then
taken to Lord Shiva’s shrine for Abhishekam. However, it is a miracle even now
that the entire quantity of oil that is used for abhishekam is fully absorbed
by the lingam. Interestingly, after a couple of hours, the idol looks as if it
has not seen oil in days. It is also interesting to note that the Shivalingam
is still rough even after continuous offerings of oil. Hence the lord here is
also praised as “Sri Thailapriyangeswarar” (“thailam” means oil and “priyam”
means fondness in Tamil).
Saint Markandeya:
Saint
Markandeya, son of Sage Mrikandu. Since Sage Mrikandu was informed by an
astrologer that his son’s life would be very short, he sought the advice of
Sage Vashistar and Sage Narada. On their advice, it is believed that Markandeya
visited this temple and worshiped the lord. He also performed gingelly oil
abishekam to the lord. Lord Shiva granted him his dharisanam and blessed him
with the status of “Chiranjeevi” (“Entrum Pathinaru”). This blessing ensured
that Markandeya would attain immortality and would remain 16 years old forever.
Enthused by this blessing, Markandeya took the lord in procession to seven
nearby villages (“Sapthas Sthanam”). These are -Ilanthurai, Enathi Mangalam,
Thirunageswaram, Thirupuvanam, Thiruvidaimaruthur, Maruthuvakkudi and
Thiruneelakkudi. This event is commemorated in the Tamil month of Chithirai
every year in a grand manner.
Saint Thirunavukkarasar:
Saint
Thirunavukkarasar was tied to a granite slab and thrown into the sea by Jains
(Samanars). It is believed that he prayed to Lord Shiva of this temple and was
able to float and reach the shore. The saint has mentioned this incident in the
7th stanza of his hymn of this temple.
People who worshipped here:
Lord
Brahma, Varunan, Sage Romasa, Sage Vashistar, Sage Bharadwajar, Sage
Markandeya, Deva Kannigais, Kamadenu and Soorapadman have worshipped Lord Shiva
here. Lord Shiva here is also praised as Sri Vilvaranyeswarar, Sri
Brahmanayakar and Sri Kamadenupuradesar.
SALIENT
FEATURE:
·
There are two
separate shrines for Goddess Parvathy here.
·
This east facing
temple has a single tier main tower (Rajagopuram)
·
It is believed
that the jackfruit tree (Palamaram) in the corridor is very auspicious and its
fruits cannot be taken out without making an offering to the lord. If it is
taken out without offering to the lord, the fruits will get spoilt.
·
This temple is
considered to be significant for its three important attributes – Moorthy,
Sthalam and Theertham - glory of Lord, sacredness of the land and the
auspicious temple tank.
·
A beautiful
painting depicting Goddess Parvathy performing oil abishekam to the lord can be
seen in the corridor.
·
In his hymn of
this temple at 4th stanza., Saint Thirunavukarsar mentioned about the
lord’s consumption of poison.
·
Every month on
Chithirai star day, oil abhishekam is performed to the lord.
·
In the main
hall, Sri Brahmalingam is housed in a shrine which is called the “Mukthi
Mandapam”.
·
A stone mortar
and pestle set can be seen here. Earlier it was used to grind gingelly seeds.
·
The sanctum
sanctorum is in the form of semi-circular tank (akazhi in Tamil).
TEMPLE INFORMATION:
|
Moolavar |
Sri Manokkiyanathaswamy, Sri Neelakandeswarar |
|
Ambal |
1.Sri Bakthapeeshtappradayani (Sri Thavakkola
Ammai) |
|
Theertham |
Brahma Theertham, Devi Theertham, Ksheera,
Theertham, Bharatwaja Theertham and Markandeya Theertham |
|
Sthala
Vriksham |
Vilvam tree (Pancha vilvam) |
BELIEF:
As
Lord Shiva is believed to have given Sage Markandeya the blessing of
immortality here, devotees believe that by worshiping the lord here they would
be relieved of “Yama Bhayam” (fear of death).
Devotees
also believe that by worshiping the lord here, they would be blessed with
longevity.
Devotees offer pots and bowls of oil regularly to the lord and it is believed that by consuming a small quantity of the offered oil, their prolonged ailments will be cured.
|
Tamil Month |
English Month |
Festival Name |
|
Chithirai |
Apr-May |
18-day
Brahmotsavam |
|
Aadi |
July-Aug |
Aadi Pooram |
|
Aippasi |
Oct–Nov |
Annabishekam |
|
Karthikai |
Nov-Dec |
Thirukarthikai |
|
Markazhi |
Dec-Jan |
Thiruvadhirai |
|
Maasi |
Feb-Mar |
Maha Shivrathri |
HOW
TO REACH:
Thiruneelakkudi
(Thennalakkudi) is situated at a distance of about 15 kms from Kumbakonam on
the Kumbakonam to Karaikkal route. From Aduthurai, this temple is about 3 kms
on the Aduthurai to Thiruvarur route.
Nearest
railway station is Aduthurai which is about 4 kms away from this temple.
TEMPLE
ADDRESS:
Sri Manokkiyanathaswamy
Temple,
Thiruneelakkudi,
Thiruvidaimaruthur,
Tanjure,
Tamil Nadu-612 108.
LOCATION:
No comments:
Post a Comment