Devara Paadal Petra Sthalam | 20th Shiva Sthalams(One of the Devara Paadal Petra Shiva Sthalam) |
Region | Thondai Naadu |
Thondai Naadu | 20th Shiva Sthalam |
Pathigam | Saint Thirugnanasambanthar, Saint Thirunavukarasar (Appar)
and Saint Sundaramurthy (Sundarar) |
HISTORY:
Lord Shiva blessed Lord
Brahma to create the world at the time of “Pralaya flood” (dissolution) by
making way for the pralaya water to recede, this place is called Thiru Otriyur
(“votra” or “vatra” in Tamil means receding water). Lord Shiva took the form a
huge fire to make the water recede and he stayed here as a Swayambu lingam
under a Makizha tree. It is said that this is the first (Adhi in Tamil)
Swayambu lingam that appeared in the earth after the Pralaya, hence the lord
here is named “Adhipureeswarar”. This temple is said to be more than 1500 years
old. Adipuri is the historical name of
this place.
Lord
Mahavishnu and Veda:
Lord Brahma created
both the celestial gods and the demons. These two groups were constantly
engaged in battle with one another. While the demons (asuras) used muscle
power, the celestial gods (devas) used the power of the sacred texts - Vedas. Once,
two demons - Madhu and Kaithaba tricked the celestial gods to steal the Veda,
chopped it into pieces and hid it in the bottom of the sea. Devas sought the
help of Lord Mahavishnu to recover the Vedas. After worshiping Lord Shiva here,
Lord Mahavishnu fought the demons and brought the Veda back to this place. Lord
Shiva put it back in order and purified it.
Serpent
Vasuki:
Serpent Vasuki (king of
serpants), who had received “Shiva Dheekshai” from Sage Upamanyu, worshiped
Lord here. Impressed by his penance, Lord Shiva appeared from the ant-hill,
blessed him and wore him as an ornament around his neck. Hence the lord here is
called “Otreeswarar” and “Padampakkanathar”.
Kaliyanar:
Thiruvotriyur is the
birth place of Kaliya Nayanaar, one of the 63 Nayanmars and a staunch devotee
of Lord Shiva. He was a very wealthy oil merchant and wanted to perform
services for Lord Shiva. Aware that lighting of lamps in the temple is one of
the noblest services, he started lighting the lamps (“Thiruvilakku Thondu”) in
and around the temple every day without fail. Lord Shiva wanted to test his
piety and made him poor. As Kalianar was left with no money to buy oil for the
lighting of lamps - he sold all his possessions, did manual labour, and even
tried to sell his wife but found it impossible. Finally, he decided to cut his
throat and light the lamps with his blood. Lord Shiva appeared before him and made
his devotion public and elevated him to the status of a Nayanar. This event is
celebrated in the Tamil month of Aadi on Jyeshtha star day (Kettai in Tamil).
On this day, people light lamps in and around this temple to honour Kaliya
Nayanar.
Elelasingar:
Elelasingar - an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva
was in possession of some valuable ornaments which were supposed to be given to
the king. Two Shiva devotees came to him from Kasi and asked him for those
ornaments. It is believed that Lord Shiva instructed Elelasingar to give those
jewels to the devotees whom he promptly obeyed. When king came and asked for
the ornaments, Elelasingar stood speechless. Lord Shiva came to his rescue and
gave him those precious jewels. Hence, Lord Shiva here is also praised as
“Manickathiyagar” (Manickam in Tamil means Diamond stones).
Ezhuthariyum
Peruman:
A king from the “Surya
Vamsam” dynasty - Maan Dhada, a staunch Shiva devotee, established many charitable
institutions. Because of his continued charitable deeds his longevity was
increasing. He was vexed with his life on earth and yearned for a peaceful
death. He consulted with many learned scholars and they advised him that his
longevity was due to his charitable deeds. They told him to stop all his
charitable and religious donations. He wrote a deed and kept it in a safe but
still his death was not forthcoming. Again, he called and consulted his
advisors who asked him to show the deed. Surprisingly, his deed had been
modified and had an insertion of the words “Except Thiruvotriyur”, which the
king did not write. The king realized and strongly believed that Lord Shiva
himself had done this correction. Thus, the lord here is also called
“Ezhuthariyum Peruman”, translated as the “lord who knows how to write”. This
incident in the celebrated Peria Puranam written by Saint Sekkizhar.
Saint
Sundaramurthy Nayanar:
Thiruvotriyur is that
concerning Saint Sundaramurthy Nayanar’s life. It is believed that he was an
attendant of Lord Shiva by the name Alala Sundararan in Mount Kailash. There he
came across two girls, Aninthithai and Kamalini, who were attendants to Goddess
Parvathi and wanted to marry them. Knowing his desire, Lord Shiva blessed them
to born on earth. Alala Sundaran was born as Nambiyarurar, Kamalini as Paravai
Nachiyar and Aninthithai as Sangili Nachiyar, in different locations.During his
pilgrimage in Thiruvarur, Nambiyarurar (Sundarar) met Paravai Nachiyar and in
Thiruvotriyur he met Sangili Nachiyar. At the behest of Lord Shiva, Sundarar
married Sangili Nachiar under the Makizha tree here. It is said that under this
tree Sundarar promised Sangili Nachiyar that he would be with her forever. It
is believed that Lord Shiva hid behind this tree and Sundarar’s promise was
actually addressed to Lord Shiva and not to Sangili Nachiyar. It is also said
that Lord Shiva himself solemnized this marriage. In both the places – at
Thiruvarur and Thiruvotriyur, it is believed that Lord Shiva had played a major
role in getting Sundarar married to these two girls.
The wedding event under
the Makizha tree is known as “Makizhadi Sevai” and Lord Shiva’s foot prints can
be seen under this tree. Devotees who are facing obstacles in their wedding
proposals worship the lord’s feet here and adorn it with sandal paste with the
hope that the obstacles would be removed.Makizha tree, the Sthala viruksham of
this temple, where Sundaramurthy Nayanar is believed to have married Sangili
Nachiyar, can still be seen in the second corridor of this temple.
Main
deity of the temple:
The main deity here is
a Swayambu lingam in the form of an ant-hill with Lord Mahavishnu on the right
side and Lord Brahma on the left side. Abhishekam is performed only to the
Avudayar (base) and not to the lingam itself. On the full moon day in the Tamil
month of Karthikai, the covers for the lingam are removed and “Punugu (civet)
and Sambirani (styrax resin) oil” are smeared. One can see and worship the
lingam as an ant-hill itself without the cover for three days only and
thereafter for the entire year it will be covered. It is believed that Lord
Vishnu, Lord Brahma and serpent Vasuki are worshipping Lord Shiva during these
three days.
Everything
is present in duplets:
Another interesting
aspect of this temple is that everything is present in duplets here. There are
two presiding deities – Sri Adhipureeswarar and Sri Otreeswarar; two goddesses
– Sri Vadivudai Amman and Sri Vattaparai Amman; two sacred trees - Athi and
Makizham; two sacred theerthams -Brahma and Nandhi theerthams and two pooja
procedures - Karana and Kameeka.
Seven
temples (Saptha Vidanga):
This is one of the
seven temples (Saptha Vidanga) in Thondai Nadu where Lord Thiyagaraja can be
seen. His dance performance in this temple is called Ananda Thandavam. Hence
the lord here is also known as “Ananda Thiyagesar”.
Tri-Shakti
temples:
The Tri-Shakti temples
- Itcha, Kriya and Gnana Shakthis are very popular and are of great
significance. Of these, Sri Vadivudai Nayaki at Thiruvotriyur is considered to
be Gnana Shakti.
Two
Shakti shrines:
The two Shakti shrines
are - Thiruvudai Nayaki at Melur and Kodi Idai Nayaki at Vada-Thirumullaivayil.
These three idols are said to have been created by the same sculptor. It is
believed that worshipping these three goddesses in a single day (especially on
the full moon day) at morning, midday and evening rewards the devotees with
manifold benefits. On full moon days, these three temples are open for the
devotees throughout the day. In Thiruvotriyur, only Namboodhiris (priest) of
Kerala can be seen performing the poojas for Vadivudai Amman.
Padama
Natanam:
At both the places - Thiruvarur and
Thiruvottriyur Lord Shiva’s dance pattern is the same and is called “Padama
Natanam”. The dance pattern of this temple is a continuation of that in
Thiruvarur temple. Lord Mahavishnu is believed to have missed seeing the dance
at Thiruvarur, and Lord Thiyagaraja asked him to go to Thiruvottriyur to
witness the same dance.
Nandi’s
wishes:
As per Nandhi’s wishes,
Lord Shiva blessed him to witness his dance which he performed while being in a
seated posture. This performance is also believed to have been witnessed by
Lord Mahavishnu, Lord Brahma, Romarishi, Vanmiki Rishi, Serpent Vasuki and Chandran.
27
Nakshatrams:
All the 27 Nakshatrams (constellations) have worshipped Lord Shiva here to seek absolution and have stayed in this temple as Shiva lingams. All the 27 Shiva lingams, one for each Nakshatram, can be seen in the corridors.
Kavi
Chakravarthi Kambar:
Kavi Chakravarthi
Kambar translated Valmiki’s Ramayan from Sanskrit to Tamil in this temple only.
It is also believed that every day he would pray to the Goddess Vattaparai
Amman before starting his work. The legend is that the Goddess took the form of
a woman and helped him by holding a torch while he was writing.
Saint
Pattinathar:
Saint Pattinathar - a
reputed Tamil ascetic-poet. He is also praised as “Thavaraja Singam” and he
rendered many songs about Goddess Vadivudai Amman. It is believed that
Pattinathar, a merchant from Poompuhar, worshiped to Lord Shiva to seek
salvation.
Lord Shiva appeared
before him, gave him sour sugarcane and asked him to travel to many places with
it.The lord further advised him that when he felt sweetness at the end of the
sugarcane, he would attain salvation. It is believed that it happened at this
place - Thiruvotriyur.
Realizing that his life was coming to an end,
it is believed that Pattinathar asked his followers to cover him with a bowl.
When they removed the bowl, to their surprise, they found a lingam in his
place. Pattinathar had attained salvation and his Jeeva Samadhi (a shrine) was
built near the Thiruvotriyur temple.
Saint
Thiyagaraja Swamigal:
Saint Thiyagaraja
Swamigal, the Carnatic composer and an ardent devotee of Lord Rama visited this
temple and composed the “Thiruvotriyur Pancharatna” (5 Gems) in praise of the
Goddess Sri Thripurasundari. He had never sung about any other god or
goddess other than Lord Rama, but after seeing Goddess Parvathi, he was
mesmerized by her beauty and sung a song.
People
who worshipped here:
Many poets and sages
including Kambar, Arunagirinathar, Muthuswamy Dikshithar, Ramalinga Swamigal
and Maraimalai Adigal have worshipped Lord Shiva here.
SALIENT
FEATURE:
·
Lord Shiva in
this temple is a Swayambu lingam. It is in the form of an ant-hill – it has a
tall banalingam but does not have a base (Avudayar).
·
This lingam is
not touched by human hands, not even by the priests, as it is
“Theendathirumeni”.
·
This is considered
to be one of the 51 Shakti Peetas.
·
This is one of
the 44 Paadal Petra Sthalams where all “Moovar” had rendered their Pathigams.
·
In this temple, it is believed that Lord
Shiva blessed Sage Agasthiar with his wedding dharisanam.
·
Saint Padagachery Ramalinga Swamigal’s
Jeeva Samadhi is also located near this temple.
·
Saint
Thiyagaraja Swamigal, Muthuswami Dikshithar and Marai Malai Adigalar had also
visited here and sung the glory of Lord Shiva of this temple.
·
The east facing
temple with main tower (Rajagopuram) has 5-tiers.
·
The vimanam
(roof tower) of the sanctum sanctorum is designed in a special way that is
exclusive to Pallava architecture - the Gaja Brishtam, that looks like the rear
of an elephant (Gaja - elephant, brishtam - rear).
·
This temple is
one of the Saptha Vidanga Sthalams of Thondai Nadu as Lord Thiyagaraja is the
main deity of this temple.
·
Saint Arunagirinadhar has also sung two
songs in praise of Lord Murugan of this temple in his revered Thirupugazh.
TEMPLE INFORMATION:
|
Moolavar |
Sri Thyiyagaraja Swamy, Sri Adipureeswarar |
|
Ambal |
Sri Vadivudai Ammai, Sri Thiripurasundari |
|
Theertham |
Brahma Theertham, Nandhi Theertham |
|
Sthala
Vriksham |
Makizham and Athi |
BELIEF:
It is believed that
just entering this temple itself will cure one’s illnesses.
Devotees come to
Thiruvotriyur temple and worship the lord here to seek wedding boon and for the
welfare of their children. Devotees seeking child boon come here and pray to
Lord Kuzhanthai Eswarar.
As there are 27 Shiva
lingams representing the 27 Nakshatrams (constellations) in this temple,
devotees who are facing the adverse effects of these Nakshatrams can be seen
performing poojas here.
On the full moon day,
the Panchamurthy procession to seashore for theerthavari. On the sixth day, the
wedding dharisanam to Sage Agasthiyar is celebrated.
On the nineth day,
Saint Sundarar and Sangili Nachiyar’s wedding festival is observed under the
Makizha tree (Makizhadi Sevai).
On the tenth day, Lord
Thiyagaraja’s 18 types of dance programmes are celebrated in a grand manner.
TEMPLE
FESTIVAL:
|
Tamil Month |
English Month |
Festival Name |
|
Maasi |
Feb-Mar |
10 days Brahmotsavam (Maasi Maham festival) |
|
Maasi |
Feb-Mar |
10 days Theerthavari
|
|
Aadi |
July-Aug |
Pattinathar Guru Poojai |
|
Chithirai |
April-May |
18-day festivals for Sri Vattaparai
Amman |
HOW
TO REACH:
Thiruvotriyur is about 25 kms from Koyambedu Bus Terminal
and 8 kms from Central Railway Station, Chennai. There is a railway station in
Thiruvotriyur (electric railway line) and this temple is situated about one
kilometre away from it.
TEMPLE
ADDRESS:
Sri Thiyagarajaswamy
Temple,
Thiruvotriyur,
Thiruvallur,
Chennai,
Tamil Nadu - 600 019.
LOCATION:
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