Devara Paadal Petra Sthalam | 155th Shiva Sthalams(One of the Devara Paadal Petra Shiva Sthalam) |
Region | Chola Naadu - South |
Chola Naadu - South | 38th Shiva Sthalam |
Pathigam | Saint Thirugnanasambanthar |
HISTORY:
According to legend, in
ancient times, this region was densely covered with Sandalwood trees. Hence the
historical name of this place is “Santhanaranyam” (“Santhanam” means sandalwood
and “Aranyam” means forest in Tamil).
·
Therezhunthur enjoys a special place in
mythology because it is linked to the legends of a few nearby Paadal Petra
Shiva Sthalams.
·
At Therezhunthur, Lord Shiva cursed
Goddess Parvathy which made her turn into a cow. Lord Mahavishnu played the
role of a shepherd here.
·
At Thirukkozhambam, Goddess Parvathy,
who was in the form of a cow, worshiped Lord Shiva. During the worship, as the
cow’s leg hit Lord Shiva by mistake, its hoof made a mark on the lord’s chest.
·
At Thiruvaduthurai, again Goddess
Parvathy (in the form a cow) worshiped Lord Shiva. It is here that Goddess
Parvathy was relieved of her curse and got restored to her original form.
·
At Thiruthuruthi (Kuthalam), Sage
Bharatha performed a yagna and it is believed that Goddess Parvathy came out of
the fire in the form of a child.
·
At Ethirkolpadi, Lord Shiva was received
as a groom by his father-in-law, Sage Bharatha.
·
At Thiruvelvikudi, the wedding ceremony
including the yagna (“Velvi”) was performed. This is the great place where the
earthly wedding of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathy took place.
·
At Thirumanancheri, Lord Shiva and
Goddess Parvathy granted their wedding darshan to everyone.
Lord
Shiva and Lord Mahavishnu:
Lord Shiva and Lord
Mahavishnu played a game of dice. Goddess Parvathi was chosen to be the
mediator. During the course of the game, there was a doubt regarding the
numbers. It is believed that Goddess Parvathi supported her brother, Lord
Mahavishnu. Angered by her act, Lord Shiva cursed her to become a cow. Lord
Vishnu also felt guilty about it and regretted the fact that she was punished
because of him. So, he decided to take the form of a shepherd to protect her.
Goddess Parvathi prayed to Lord Shiva to pardon her. Lord Shiva told her that
she would be relieved from this curse and restored to her original form in due
course of time at a place called Thiruvaduthurai.
Sri
Vedapureeswarar:
It is believed that
after cursing Goddess Parvathy to become a cow, Lord Shiva stayed in this place
as a brahman and taught Vedas under the sandal tree, this temple’s sacred tree.
Hence the lord is known as “Sri Vedapureeswarar”.
King
Oorthuvaradhan:
Mazhavanadu King
Oorthuvaradhan. The king was a devotee of Lord Brahma. Pleased with his
worship, Lord Brahma gifted him a chariot which could fly in the sky. Once the
king was flying on his chariot when it got stuck and got grounded in this
place. He found that Sage Agasthiyar was worshipping Lord Shiva here. He
realised that this was the reason why his chariot could not move any further.
He apologised to the sage and worshiped the lord here. Hence this place gets
the name Therazhundur (“Ther” means chariot, “azhundhiya” means “getting stuck”
and “Oor” means village in Tamil).
Saint
Thirugnanasambanthar:
There is a Vinayakar
temple on the way to this temple. It is believed that when Saint Thirugnanasambanthar
visited this place, he was stuck at a crossing and was not sure on which way to
proceed. This Vinayakar guided him and hence he is praised as Vazhikaati
Vinayakar (“Vazhikaati” means guide in Tamil).
People who worshipped here:
Devas, Vedas,
Ashtadikpalakars (Directional Gods) Sage Agasthiyar and River Kaveri have
worshiped the lord here.
SALIENT
FEATURE:
·
This temple is counted as one of the
seventy Maadak Koils built by King Kochengat Cholan.
·
This west facing temple with main tower
(Rajagopuram) has 5-tiers.
·
It is believed that Lord Suryan (Sun)
worships Lord Shiva of this temple by directing his rays on the lingam every
year for three days (23rd to 25th in the Tamil month of Maasi
(Feb-Mar)) between 5.50 PM and 6.18 PM.
·
It is believed that King Kochengat Chola
built about 70 “Madakkoils”. The distinguishing feature of a Madakkoil is that
it is not easily approachable by an elephant. He built these temples at an
elevation and there are a few steps that need to be climbed before seeing the
lord. Also, the sanctum sanctorum’s (Karpagragam) entrance is narrow such that
no elephant can enter it.
·
The sanctum sanctorum is in the form of
semi-circular tank (akazhi in Tamil).
·
The hall (mandapam) where Lord Shiva and
Lord Vishnu played the game of dice can still be seen. In this hall, there are
beautiful paintings depicting this legend.
·
This is the birth place of the great
Tamil poet Kambar, the author of Kamba Ramayanam. He is popularly known as
“Kavichakravarthi”. The house where he lived is known as “Kambar Medu”. It is a
memorial now and it is under the control of Archaeological Survey of India.
TEMPLE INFORMATION:
|
Moolavar |
Sri
Vedapureeswarar |
|
Ambal |
Sri
Soundarambigai |
|
Theertham |
Veda
Theertham |
|
Sthala
Vriksham |
White
Sandalwood tree and Vilvam |
BELIEF:
It is believed that
those seeking wedding boon can pray to the lord here.
Couples with strained
relations can pray to the lord here for relief and reunion.
|
Tamil Month |
English Month |
Festival Name |
|
Chithirai |
Apr-May |
10-day Brahmotsavam |
|
Avani |
Aug-Sept |
Vinayakar
Chaturthi |
|
Purattasi |
Sep-Oct |
Navarathri |
|
Aippasi |
Oct–Nov |
Annabishekam |
|
Karthikai |
Nov-Dec |
Thirukarthikai |
|
Maasi |
Feb-Mar |
Maha Shivrathri and Surya Pooja |
HOW
TO REACH:
Thiruvazhundur is
situated at a distance of about 12 kms from Mayiladuthurai. From Mayiladuthurai
proceed towards Kumbakonam via Kuthalam. After Kuthalam, Komal road can be
reached. From there take the diversion road towards Komal, then proceed for
about 4 kms to reach Therazhunthur.
TEMPLE
ADDRESS:
Sri Vedapureeswarar Temple,
Therazhunthur,
Kuthalam,
Nagapattinam,
Tamil Nadu – 609 805.
LOCATION:
No comments:
Post a Comment