Devara Paadal Petra Sthalam | 102nd Shiva Sthalams(One of the Devara Paadal Petra Shiva Sthalam) |
Region | Chola Naadu - North |
Chola Naadu - North | 48th Shiva Sthalam |
Pathigam | Saint Thirugnanasambanthar |
HISTORY:
Goddess Bhooma Devi
visited this place and worshiped the lord. Hence this place also gets the name
“Bhoomi Puram”.
On the advice of Lord
Shiva, the four Vedas visited this place and performed penance here in the form
of Vilva trees. Hence this place also gets the name Vilva Vanam.
This ancient temple is
located on the southern bank of the river Kollidam and towards the north of the
river Manniyaru. The historical names of this place are Vilva Vanam and Bhoomi
Puram.
Sage
Dhavanithi:
This temple involves a
hunter who came here while chasing a deer. It is believed that the deer
surrendered to Sage Dhavanithi who was performing penance in this temple. The
hunter reached the spot and asked the sage to release the deer. The sage
advised him to leave the deer alone but the hunter was adamant and threatened
to kill him if he did not release the deer.
Even after his threat,
the sage did not back down and refused to let go of the dear. It is believed
that at this point, Lord Shiva came in the form of a tiger in order to save the
sage and the deer. On seeing the tiger, the hunter climbed on a tree. The tiger
sat under the tree and did not leave. Even as the night approached, both of
them did not move from their positions. The hunter was afraid that he might doze
off and fall down from the tree. To keep himself busy, he started plucking the
leaves one by one and throwing it on the tiger. Incidentally, the night was a
Maha Shivratri and the leaf was Vilvam. Pleased with the hunter’s act, Lord
Shiva blessed him with his darshan and gave him salvation. It is believed that
both Lord Mahavishnu and Lord Brahma had also come here to witness this event. In
the meantime, Yama (lord of death) had also reached this place. He had divined
that the hunter’s life would end in the morning. He was not aware that the
hunter had been granted salvation by Lord Shiva. He entered the temple to find
the hunter and perform his duty. However, Nandhi did not notice Yama entering
into the temple. As soon as he entered, the lord took the form of
Dakshinamurthy and drove him away with a stick. Lord Shiva then instructed the
Dwarapalakas and Nandhi to chase and drive Yama away. Lord Shiva also scolded
Nandhi for his carelessness. Eager to seek forgiveness for his mistake, Nandhi
used all his might and inhaled deeply to stop the fleeing Yama in his place.
Yama prayed to the lord for forgiveness and pleaded that he be released. Lord
Shiva then instructed Nandhi to release him. In order to show his respect for
the lord, Yama created a tank here and performed abhishekam to the lord. He
stayed here for a few days and performed poojas. The holy water created by Yama
is known as Yama Theertham. It is in front of this temple. The idol of Nandhi
in this temple is facing towards the entrance. This signifies that he is
keeping a watch to stop Yama in case he tries to enter the temple again.
Lord
Brahma created a tank:
As Lord Shiva sent out
the dwarapalakas to chase Yama, there are no idols of dwarapalakas here. In
their place, Lords Mahavishnu and Brahma are acting as dwarapalakas. Lord
Brahma created a tank (Theertham) here and worshiped the lord to retain his
role as the creator of the universe.
Sri
Hariesar:
Lord Mahavishnu had
lied to the demon Salandhiran’s wife before killing him. Because of this sin, she
cured Lord Mahavishnu. In order to seek relief, he visited this place and
worshiped Lord Shiva here. Hence Lord Shiva here is also praised as “Sri
Hariesar”.
Sri
Makavarulesar:
On a Shivrathri day, a
thief killed a sleeping child while trying to steal the child’s ornaments. The
father of the child, a staunch Shiva devotee, prayed to Lord Shiva to resurrect
the child. It is believed that Lord Shiva gave rebirth to the child. Hence, he
is also praised here as Sri Makavarulesar.
Sage
Unthaala and Saptha Kannihas:
Sage Unthaala had
cursed the Saptha Kannihas. They visited this place, worshiped the lord and
were relieved of their sins.
Theertham:
Other than the Yama
Theertham, there is another Theertham called Agni Theertham. It is believed
that Lord Agni created this holy water and worshiped the lord here.
SALIENT
FEATURE:
·
There is no flag post (“Dwajasthambam”)
here.
·
This east facing temple’s main tower is
not tiered. In place of the Gopuram, there are beautiful sculptures depicting
Lord Shiva, Goddess Parvathy, Vinayakar, Murugan, Brahma and Mahavishnu.
·
In the main hall, Lord Dakshinamurthy is
seen in a standing posture with a stick in his hand. This is quite unique and
such an idol cannot be seen anywhere else. Idols of Lords Vinayakar, Mahavishnu
and Brahma can be seen next to him.
·
It is believed that the festival of
Shivrathri originated in this temple.
·
At the second entrance, on the left
side, beautiful sculptures depicting the legend of the hunter worshiping the
lord and obtaining salvation can be seen.
·
In this temple, all the idols of Nandhi
have their backs facing the deities.
·
The idol of Lord Murugan is very
beautiful. This idol has been carved out of a single stone. It depicts him with
six faces, seated on his peacock mount with the sacred arc (“Thiruvatchi”)
behind him. Another significant aspect is that the peacock is facing the left
direction.
·
It is believed that there are six places
where one can get relieved from the fear of death (Lord Yama) – Thirukkadayur,
Thiruveezhimizhalai, Thiruvaiyaru, Thiruvenkadu, Thiruvaikavoor (this place)
and Thiruvanchiyam.
TEMPLE INFORMATION:
|
Moolavar |
Sri
Vilvavaneswarar, Sri Vilvavana Nathar |
|
Ambal |
Sri
Sarvajana Rakshaki, Sri Valaikkai Valliammai |
|
Theertham |
Yama
Theertham, Agni Theertham |
|
Sthala
Vriksham |
Vilvam
tree |
BELIEF:
Worshiping Lord Shiva
here on Shivrathri days is considered to be very auspicious and doing so will
yield manifold benefits.
Devotees believe that by worshiping Goddess Sarvajana Rakshaki here, their prayers will be heard and resolved.
|
Tamil Month |
English Month |
Festival Name |
|
Avani |
Aug-Sept |
Vinayakar
Chathurthi |
|
Maasi |
Feb-Mar |
Maha Shivrathri |
|
Karthikai |
Nov-Dec |
Thirukarthikai |
|
Purattasi |
Sep-Oct |
Navarathri |
|
Aippasi |
Oct–Nov |
Annabishekam |
|
Markazhi |
Dec-Jan |
Thiruvadhirai |
HOW
TO REACH:
Thiruvaikavur is
situated at a distance of about 15 kms from Kumbakonam on the Kumbakonam to
Thiruvaiyaru route (via Puliancheri). Take the diversion road from Puliancheri
and proceed for about 9 kms to reach this temple. It is 12 kms away from
Papanasam and 10 kms away from Swamimalai.
TEMPLE
ADDRESS:
Sri Vilvavana Nathar Temple,
Thiruvaikavur,
Papanasam,
Tanjore,
Tamil Nadu – 612 301.
LOCATION:
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