Devara Paadal Petra Sthalam | 96th Shiva Sthalams(One of the Devara Paadal Petra Shiva Sthalam) |
Region | Chola Naadu - North |
Chola Naadu - North | 42nd Shiva Sthalam |
Pathigam | Saint Thirugnanasambanthar |
HISTORY:
Lord Indra, the king of
Devas, following the advice of his Guru Prahaspati, worshiped the Lord here
with 1008 Sengazhuneer flowers (Lily) daily after taking a dip in this temple’s
theertham (Pushkarini). Lord Varunan was given the task of growing those
flowers in the temple’s tank. One day, Indra ran short of a flower during his
pooja. He asked Varunan about it but Varunan replied by saying that he had
counted 1008 flowers. When this is continued for a few more days, Indra decided
to keep a watch on the flowers. He noticed that one of the flowers was moving
out of the tank and into the sanctum sanctorum through the drain. On closer
scrutiny, he saw that it was a Crab (“Nandu” in Tamil and “Karkadam” in
Sanskrit) that was bringing the flower inside the sanctum and offering it to
the lingam. Angered by its act, he was about to hit the Crab which was on top
of the lingam. Lord Shiva instantly formed a hole on the lingam and took the
Crab inside. Indra realise his mistake and surrendered to the lord asking him
for forgiveness. Lord Shiva pardoned him. Because of Indra’s attempt to
strike the crab, a huge cut can still be seen on the Shivalingam. Since then
the lord came to be known as Sri Karkateswarar. The hole created by the lord
can be seen during arthi.
As Lord Indra tried to
rectify his mistake here, this place gets the name Thirunthu Devan Kudi
(“thirunthu” meaning correction, Devan is a reference to Lord Indra and “Kudi”
meaning village in Tamil). However, locals call this place as Nandaan Koil.
This temple is
surrounded by a moat called Thirumaruvum Poigai in the midst of lush green
fields. This moat is in the form of a semicircle (“Akazhi” in Tamil) around the
temple.
Nowadays, there is no
village or residence near this temple and is totally surrounded by agricultural
lands. In his hymn, Saint Thirugnanasambanthar referred to this village as
"Thenum vandum isaipadum devankudi” meaning that this village is alive
with the hum of bees and insects.
In ancient times, this place
is considered to be a medicinal hub with lots of medicinal plants. The
historical names of this place are Karkateswaram, Thirundhudevan Kudi and Thiru
Nandankoil.
Sage
Durvasa:
Sage Durvasa was mocked
at by a Gandharva (a community known for their skill in music in the celestial
world) that he walked like a crab. The angry sage cursed the Gandharva to
become a crab. When he begged for pardon, the sage advised him to worship Lord
Shiva in this temple for relief. He followed the advice of the sage and was
absolved of his sin.
Swaymbulingam:
The Swaymbulingam of
this temple was buried under the sand due to heavy floods during the reign of a
Chola king. The king was afflicted with paralysis and could not be cured
despite the best efforts of his physicians. He prayed to Lord Shiva for remedy.
It is believed that Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathy visited him in the form an
aged couple and informed him that they can cure his illness. The king agreed
and the old man applied an oil on his body and gave him some medicines.
Surprisingly, the king was cured instantly and was able to stand up again. He
begged the old couple to stay with him as doctors of the royal family in the
palace but they refused. He then offered them some valuables but they declined
to accept them. The king promised them that he would give them anything they
wished. They brought the king to this place and informed him that there was a
Shivalingam buried under the sand and that he should build a temple for Lord
Shiva here. Thereafter both of them disappeared. The king then realized that
the couple had been none other than Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathi. The king
recovered the lingam and built this temple.
Two
shrines for Goddess Parvathy:
There are two shrines
for Goddess Parvathy here – one for Sri Arumarunthu Nayaki and the other for
Sri Apoorva Nayaki. When the king built the temple, he could not find the
original idol of the goddess. He made a new one and installed it as “Sri
Arumarunthu Nayaki” (Goddess of rare medicine). However, within a few days, the
original idol was found. He named it “Sri Apoorva Nayaki” and installed it
along with the new idol.
People
who worshipped here:
Sage Agasthiyar and Dhanvantari, the god of Ayurveda have worshiped the lord here.
SALIENT
FEATURE:
· In place of the Gopuram, there is a beautiful sculpture depicting Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathy.
· It is believed that the tank around this temple has many “Navabashana” wells in it. Taking a dip in this tank and worshiping Goddess Parvathy here will cure various ailments.
· It is believed that worshiping Lord Shiva here will cure many ailments. In his hymn, Saint Thirugnanasambanthar praised Lord Shiva of this temple as a healer of diseases. The oil applied to the Goddess here is considered very auspicious.
· Devotees perform abhishekam to Goddess Arumarunthu Nayaki using gingelly oil. It is believed that consuming a small portion of the oil after abhishekam will cure many diseases.
· The sanctum tower’s “Kalasam” is not a usual metallic one but it is carved out of stone.
· In this temple, there is a relief depicting Sage Agasthiyar handing over the locally grown herbs with exceptional medicinal properties to Dhanvantari, the god of Ayurveda. A King and his Queen are witnessing the happening while the celestial gods from the heaven are also watching it.
· There are many other reliefs here that vividly portray the legends of this temple.
TEMPLE INFORMATION:
|
Moolavar |
Sri
Karkateswarar, Sri Devadevesar |
|
Ambal |
Sri
Arumarundhu Nayaki and Sri Apoorva Nayaki |
|
Theertham |
Navabashana
Theertham |
|
Sthala
Vriksham |
Nangai
tree |
BELIEF:
This is also a famous parihara sthalam for those born during the periods of the constellations Punarpusam, Pusam and Ayilam (Kadaka raasi).
|
Tamil Month |
English Month |
Festival Name |
|
Avani |
Aug-Sept |
Vinayakar
Chathurthi |
|
Maasi |
Feb-Mar |
Maha Shivrathri |
|
Karthikai |
Nov-Dec |
Thirukarthikai |
|
Aippasi |
Oct–Nov |
Annabishekam |
HOW
TO REACH:
Thirunthudhevankudi is
situated at a distance of about 10 kms from Kumbakonam on the Kumbakonam to
Mayiladuthurai route. Take the diversion road from Thiruvisanallur and travel
for about 2 kms to reach this temple. Nearest railway station is
Thiruvidaimaruthur which is about 6 kms away from this place.
TEMPLE
ADDRESS:
Sri Karkateswarar Temple,
Thirunthudevankudi,
Thiruvisanallur,
Thiruvidaimaruthur,
Tanjore,
Tamil Nadu – 612105.
LOCATION:
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