Anbil Alanthurai Temple (also called Sathyavaheeswarar temple) is a temple dedicated to

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

, located on the banks of the

Kollidam The Kollidam (referred to as Coleroon in Colonial English) is a river in southeastern India. The Kollidam is the northern distributary of the Kaveri River as it flows through the delta of Thanjavur. It splits from the main branch of the Kaveri ...

river in

Anbil Anbil ( ta, அன்பில்) is a Tamil male given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentia ...

, a small village near Lalgudi. is a

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

temple dedicated to

located in the village of Tiruchotruthurai,

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. Shiva is worshiped as Sathyavaheeswarar, and is represented by the ''

lingam A lingam ( sa, लिङ्ग , lit. "sign, symbol or mark"), sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or aniconic representation of the Hindu god Shiva in Shaivism. It is typically the primary ''murti'' or devotional im ...

'' and his consort

Parvati Parvati ( sa, पार्वती, ), Uma ( sa, उमा, ) or Gauri ( sa, गौरी, ) is the Hindu goddess of power, energy, nourishment, harmony, love, beauty, devotion, and motherhood. She is a physical representation of Mahadevi i ...

is depicted as Soundaranayagi. The presiding deity is revered in the 7th century Tamil Saiva canonical work, the ''

Tevaram The ''Thevaram'' ( ta, தேவாரம், ), also spelled ''Tevaram'', denotes the first seven volumes of the twelve-volume collection ''Tirumurai'', a Śaiva narrative of epic and puranic heroes, as well as a hagiographic account of early ...

'', written by Tamil poet saints known as the

nayanars The Nayanars (or Nayanmars; ta, நாயன்மார், translit=Nāyaṉmār, translit-std=ISO, lit=hounds of Siva, and later 'teachers of Shiva ) were a group of 63 Tamil Hindu saints living during the 6th to 8th centuries CE who were de ...

and classified as ''

Paadal Petra Sthalam The Paadal Petra Sthalam, also known as Thevara Sthalam, are 276 temples that are revered in the verses of Saiva Nayanars in the 6th-9th century CE and are amongst the greatest Shiva temples of the continent. The Divya Desams by comparison ar ...

''. There are many inscriptions associated with the temple indicating contributions from

Cholas The Chola dynasty was a Tamil thalassocratic empire of southern India and one of the longest-ruling dynasties in the history of the world. The earliest datable references to the Chola are from inscriptions dated to the 3rd century BCE d ...

Thanjavur Nayaks The Thanjavur Nayak kingdom or Thanjavur Nayak dynasty were the rulers of Thanjavur in the 15th and 17th centuries. The Nayaks of the Balija social group, were originally appointed as provincial governors by the Vijayanagara Emperor in the 15th ...

and

Thanjavur Maratha kingdom The Thanjavur Maratha kingdom ruled by the Bhonsle dynasty was a principality of Tamil Nadu between the 17th and 19th centuries. Their native language was Marathi. Venkoji was the founder of the dynasty. Maratha conquest of Thanjavur Follo ...

. The oldest parts of the present masonry structure were built during the

Chola dynasty The Chola dynasty was a Tamils, Tamil thalassocratic Tamil Dynasties, empire of southern India and one of the longest-ruling dynasties in the history of the world. The earliest datable references to the Chola are from inscriptions dated ...

in the 9th century, while later expansions, are attributed to later periods, up to the Thanjavur Nayaks during the 16th century. The temple house a five-tiered gateway tower known as ''

gopurams A ''gopuram'' or ''gopura'' ( Tamil: கோபுரம், Malayalam: ഗോപുരം, Kannada: ಗೋಪುರ, Telugu: గోపురం) is a monumental entrance tower, usually ornate, at the entrance of a Hindu temple, in the South I ...

''. The temple has numerous shrines, with those of Sathyavaheeswarar and Soundaranayagi being the most prominent. The temple complex houses many halls and three precincts. The temple has four daily rituals at various times from 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., and five yearly festivals on its calendar. The temple is now maintained and administered by

Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department The Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu Government of Tamil Nadu is the subnational government for the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is seated at Fort St George, Chennai. The legislature ...

of the

Government of Tamil Nadu Government of Tamil Nadu is the subnational government for the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is seated at Fort St George, Chennai. The legislature of Tamil Nadu was bicameral until 1986, when it was replaced by a unicameral legislature, lik ...

Legend

As per

legend, the '' Vinayagar'', Ganesa, is called "Sevi Saitha Vinayagar" and is believed to have lent his ears (''sevi'') for the songs of Sambandar. Sambandar was the divine child who was fed by

Parvathi Parvati ( sa, पार्वती, ), Uma ( sa, उमा, ) or Gauri ( sa, गौरी, ) is the Hindu goddess of power, energy, nourishment, harmony, love, beauty, devotion, and motherhood. She is a physical representation of Mahadevi in ...

Sirkali Sirkazhi () also spelled as ''Siyali'' is a major municipal town in Mayiladuthurai district in Tamil Nadu, India. It is located from the coast of the Bay of Bengal, and from the state capital Chennai. Sirkazhi was a part of Thanjavur distric ...

. He started singing praise of Shiva and visited various temples along the banks of river

Kaveri The Kaveri (also known as Cauvery, the anglicized name) is one of the major Indian rivers flowing through the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The Kaveri river rises at Talakaveri in the Brahmagiri range in the Western Ghats, Kodagu dis ...

. On reaching this place, he saw the temple on the other bank. Shiva wanted to test him and created a flood in the river. The child could not cross the river Kollidam due to flooding and started singing praise from the other side. Vinayaga, the sone of

, was very much pleased, bent his knees and started listening to the songs. Following the legend, there is a structural representation of Sevisaitha Vinayagar indicating the legend. The place was also inhabited by Brahmins who used to recite Sama Veda every day. The Vinayagar of the temple is also called "Samaganam ketta Vinayagar" as the one who listened to the recital of the Veda. Following the legend, the temple is surrounded by Brahmins till date who recite Sama Veda every day.

History

Anbil is a village in the Trichy district, which has many Chola temples, including Varadharaja Perumal temple, Siva temple, Mariyamman temple, and Aachi raama valli amman temple. The temple has many inscriptions recorded as a part of 1902 and 1938. There are 13 inscriptions from 1902 recorded as 595 to 601 and six of 1938. Out of the totals, seven were recorded from the

Sundararaja Perumal temple Thiru Anbil, or Sundararaja Perumal Temple (also called Vadivazhagiya Nambi Perumal Temple), in Anbil, a village in the outskirts of Tiruchirappalli in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, is dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu. Constructed in t ...

. Parantaka Chola I is believed to have built the temple. The inscriptions mention the presiding deity as Brahmapureeswarar. The inscriptions are from various kings like Maravarman Kulasekara Pandyan I,

Rajendra Chola III Rajendra Chola III was a brother and rival of Rajaraja Chola III, and came to the Chola throne in 1246 CE. Rajendra began to take effective control over the administration, and epigraphs of Rajendra Chola III indicate there was civil war endin ...

, Hoysala Veeramadevar, Parakesarivarman and Rajarajadevan. The temple is now maintained and administered by

of the

Architecture

The temple is located in Anbil, a village in Thanjavur district in the

n state of

. It is situated on the northern banks of the river Kollidam, 15 km from

Trichy Tiruchirappalli () ( formerly Trichinopoly in English), also called Tiruchi or Trichy, is a major tier II city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Tiruchirappalli district. The city is credited with bein ...

, and 3 km from Lalgudi on the Trichy - Thirumazhapadi road. The temple has three ''

prakarams A prakaram (प्राकारः in Sanskrit), also spelled pragaram or pragaaram) in Indian architecture is an outer part around the Hindu temple sanctum. They may be enclosed or open and are typically enclosed for the innermost prakaram. As ...

'' (closed precincts of a temple) and many ''mandapams'' (halls). The temple faces east and is entered via a five-tiered pyramidal ''raja

gopuram A ''gopuram'' or ''gopura'' ( Tamil: கோபுரம், Malayalam: ഗോപുരം, Kannada: ಗೋಪುರ, Telugu: గోపురం) is a monumental entrance tower, usually ornate, at the entrance of a Hindu temple, in the South I ...

'' (gateway tower). The presiding deity in the form of

is housed in the sanctum in square shape. The attached hall, the ''ardhamandapa'' measures the same width as the sanctum, while its length is twice the sanctum. The ''ardhamandapa'' projects towards the east. The ''Mukhamandapa'' has a square structure. There are five ''devakoshtas'' that cover the exterior walls of the sanctum. The images of

Dakshinamurthy Dakshinamurthy () is an aspect of the Hindu god Shiva as a guru (teacher) of all types of knowledge. This aspect of Shiva, as the original guru, is his personification as the supreme or the ultimate awareness, understanding and knowledge. Thi ...

and

Brahma Brahma ( sa, ब्रह्मा, Brahmā) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the trinity of supreme divinity that includes Vishnu, and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 21 ...

are the only ones remaining out of the five. There are two large

Dvarapala A Dvarapala or Dvarapalaka (Sanskrit, "door guard"; IAST: ' ) is a door or gate guardian often portrayed as a warrior or fearsome giant, usually armed with a weapon - the most common being the ''gada'' (mace). The dvarapala statue is a widespre ...

, guardian deities on either side of the entrance of the ''ardhamandapa''. The water bodies associated with the temple are Gayathri Theertham and Kollidam. There is a unique sculpture on one of the pillars showing a snake head emanating from one end and its tail on the other side of the pillar. There is a separate shrine for

in the temple.

Worship practices and religious importance

The temple priests perform the '' puja'' (rituals) during festivals and on a daily basis. Like other Shiva temples of Tamil Nadu, the priests belong to the

Shaiva Shaivism (; sa, शैवसम्प्रदायः, Śaivasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the Supreme Being. One of the largest Hindu denominations, it incorporates many sub-traditions rangin ...

community, a Brahmin sub-caste. The temple rituals are performed four times a day; Ushathkalam at 6:30 a.m., Kalasanthi at 8:00 a.m., Uchikalam at 12:00 a.m., Sayarakshai at 5:00 p.m., and Ardha Jamam at 8:00 p.m. Each ritual comprises four steps: '' abhisheka'' (sacred bath), ''alangaram'' (decoration), '' naivethanam'' (food offering) and ''deepa aradanai'' (waving of lamps) for both Sathyavakeeswarar and Soundaranyagi. The worship is held amidst music with ''

nagaswaram The Nagaswaram (nādḥasvaram) is a double reed wind instrument from South India. It is used as a traditional classical instrument in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, and Kerala. This instrument is "among the world's loudes ...

'' (pipe instrument) and '' tavil'' (percussion instrument), religious instructions in the

Vedas upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''. The Vedas (, , ) are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the ...

(sacred texts) read by priests and prostration by worshipers in front of the temple mast. There are weekly rituals like ' (Monday) and ' (Friday), fortnightly rituals like '' pradosham'' and monthly festivals like '' amavasai'' (new moon day), ''kiruthigai'', '' pournami'' (full moon day) and ''sathurthi''. Mahashivaratri during February - March is the major festivals celebrated in the temple. Tirugnana Sambandar and

Appar Appar, also referred to as ( ta, திருநாவுக்கரசர்) or Navukkarasar, was a seventh-century Tamil Śaiva poet-saint. Born in a peasant Śaiva family, raised as an orphan by his sister, he lived about 80 years and is ...

, the 7th-century Tamil ''Saivite'' poets, venerated Sathyavaheeswarar in ''

'', compiled in the '' Tirumurai''. As the temple is revered in ''Tevaram'', it is classified as ''

'', one of the 275 temples that find mention in the Saiva canon.

References

External links

{{Authority control Shiva temples in Tiruchirappalli district Padal Petra Stalam