Kalyanasundaresar Temple, Nallur (கல்யாணசுந்தரேஸ்வரர் கோயில், நல்லூர்) :ta:திருநல்லூர் பஞ்சவர்ணேசுவரர் கோயில் or Thirunallur is a

Hindu temple A Hindu temple, or ''mandir'' or ''koil'' in Indian languages, is a house, seat and body of divinity for Hindus. It is a structure designed to bring human beings and gods together through worship, sacrifice, and devotion.; Quote: "The Hind ...

dedicated to the deity

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 in Nallur, in the outskirts of

Kumbakonam Kumbakonam (formerly spelt as Coombaconum or Combaconum) or Kudanthai is a city municipal corporation in the Thanjavur district in the States of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located from Thanjavur and from Chennai and is the headq ...

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 Kalyansundaresar 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 ...

''. 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 Girisundari. 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 saint poets 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 ...

''. The legend of the temple is associated with sage Agastya and Amaraneethi Nayanar, one of the 63 nayanars, the Tamil Saiva saints. The ''lingam'' in the temple is believed to change colours five times during the daytime. The temple complex has three precincts and houses two gateway towers 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 ...

''. All the central shrines of the temple are located in an artificial hillock, while the shrine of

Kali Kali (; sa, काली, ), also referred to as Mahakali, Bhadrakali, and Kalika ( sa, कालिका), is a Hinduism, Hindu goddess who is considered to be the goddess of ultimate power, time, destruction and change in Shaktism. In t ...

is located in the third precinct in the basement. The original masonry structure was 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 Vijayanagar rulers of the Sangama Dynasty (1336–1485 CE), the Saluva Dynasty, and the Tuluva Dynasty (1491–1570 CE). The temple has six daily rituals at various times, from 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., and twelve yearly festivals on its calendar. Devotees are blessed with ''Sadari'', a practice followed only in Vishnu temples. The temple has been maintained and administered by the

Thiruvaduthurai Adheenam Thiruvaduthurai Adheenam is a Saivite Matha, mutt based in the town of Thiruvaduthurai in Kuthalam taluk of Mayiladuthurai district, Mayiladuthurai District, Tamil Nadu, India. The adheenam maintains the Mayuranathaswami Temple, Mayiladuthurai, May ...

since the early 13th century.

Legend

According to the Hindu legend, the god

sent the sage

Agastya Agastya ( kn, ಅಗಸ್ತ್ಯ, ta, அகத்தியர், sa, अगस्त्य, te, అగస్త్యుడు, ml, അഗസ്ത്യൻ, hi, अगस्त्य) was a revered Indian sage of Hinduism. In the I ...

to this place to balance the weight of the deities attending his marriage with

. At the spot where the temple now stands, Agastya witnessed the marriage of Shiva and Parvati. The sage installed a ''

'' (symbol of Shiva) behind the main ''lingam'' to worship Shiva. As per another legend, one of the 63 nayanars,

Amaraneedi Nayanar Amaraneedi Nayanar, also known as Amarneethi (Nayanar), Amarneeti (Nayanar), Amarniti (Nayanar), Amar-Nidhi (Nayanar) and Amarneethiyar, was a Nayanar saint, venerated in the Hindu sect of Shaivism. He is generally counted as the seventh in the l ...

, spent his life supplying loincloths to the worshipers of Shiva. Shiva wanted to test his devotion and came to him, disguised as a

Brahmin Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (guru ...

. The Brahmin deposited his loin-cloth in the custody of Amaraneethi, which was lost by a divine trick. The Brahmin demanded equal weight in gold as a replacement for his loincloth. The Brahmin placed another loincloth on one side of a scale pan, and Amaraneedi deposited all his wealth on the other side, but it did not balance. Finally, he submitted himself and his wife on the scale pan. Shiva was pleased by the devotion of the nayanar and bestowed him with all his wishes.

History

The 7th century Nayanar saints 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 ...

wrote of the temple in their poetic work, ''

''. The original masonry and towers date back to the 9th century CE, as seen from an inscription in the structure made by

Chola 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 ...

kings. The Chola kings ruled over the region for more than four centuries, from 850 CE to 1280 CE, and were temple patrons. The temple complex dates from the time of the 10th century AD Medieval Chola king

Uttama Chola Uttama was a Chola Emperor who ruled from 973 CE to 985 CE in present-day Tamil Nadu, India. According to Tiruvalangadu plates of Rajendra Chola, Madurantaka Uttama Chola's reign is placed after Aditya II. The latter may have been a co-regent ...

whose inscriptions are found in its walls. An inscription dated to the fifteenth year of

Raja Raja Chola Rajaraja I (947 CE – 1014 CE), born Arunmozhi Varman or Arulmozhi Varman and often described as Raja Raja the Great or Raja Raja Chozhan was a Chola emperor who reigned from 985 CE to 1014 CE. He was the most powerful Tamil king in South ...

makes a reference to "Panchavanmahadevi chaturvedimanagalam", which is another name for Nallur. There are also inscription by

Later Chola The Later Chola dynasty ruled the Chola Empire from 1070 C.E. until the demise of the empire in 1279 C. E. This dynasty was the product of decades of alliances based on marriages between the Cholas and the Eastern Chalukyas based in Vengi, a ...

kings and by Hoysala monarchs. The inscriptions from the Chola kings record various gifts like land, sheep, cow and oil to the temple commemorating various victories of the dynasty. There are lot of inscriptions from the Sangama Dynasty (1336–1485 CE), Saluva Dynasty, and Tuluva Dynasty (1491–1570 CE) of the

Vijayanagara Empire The Vijayanagara Empire, also called the Karnata Kingdom, was a Hinduism, Hindu empire based in the region of South India, which consisted the modern states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa and some parts of Telangana an ...

, reflecting gifts to the temple from their rulers. The majority of the gift related inscriptions are for land endowments, followed by goods, cash endowments, cows and oil for lighting lamps. The temple has been maintained by the

from the early part of the 13th century.

Architecture

The temple is constructed in Dravidian style of architecture. It is classified as Perunkoil (also called Madakkoil), a big temple built on a higher platform of a natural or man-made mounds. Literary evidence is found in the works of Tirugnanasambandhar, who refers the temple as Madakkoil. The temple is located away from

, east of Thirukkarugavur and south of

Thanjavur Thanjavur (), also Tanjore, Pletcher 2010, p. 195 is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur is the 11th biggest city in Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur is an important center of South Indian religion, art, and architecture. Most of the Gr ...

. The temple has a five-tiered ''

Rajagopuram 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 main shrines of the temple are located in an artificial hillock. The images of the presiding deity, Kalyanasundareshwar, in the form of ''

'' (iconic form of Shiva) in a pedestal, occupies the main sanctum. The second ''lingam'', believed to be installed by sage Agastya is in the sanctum. The walls on the interior of the sanctum have sculptural representations of Shiva and

on the west,

Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within t ...

on the north 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 ...

on the south. The shrine of Girisundari Amman, the consort of Kalyanasundareshwar, is located in the first precinct facing west. The temple also has a bronze image of

Nataraja Nataraja () also known as Adalvallaan () is a depiction of the Hindu god Shiva as the divine cosmic dancer. His dance is called Tandava.''Encyclopædia Britannica'' (2015) The pose and artwork are described in many Hindu texts such as the ''T ...

, the cosmic dance form of Shiva. Nataraja in the temple is depicted with eight hands and in a standing posture over the head of a demon. The image is considered to be one of the nine dance poses of Shiva, called ''Nava tandavam''. The temple has sculptural and metallic images of

Ganapathi Ganesha ( sa, गणेश, ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in Ganapatya sect. His image is found throughout India. Hindu de ...

(elephant god), sage Agastya and the three Shaiva saints

, Sambandar and

Sundarar Sundarar (Tamil: சுந்தரர்), also referred to as Chuntarar, Chuntaramurtti, Nampi Aruran or Tampiran Tolan, was an eighth-century poet-saint of Tamil Shaiva Siddhanta tradition of Hinduism. He is among the Tevaram trio, and one o ...

. The temple also has an image of

Somaskanda Somaskanda is a particular form of representation of Shiva with his consort Parvati, and Skanda as a child. This family group depiction of Shiva originated during the 6th-8th centuries during the period of the Pallava in South India. The represe ...

(a representation of

with his consort Uma, and Skanda as a child), which is considered similar to the one present in the Thyagaraja temple in

Thiruvarur Thiruvarur () also spelt as Tiruvarur is a town and municipality in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of Thiruvarur district and Thiruvarur taluk. The temple chariot of the Thyagaraja temple, weighing and mea ...

. The third ''

prakaram 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 ...

'' downstairs houses a separate shrine for the Hindu god

. The temple has a large tank called Saptasagaram, located outside the main entrance. The temple complex is enclosed by granite walls, built around the third precinct.

Worship and Religious Practices

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 six times a day; Ushathkalam at 5:30 a.m., Kalasanthi at 8:00 a.m., Uchikalam at 10:00 a.m., Sayarakshai at 5:00 p.m., Irandamkalam at 7:00 p.m. and Ardha Jamam at 8:00 p.m. Each ritual comprises four steps: '' abhisheka'' (sacred bath), ''alankaram'' (decoration), ''

naivedyam 200px, Prasad thaal offered to Swaminarayan temple in Ahmedabad ">Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Ahmedabad">Swaminarayan temple in Ahmedabad Prasada (, Sanskrit: प्रसाद, ), Prasadam or Prasad is a religious offering in Hinduism. Most o ...

'' (food offering) and ''deepa aradhanai'' (waving of lamps) for both Kalyanasundareshwar and Girisundari. 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 worshippers 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), ''kritika'', '' pournami'' (full moon day) and ''chaturthi''.

Shivrathri Maha Shivaratri ( IAST: Mahāśivarātri) is a Hindu festival celebrated annually in honour of the god Shiva. The name also refers to the night when Shiva performs the heavenly dance called Tandava. In every month of the luni-solar Hindu c ...

in February–March and Margazhi Tiruvadhirai in December–January are the major yearly festivals celebrated in the temple. Masi Magam celebrated during the Tamil month of Masi is considered the most prominent festival of the temple. During Masi Magam festival, the Somaskanda Murthy is taken in procession around the temple. Pregnant women conduct bangle ceremony in the temple, praying to the central deity of the temple and Kali for smooth delivery. Tonsure ceremony for getting children shaved for the first time to promote proper growth is a very common worship practice. Shiva is believed to have shown his feet to saint Thirunavukkarasar and hence the practice of blessing with ''Sadari'', which is otherwise practiced in Vishnu temples, is followed in the temple.

Religious Significance

Tirugnana Sambandar, a 7th-century Tamil ''Shaivite'' poet, venerated Kalyanasundaresar in eleven verses in ''

'', compiled as the '' Second Tirumurai''.

, a contemporary of Sambandar, also venerated Kalyanasundaresar in ten verses in ''Tevaram'', compiled as the ''Sixth Tirumurai''. As the temple is revered in ''Tevaram'', it is classified as ''

'', one of the 276 temples that find mention in the Saiva canon. The temple is counted as one of the temples built on 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 dist ...

. It is located on the banks of Kudamurutti, a tributary of river Kaveri. The temple is counted as the 20th temple on the southern bank of

Cauvery 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 (hill), Karnataka, Brahmagiri range in th ...

that are recorded in the canon. The temple tank, Sapthasagaram, is considered sacred.

Kunti Kunti ( sa, कुन्ती, ), named at birth as Pritha ( sa, पृथा, ), is one of the prominent characters of the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. She is best known as the mother of the Pandavas and Karna, the main protagonists of the epi ...

, the mother of

Pandavas The Pandavas (Sanskrit: पाण्डव, IAST: Pāṇḍava) refers to the five legendary brothers— Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva—who are the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. They are acknowledg ...

from the

Mahabaratha The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the Kuruks ...

period is believed to have taken a holy dip in the tank, worshiping Kalyanasundaresar. This incident is recorded in some of the inscriptions in the temple, but this story is not even mentioned in Mahabharatha. The ''lingam'' in the temple is believed to change colours five times during the day time. From 6:00-8:24 a.m, it takes the colour of copper, light red from 8:25-10:48, molten gold from 10:49-15:12, unknown colour from 13:13-15:36 and emerald green from 15:37-18:00. The '' vilwa'' tree in the temple is believed to be the first of its kind in the planet and hence called "Aadhi tree". Gananatha, a form of Shiva, in the form of ''balipeeta'' (platform for offering), is located in the temple. It is the only other place outside

Varanasi Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world. * * * * The city has a syncretic t ...

, where Gananatha is found in the form.

References

Gallery

Tirunallur kalyanasundaravesvarar temple1.jpg Tirunallur kalyanasundaravesvarar temple3.jpg Tirunallur kalyanasundaravesvarar temple4.jpg Tirunallur kalyanasundaravesvarar temple5.jpg Tirunallur kalyanasundaravesvarar temple6.jpg Tirunallur kalyanasundaravesvarar temple7.jpg Tirunallur kalyanasundaravesvarar temple2.jpg {{Hindu Temples of Kumbakonam Padal Petra Stalam Shiva temples in Thanjavur district Maadakkoil