Sakthivanesvara Temple (சக்திவனேஸ்வரர் கோயில்) :ta:திருச்சத்தி முற்றம் சிவக்கொழுந்தீசர் கோயில் is a temple dedicated to the Hindu god

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 a small village called Thirusakthimutram, near another small (but relatively better-known) village,

Patteswaram Patteeswaram is a village, eight kilometres from Kumbakonam in the state of Tamil Nadu in India. The village was named after Patti (also called Nandini), the calf of Kamadhenu, the divine cow in Hindu mythology. It is the suburban region of Kum ...

. The nearest urban centre, about seven kilometres (four-and-a-half miles) away, is

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 ...

in the

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 ...

n state of

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 ...

. Here the presiding deity Sakthivanesvara is a form of the Hindu god

, in which his usual worship symbol 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 ...

is hugged by 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 ...

, hence he is also known as Sivakozhundeesvara and Sakthi Mutham. It is believed that when one prays to Sakthivanesvara with faith, one is blessed with the life partner of one's choice. Thirusakthimutram

Significance

It is one of the shrines of the 275

Paadal Petra Sthalams 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 ...

- Shiva Sthalams glorified in the early medieval ''

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 ...

'' poems by Tamil Saivite Nayanar

Tirugnanasambandar Sambandar (Tamil: சம்பந்தர்), also referred to as Tirugnana Sambandar (lit. ''Holy Sage Sambandar''), Tirujnanasambanda, Campantar or Jñāṉacampantar, was a Shaiva poet-saint of Tamil Nadu who lived sometime in the 7th cen ...

and

Thirunavukkarasar 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 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.

Legend

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 ...

was doing penance at this place to seek the hands of

. Shiva is believed to have appeared as a column of fire and Parvathi could not bear the heat, she embraced Shiva, give the name Sakthimutram (meaning, Sakthi (Parvathi) embracing Shiva).

References

External links

Sakthivanesvara's temple in Thirusakthimutram
{{Hindu Temples of Kumbakonam Shiva temples in Thanjavur district Padal Petra Stalam