Mullaivananathar Temple (முல்லைவனநாதர் கோயில்)
[ :ta:திருமுல்லைவாசல் முல்லைவன நாதர் கோயில்] 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 ...
located at
Thirumullaivasal in
Mayiladuthurai district
Mayiladuthurai district is one of the 38 List of districts of Tamil Nadu, districts of the state of Tamil Nadu in India. The district headquarters is located at Mayiladuthurai.
Geography
The district is bounded on the north by Cuddalore di ...
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 ...
,
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 ...
which is 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 ...
.
History
The temple was constructed by the
Early Chola
The Early Cholas were a Tamil kingdom of the pre and post Sangam period (600 BCE–300 CE). It was one of the three main kingdoms of South India. Their early capitals were Urayur or Tiruchirapalli and Kaveripattinam. Along with Pandyas and ...
king
Killivalavan
{{Chola history
Killivalavan ( ta, கிள்ளிவளவன்) was a Tamil king of the Early Cholas mentioned in Sangam Literature, and of a period close to that of Nedunkilli and Nalankilli. We have no definite details about this Chola ...
. The presiding deity is called as Mullaivana Nathar. His consort is known as Ani Konda Kothai Ammai. It is believed that goddess had her initiation in this place.
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 ...
. The temple is counted as one of the temples built on the northern 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 ...
.
Literary Mention
Tirugnanasambandar describes the feature of the deity as:
[Tirugnanasambandar Tevaram, II: 88: 5]
References
External links
*
*
Shiva temples in Mayiladuthurai district
Padal Petra Stalam
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