Nattadreeswarar Temple (''Nattātreeswarar'') 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 Lord

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 ...

. It is located on a hillock island within

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 ...

, near Erode, off the Erode- Karur Highway., halfway between Kudagu and Bay of Bengal at Kaveripoompattinam.

Legend

To get rid of any kind of Dhosam, Agasthiar made a ''

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 ...

'' out of sand and placed it on the hillock in the middle of the river

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 ...

. The Lingam is garlanded with his ''Rudhratcha Malai'' and sat in deep meditation. It was believed that meditation would be disturbed at the dawn of the new year. On the first day of ''Chithirai'' –

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nati ...

New Year's Day – Agasthiar was disturbed from his meditation and he tried to remove his ''Rudhratcha Malai'' from the Lingam. Then he heard the holy voice of

asking him not to disturb the site and telling him that he went there not only to bless him alone but also his devotees and whoever goes there and worships him. Thus Lord Shiva established himself on the hillock. Later Agasthiar went to the south and finished his assigned work. He prepared an herbal tablet. On consuming the tablet he could present himself in any place he wanted to go. Using such power he came again to the hillock where he was welcomed and blessed by

Lord Muruga Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or are ...

History

In the 10th century,

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 constructed the temple and dedicated it to Agastheeswarar. The Athee tree located inside the temple is said by believers to be 3000 years old. Devotees throng this temple in thousands on Tamil New Year's Day and offer prayers to Him for His blessings.

References

External links

* Hindu temples in Erode district Shiva temples in Erode district Islands of Tamil Nadu {{TamilNadu-hindu-temple-stub