Ona Kantheeswarar Temple (also called Onakanthali) is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva, located in the town of Panjupettai,

Kanchipuram Kanchipuram ('; ) also known as ''Conjeevaram,'' is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu in the Tondaimandalam region, from Chennaithe capital of Tamil Nadu. Known as the ''City of Thousand Temples'', Kanchipuram is known for its temple ...

, Kanchipuram district in Tamil Nadu, India. Shiva is worshipped as Ona Kantheeswarar and his consort

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 ...

as Kamakshi. Ona Kantheeswarar is revered in the 7th century Tamil Saiva canonical work, the '' Tevaram'', written by Tamil saint poets known as the nayanars and classified as '' Paadal Petra Sthalam'', the 275 temples revered in the canon. The temple has a small three-tiered ''raja gopuram'', the entrance tower and all the shrines are located in an elevated structure. The temple has two daily rituals at various times from 5:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., and three yearly festivals on its calendar, namely the MargazhiTiruvathirai during the Tamil month of ''Margazhi'' (December - January) and Aipassi full moon day ''Aippassi'' (October - November) being the most prominent. The temple is maintained and administered by the Hindu Religious and Endowment Board of the Government of Tamil Nadu.

Etymology and legend

As per Hindu legend, the temple was believed to have been built by two asuras (demons) named Onan and Kanthan. The asuras got a '' lingam'' (an iconic representation of Shiva) from a forest in the region and became ardent devotees. On account of their devotion, they got all the desired boons. There was a third asura, Jalandeeswaran, who joined the two, and became an ardent devotee of Shiva. The three shrines in the temple, each dedicated to Onakantheeswarar, Salantheeswarar and Jalandeeswarar are believed to be the respective shrines built by the demons.

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 ...

, a 7th-century Tamil ''Saivite'' poet, venerated Ona Kantheeswarar in one verse in '' Tevaram'', compiled as the '' Seventh Tirumurai''. As the temple is revered in ''Tevaram'', it is classified as '' Paadal Petra Sthalam'', one of the 275 temples that find mention in the Saiva canon. It is believed that he got back one of his eyes which he lost on account of not keeping his word in the Ekambanathar Temple. To test his devotion, Shiva moved toward a tamarind tree and Sundarar followed his footsteps and sung praises of Shiva. His devotion was admired and Shiva turned the tamarind leaves to golden leaves and poured on him from the skies.

Architecture

The temple is located south-west of Ekambareswarar Temple in

in a locality called Panjupettai. Ona Kantheeswarar temple complex has a single '' prakarams'' (outer courtyard) covering an area of and a small three-tiered ''raja gopuram'' (gateway tower) facing East. The central shrine faces east and holds the two image of Ona Kantheeswarar (Shiva) in the form of ''lingam'' made of granite and is believed to be a '' swayambumoorthy'' (self manifested). There are two other shrines of Shiva namely Salantheeswarar and Jalandeeswarar. As in other temples in

, there is no separate shrine of Parvathi as it is believed that Kamakshi of Kanchipuram is the common Parvathi shrine for all Shiva temples. There is a separate shrine for Vinayagar called Vaiyurunthi Pillayar. The granite images of

Nandi Nandi may refer to: People * Nandy (surname), Indian surname * Nandi (mother of Shaka) (1760–1827), daughter of Bhebe of the Langeni tribe * Onandi Lowe (born 1974), Jamaican footballer nicknamed Nandi * Nandi Bushell (born 2010), South Afri ...

(the bull and vehicle of Shiva), a tall flag staff and a ''Balipeeta'', the place of offering, axial to the sanctum. As in other Shiva temples of Tamil Nadu, the first precinct or the walls around the sanctum of Ona Kantheeswarar has images of Dakshinamurthy (Shiva as the Teacher), Durga (warrior-goddess) and Chandikeswarar (a saint and devotee of Shiva). The temple precinct is surrounded by granite walls.

Worship and religious practices

The temple priests perform the '' puja'' (rituals) during festivals and on a daily basis. The temple rituals are performed two times a day; Kalasanthi at 8:00 a.m. and Sayarakshai at 6:30 p.m. Each ritual comprises four steps: '' abhisheka'' (sacred bath), ''alangaram'' (decoration), '' naivethanam'' (food offering) and ''deepa aradanai'' (waving of lamps) for Ona Kantheeswarar. 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''. The Margazhi Tiruvathirai during the Tamil month of ''Margazhi'' (December - January) and Aipassi full moon day during ''Aippassi'' (October - November) are the two festivals celebrated in the temple.

Gallery

File:Kanchionakantheswarartemple1.jpg, Main Entrance with rajagopura File:Kanchionakantheswarartemple2.jpg, Ona Kantheeswarar shrine File:Kanchionakantheswarartemple3.jpg, Ona Kantheeswarar vimana File:Kanchionakantheswarartemple4.jpg, Kantheeswarar shrine File:Kanchionakantheswarartemple5.jpg, Kantheeswarar vimana File:Kanchionakantheswarartemple6.jpg, Salantheeswarar shrine File:Kanchionakantheswarartemple7.jpg, Salantheeswarar vimana

References

External links

{{HinduMythology Padal Petra Stalam Hindu temples in Kanchipuram