The Sayavaneswarar Temple or Chaayaavaneswarar 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 situated in the village of Thirusaikkadu
r Thiruchaykkadu or Chaayavanamnear
Kaveripoompattinam
Puhar (also known as Poompuhar) is a town in the Mayiladuthurai district in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It was once a flourishing ancient port city known as Kaveri Poompattinam, which is described in Sangam literature like Silapp ...
or
Puhar, Mayiladuthurai
Puhar (also known as Poompuhar) is a town in the Mayiladuthurai district in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It was once a flourishing ancient port city known as Kaveri Poompattinam, which is described in Sangam literature like Silappa ...
in
Mayiladuthurai district
Mayiladuthurai district is one of the 38 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 district, on the west by Thanjavur ...
of
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language ...
,
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 ...
. The presiding deity is 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 ...
. The temple dates from the time of the
Medieval Cholas
Medieval Cholas rose to prominence during the middle of the 9th century CE and established one of the greatest empires of South India. They successfully united South India under their rule and through their naval strength extended their influen ...
. The
Saivite
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 rangi ...
Nayanmars have sung of the temple in their songs.
The Temple
Thiruvayyaru,
Mayiladuthurai,
Thiruvidaimaruthur,
Thiruvenkadu
Thiruvenkadu (also spelled Thiruvengadu) is a village in the Sirkazhi taluk of Mayiladuthurai district, India. Pincode of Thiruvenkadu village is 609114. Thiruvenkadu is located from the headquarter of the taluk, Sirkazhi.It is also said to b ...
, Chayavanam and
Srivanchiyam are considered equivalents of
Kasi
KASI (1430 AM, "News Talk 1430") is a radio station licensed to serve Ames, Iowa. The station is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. and licensed to iHM Licenses, LLC. It airs a News/Talk radio format.
The station was assigned the KASI call letters b ...
. Like in Kasi, where the city is centered around
Kashi Vishwanath Temple
The Kashi Vishwanath Temple is a famous Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is located in Vishwanath Gali of Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh in India. The temple stands on the western bank of the holy river Ganga, and is one of the twelve Jyot ...
, the temples in these towns along the banks of river
Cauvery, namely
Aiyarappar temple in Thiruvaiyaru,
Mahalingeswarar temple in
Thiruvidaimarudur
Thiruvidaimarudur (also spelt as Thiruvidaimaradur or Tiruvidaimarudur) is a panchayat town in Thanjavur district, in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The town is notable for its Mahalingeshwarar Temple, a Hindu shrine for Lord Shiva.
Geogra ...
,
Mayuranathaswamy temple in
Mayiladuthurai, Chayavaneswarar temple in Sayavanam,
Swetharanyeswarar temple in
Thiruvenkadu
Thiruvenkadu (also spelled Thiruvengadu) is a village in the Sirkazhi taluk of Mayiladuthurai district, India. Pincode of Thiruvenkadu village is 609114. Thiruvenkadu is located from the headquarter of the taluk, Sirkazhi.It is also said to b ...
,
Srivanchinadhaswamy Koil in
Srivanchiyam are the centerpieces of the towns.
Literary mention
Tirugnanasambandar describes the feature of the deity as:
Tirunavukkarasar describes the feature of the deity as:
[Tirunavukkarasar Tevaram, IV: 65: 10]
References
*
Shiva temples in Mayiladuthurai district
Padal Petra Stalam
Maadakkoil
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