Tirukkazhippalai Palvannanathar Temple 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 Sivapuri in Cuddalore district 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 ...

. The presiding deity is

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 ...

in the form of Palvannanathar and his consort is known as Vedanayaki. The presiding deity is revered in the 7th century Tamil Saiva canonical work, the ''

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 ...

'', written by Tamil saint poets known as the nayanmars and classified as ''

Paadal Petra Sthalam 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 ...

''. The temple complex covers an area of one acre and all its shrines are enclosed with concentric rectangular walls. The temple has a number of shrines, with those of Oondreswarar and his consort Minnoli Amman being the most prominent. The temple has three daily rituals at various times from 6:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., and four yearly festivals on its calendar. Brahmotsavam festival during the

Tamil month 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, nativ ...

of ''Vaikasi'' (May - June) is the most prominent festival celebrated in the temple. The temple is also called Bhairava Temple and sports an image of Bhairava similar to the one in

Varanasi Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world. * * * * The city has a syncretic t ...

Legend

As per Hindu legend, the god

and his wife

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 ...

appeared before the sage

Agastya Agastya ( kn, ಅಗಸ್ತ್ಯ, ta, அகத்தியர், sa, अगस्त्य, te, అగస్త్యుడు, ml, അഗസ്ത്യൻ, hi, अगस्त्य) was a revered Indian sage of Hinduism. In the I ...

at this place. It is counted as one of the eight places where the sage got the darshan of Shiva. As per another legend, sage Kabila 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 ...

(an iconic representation of Shiva). A king was moving along the way and his horse's hooves split the lingam into two. The sage was disappointed and he started making another lingam. Shiva and Parvati made a divine intervention and provided milk from the divine cow

Kamadhenu Kamadhenu ( sa, कामधेनु, , ), also known as Surabhi (, or , ), is a divine bovine-goddess described in Hinduism as the mother of all cows. She is a miraculous cow of plenty who provides her owner whatever he desires and is often ...

that strengthened the image. The deity thus came to be known as Palvannanathar. In modern times, it is believed that the ablution done with milk is absorbed by the image. The temple is believed to have been in a place called Karaimedu village which was washed away in a flood in river

Coleroon The Kollidam (referred to as Coleroon in Colonial English) is a river in southeastern India. The Kollidam is the northern distributary of the Kaveri River as it flows through the river delta, delta of Thanjavur. It splits from the main branch o ...

and has been moved here.

Architecture

Palvannanathar temple is located in Sivapuri, a place from

Chidambaram Chidambaram is a town and municipality in Cuddalore district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, on the banks of the Vellar River where it meets the Bay of Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Chidambaram taluk. The town is believed to be of si ...

. The temple has a three tiered ''raja

gopuram A ''gopuram'' or ''gopura'' ( Tamil: கோபுரம், Malayalam: ഗോപുരം, Kannada: ಗೋಪುರ, Telugu: గోపురం) is a monumental entrance tower, usually ornate, at the entrance of a Hindu temple, in the South I ...

'' on the eastern side with concentric rectangular walls surrounding the temple. The passageway from the main road to the gopuram has an image of Nandi, located axial to the sanctum. The sanctum is approached through a pillared hall called ''mukha mandapa'' and an artha mandapa. The shrine of the Ambal is located in the mukhamandapa facing south. The presiding deity in the form of

(an iconic form of Shiva) is located in the sanctum. It is believed that the image is self manifested. There is a panel on the wall behind the image that depicts the marriage of Shiva and Parvathi. There is a circumabulatory passage around the shrines. The pillars in the hall leading to the sanctum has sculpted images depicting various Hindu legends. There is an image of

Bhairava Bhairava (Sanskrit: भैरव ) or Kala Bhairava is a Shaivite and Vajrayāna deity worshiped by Hindus and Buddhists. In Shaivism, he is a powerful manifestation, or avatar, of Shiva associated with annihilation. In Trika system ''Bhaira ...

located in the south eastern corner of the temple, which is believed to have been made by same sculptor as in

. The image does not have the vahana of Bhairava, as in other temples.

Religious importance and festivals

Sambandar 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 ...

, an 8th-century Tamil ''Saivite'' saint poet, venerated Uchinathar in ten verses in ''

'', compiled as the '' First Tirumurai''. As the temple is revered in ''Tevaram'', it is classified as ''

'', one of the 276 temples that find mention in the Saiva canon. The temple is counted as the fourth in the series of the temples on the northern bank of river Cauvery. The temple is also called Bhairava temple. It is believed to the place where sage Agasthya and

Valmiki Valmiki (; Sanskrit: वाल्मीकि, ) is celebrated as the wikt:harbinger, harbinger-poet in Sanskrit literature. The epic ''Ramayana'', dated variously from the 5th century BCE to first century BCE, is attributed to him, based on ...

are believed to have obtained grace. The image of Sivakami Amman is sported with her friends Vijaya and Saraswati. The temple priests perform the '' puja'' (rituals) during festivals and on a daily basis. The temple rituals are performed three times a day; ''Kalasanthi'' at 8:00 a.m., ''Uchikalam'' at 12:00 a.m. and ''Sayarakshai'' at 6:00 p.m. Each ritual comprises four steps: ''

abhisheka Abhisheka () means "bathing of the divinity to whom worship is offered." It is a religious rite or method of prayer in which a devotee pours a liquid offering on an image or murti of a God or Goddess. Abhisheka is common to Indian religions su ...

'' (sacred bath), ''alangaram'' (decoration), '' naivethanam'' (food offering) and ''deepa aradanai'' (waving of lamps) for Uchinathar and Uchinayagi. There are weekly rituals like ' (Monday) and ' (Friday), fortnightly rituals like ''

pradosha Pradosha or Pradosham (IAST: Pradoṣa) is a bimonthly occasion on the thirteenth day of every fortnight in the Hindu calendar. Aiya V. 1906, p. 103 It is closely connected with the worship of the Hindu god Shiva. The auspicious three-hour perio ...

m'', and monthly festivals like '' amavasai'' (new moon day), ''kiruthigai'', '' pournami'' (full moon day) and ''sathurthi''. Thai Poosam during the

of ''Thai'' (January - February) is the most important festival of the temple. Navratri during Purattasi, Annabishekam during ''Aipasi'', Thiruvadirai during ''Margazhi'' and Karthikai are other festivals celebrated in the temple.

Literary mention

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

Appar 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 ...

Appar Tevaram, IV: 6: 5 mention the temple deity in their works.

References

External links

* * {{commons category, Palvananathar temple Shiva temples in Cuddalore district Padal Petra Stalam