The Jurahareswarar temple (also called Jvarahareswara temple) is located in the temple town of

Kanchipuram Kanchipuram (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: '; ), also known as Kanjeevaram, is a stand alone city corporation, satellite nodal city of Chennai in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu in the Tondaimandalam region, from ...

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. 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 Indi ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. Constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture, the temple is dedicated to

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

, who is worshipped as Jurahareswarar. The temple is believed to have been built by

Pallava The Pallava dynasty existed from 275 CE to 897 CE, ruling a significant portion of South India, the Deccan, also known as Tondaimandalam. The Pallavas played a crucial role in shaping in particular southern Indian history and heritage. The ...

King

Narasimhavarman II Narasimhavarman II, popularly known as Rajasimha and as Rajamalla, was a Pallava monarch who reigned from 695 CE to 728 CE. He is credited with the construction of the Shore Temple Complex, the Isvara and Mukunda Temples in Mamallapuram, the ...

(Rajasimhan) (r. 690–725 CE) in the early 8th century CE, with later contributions from

Medieval Cholas The Chola Empire, which is often referred to as the Imperial Cholas, was a medieval thalassocratic empire based in southern India that was ruled by the Chola dynasty, and comprised overseas dominions, protectorates and spheres of influence ...

. Another view states that the temple was built during the reign of

Chola The Chola Empire, which is often referred to as the Imperial Cholas, was a medieval thalassocratic empire based in southern India that was ruled by the Chola dynasty, and comprised overseas dominions, protectorates and spheres of influence ...

king Kulottunga III (1178–1218 CE). The temple is open from 6 am to 12 pm and 3pm to 8:30 pm. In modern times, the temple is maintained and administered by the

Archaeological Survey of India The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexander ...

Legend

As per

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

legend, the austerities performed by a human in his previous births govern his current well being. ''Jurahareswarar'' is derived from

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

words ''Jvara'' (fever), ''Hara'' (destroy), and ''Ishvarar'' (Shiva), implying the nature of Shiva to heal diseases. The

devas Devas may refer to: * Devas Club, a club in south London * Anthony Devas (1911–1958), British portrait painter * Charles Stanton Devas (1848–1906), political economist * Jocelyn Devas (died 1886), founder of the Devas Club * Devas (band), ...

, the celestial deities were troubled by

Asura Asuras () are a class of beings in Indian religions, and later Persian and Turkic mythology. They are described as power-seeking beings related to the more benevolent Devas (also known as Suras) in Hinduism. In its Buddhist context, the wor ...

named Sura. The devas wanted to seek the help of Shiva who was doing penance at that time. Considering the anger of Shiva, the devas were sceptic to approach Shiva directly. They approached

Brahma Brahma (, ) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the triple deity, trinity of Para Brahman, supreme divinity that includes Vishnu and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity, Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 212– ...

, through whom Shiva opened his third eye and provided fire. The heat of the fire resulted in ''jvara'' (fever) to the devas. They started praying to Shiva. Pleased by their devotion, Shiva appeared as Jurahareswarar at this place. The devas worshipped Shiva at this place and were purified by the waters of Jurahara Theertham. With the help of Shiva, they were able to win over the demon king.

History and architecture

As per one view, the temple was built by Pallava King

(Rajasimhan) (r. 690–725 CE). As per another view, the temple was built during the reign of

king Kulottunga III (1178–1218 CE) as made out from the lower stone part of the structure. The three-tiered

gopuram A ''gopuram'' or ''gopura'' ( Tamil: கோபுரம், Telugu: గోపురం, Kannada Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of th ...

is believed to be of a later addition. The temple has a semicircular sanctum, which is unique in the region. The temple has a rectangular plan and has a single shrine for Jurahaneswarar in the form of

Lingam A lingam ( , lit. "sign, symbol or mark"), sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or Aniconism, aniconic representation of the Hinduism, Hindu Hindu deities, god Shiva in Shaivism. The word ''lingam'' is found in the Up ...

(an iconic form of Shiva). The shrine is built on an elevated plane. The sanctum is fronted by a covered rectangular ''ardhamandapa'' (prayer hall) and a ''mukhamandapa'' (entrance porch), which has eight carved pillars in the Pallava style. The lower plane has a small shrine for

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 Afr ...

axial to the sanctum. There is a bali pitham, the offering plane, which is located behind the Nandi and axial to the sanctum. The shrine is enclosed in a granite pillar. The temple has sculptural representation indicating the various legends from Hindu scriptures. The temple is maintained and administered by the

Religious importance and practices

The temple is classified as one of the minor shrines of Kanchipuram. The temple tank is called Jurahara theertham and the water from the tank is believed to be a curative for diseases. Similar to

Srirangam Ranganathaswamy temple The Ranganathaswamy Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Ranganatha (a form of Vishnu) and his consort Ranganayaki (a form of Lakshmi). The temple is located in Srirangam, Tamil Nadu, India. Constructed in the Tamil Architecture, Tamil Archit ...

, the temple

vimana Vimāna are mythological flying palaces or chariots described in Hindu texts and Sanskrit epics. The "Pushpaka Vimana" of Ravana (who took it from Kubera; Rama returned it to Kubera) is the most quoted example of a vimana. Vimanas are also menti ...

has openings in all four directions for ventilation, which is also believed to have curative effects. The temple priests perform the '' pooja'' (rituals) during festivals and on a daily basis. The temple is open from 6.00 a.m. to 11.00 a.m. and from 4.00 p.m. to 8.00 p.m. Like other Shiva temples of Tamil Nadu, the priests belong to the

Shaivaite Shaivism (, , ) is one of the major Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the supreme being. It is the second-largest Hindu sect after Vaishnavism, constituting about 385 million Hindus, found widely across South Asia (predominantly in S ...

community. The temple rituals are performed four times a day; Ushathkalam at 6:00 a.m., Kalasanthi at 9:00 a.m., Uchikalam at 1:00 p.m., Sayarakshai at 5:00 p.m., and Ardha Jamam at 8:30 p.m. Each ritual comprises four steps: ''abhisheka'' (sacred bath), ''alangaram'' (decoration), ''neivethanam'' (food offering) and ''deepa aradanai'' (waving of lamps) for both Jurahreswarar. The worship is held amidst religious instructions in the

Vedas FIle:Atharva-Veda samhita page 471 illustration.png, upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the ''Atharvaveda''. The Vedas ( or ; ), sometimes collectively called the Veda, are a large body of relig ...

(sacred text) read by priests and prostration by worshippers in front of the temple mast. There are weekly rituals like ' and ', fortnightly rituals like ''

pradosha Pradosha or Pradosham (IAST: Pradoṣa) is a bimonthly occasion on the thirteenth day ('' Trayodashi'') 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 auspicio ...

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

References

External links

{{commons category Shiva temples in Kanchipuram district Hindu temples in Kanchipuram Archaeological monuments in Tamil Nadu