Kailasanathar Temple (

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

: ) is a

Shaivite 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 ...

temple located in the downtown of

Karaikal Karaikal (, , Help:IPA/French, /kaʁikal/) is a port city of the Indian States and territories of India, Union Territory of Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry. It is the administrative headquarters of the Karaikal district, Karaikal Di ...

, India. It is among the prominent

Hindu temples A Hindu temple, also known as Mandir, Devasthanam, Pura, or Kovil, is a sacred place where Hindus worship and show their devotion to deities through worship, sacrifice, and prayers. It is considered the house of the god to whom it is dedica ...

of the city, situated opposite to the famed

Karaikal Ammaiyar Temple Karaikal Ammaiyar Temple ( French : or ) is a Hindu temple dedicated to the Shaivite saint or ''Nayanmar'' Punithavathi, more famously known as Karaikal Ammaiyar (). It is located on Bharathiar Street (Formerly the , or Poraiyar Street), in ...

. The main deity worshipped at the temple,

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 ...

, is revered as Kailasanathar ().

History

The temple is believed to have been constructed before 2000 years ago which makes it the oldest temple in Karaikal district. It was reconstructed by the Pallavas in the 8th century and again in the French rule. The temple is constructed in a large complex surrounding it making it the largest temple complex of the famous temples in

city. The main attraction of the temple be the four elaborate doorways in each directions of the temple complex. The street where the temple located is named after the temple as Kailasanathar Kovil street.

Sanctums in the Temple

The temple has sanctums for: * Lord Kailasanathar * Goddess Soundarambal * Lord

Nataraja Nataraja (/ n̪əʈəɾɑd͡ʒᵊ/ ,, ; , ''Naṭarājar'' Telugu: నటరాజు,''Naṭarāju''), also known as Adalvallan (), is a depiction of Shiva, one of the main deities in Hinduism, as the divine cosmic dancer. His dance is ca ...

* Lord Dakshinamurthy * Lord Vinayaga * Different Lingas * Two sanctums for Lord Muruga along with Goddess Devasena and Goddess Valli * Goddess Saraswati * Goddess Lakshmi * Small statues of 63 nayanmars * Goddess Durgai * Lord Chandikeshwara * Navagrahas

Festivals

Mangani Festival

The

Mangani Festival The Mangani or Mangani festival ( () in Tamil, () in French) is a festival celebrated in Karaikal city every year in the Tamil month of '' Aani''. It is celebrated in memory of the visit of Shiva in his Bikshantar (Bikshatana) form at Karaika ...

is associated with both Kailasanathar Temple and

. The important figure of the Mangani festival, Lord Bikshatanamurthy is of the Kailasanathar Temple. Ammaiyar was called as Mother (Amma) by Load Shiva (who is not having father or mother) since Lord Shiva called Ammaiyar as mother Shiva became native of Karaikal. Also Lord Shiva has given the position to Ammaiyar to seat below his foot in Nataraja position which is given this position to only to Karaikal Ammaiyar punithavathi

Float Festival in Chandra Theertham

The temple tank

Chandra Theertham Chandra Theertham is a temple tank situated in the old town of Karaikal in Southeastern India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-larges ...

is associated with the main three temples of

. The Float festivals (தெப்பத்திருவிழா) in Karaikal with the idols of Lord Kailasanathar from this temple and Lord Nithyakalyana Perumal from the

perumal temple Perumal (the 'Great One') is the name of a Perumal (deity), Hindu deity. It was also generally used as a synonym for the king or ruler in south India during medieval period. Some rulers explicitly referred to as "Perumal" in inscriptions include ...

is an important festival celebrated here.

Karaikal Chariot festival

The chariot of Karaikal is dedicated to Kailasanathar Temple. The Karaikal Chariot festival is celebrated once a year. The idol of Lord Kailasanathar is taken in the chariot through the important streets of Karaikal. The cord of the chariot is held and pulled by the devotees to move the chariot forward.

References

{{coord, 10.9237, 79.8328, display=title Karaikal Shiva temples in Puducherry