
Mayuranathaswamy Temple, Mayiladuthurai, or simply Mayuranathar Temple, is a Hindu temple in the town of
Mayiladuthurai
Mayiladuthurai (formerly known as Mayavaram or Mayuram) is a :ta:சிறப்பு நிலை நகராட்சிகள், Special Grade Municipality and district headquarters of Mayiladuthurai district in Tamil Nadu, India. The town ...
(formerly known as Mayavaram or Mayuram) in
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. The temple is dedicated to Lord Mayuranathaswamy, a form of
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 ...
, and has given its name to the town itself.
The main icon is a ''
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 ...
'' and the presiding deity is called Mayuranathar because the Hindu goddess
Parvathi
Parvati (, , IPA: / pɑɾʋət̪iː/), also known as Uma (, , IPA: /ʊmɑː/) and Gauri (, , IPA: / gə͡ʊɾiː/), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the goddess of power, energy, nourishment, harmony, love, beauty, d ...
worshipped Shiva here in the form of a ''
mayura''.
On the day of the new moon in the Tamil month of ''Aippasi'' (November–December), religious Hindus have a ceremonial bath in the temple tank as it is believed to purify them from sins. An annual dance festival called the Mayura Natyanjali festival is celebrated within the precincts of the temple each year.
Significance
Thiruvayyaru,
Mayiladuthurai
Mayiladuthurai (formerly known as Mayavaram or Mayuram) is a :ta:சிறப்பு நிலை நகராட்சிகள், Special Grade Municipality and district headquarters of Mayiladuthurai district in Tamil Nadu, India. The town ...
,
Thiruvidaimaruthur,
Thiruvenkadu
Thiruvenkadu (also spelled Thiruvengadu) is a village in Sirkazhi taluk of Mayiladuthurai district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located from the taluk headquarter, Sirkazhi. The village is also the birth place of Pattinathar, a s ...
, Chayavanam and
Srivanchiyam are considered equivalents of
Kasi
Kasi or KASI may refer to:
People
* Kasi (Pashtun tribe)
* Kasi Fine (born 1964), Tongan rugby player
* Kasi Lemmons (born 1961), American film director and actress
* Kasi Nayinar Pararacacekaran (died 1570), ruler of the Jaffna kingdom
* Kasi ...
. Like in Kasi, where the city is centered around
Kashi Vishwanath Temple
Kashi Vishwanath Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva. It is located in Vishwanath Gali, in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. The temple is a Hindu pilgrimage site and is one of the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines. The presiding deity is kn ...
, the temples in these towns along the banks of river
Cauvery
The Kaveri (also known as Cauvery) is a major river flowing across Southern India. It is the third largest river in the region after Godavari and Krishna.
The catchment area of the Kaveri basin is estimated to be and encompasses the states o ...
, 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.
Geograp ...
, Mayuranathaswamy temple in Mayiladuthurai,
Chayavaneswarar temple in Sayavanam,
Swetharanyeswarar temple
Swetharanyeswarar Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the deity Shiva, located in Thiruvenkadu, a village in Mayiladuthurai district in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Shiva is worshiped as Swetharanyeswarar, and is represented by the ' ...
in
Thiruvenkadu
Thiruvenkadu (also spelled Thiruvengadu) is a village in Sirkazhi taluk of Mayiladuthurai district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located from the taluk headquarter, Sirkazhi. The village is also the birth place of Pattinathar, a s ...
,
Srivanchinadhaswamy Koil in
Srivanchiyam are the centerpieces of the towns. The temple is counted as one of the temples built on the banks of
River Kaveri
The Kaveri (also known as Cauvery) is a Rivers of India, major river flowing across Southern India. It is the third largest river in the region after Godavari River, Godavari and Krishna River, Krishna.
The catchment area of the Kaveri basin i ...
.
The temple is one of the canonical shrines of the 275
Paadal Petra Sthalams
The Paadal Petra Sthalams (), also known as Devara Sthalams, are 276 temples that are revered in the verses of Shaiva Nayanars in the 6th-9th century CE. The Divya Desams by comparison are the 108 Vishnu temples glorified in the poems of the ...
–
Shiva temples
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 ...
glorified in the early medieval ''
Tevaram
The ''Tevaram'' (, ), also spelled ''Thevaram'', denotes the first seven volumes of the twelve-volume collection ''Tirumurai'', a Saivism, Shaiva narrative of epic and Puranas, Puranic heroes, as well as a Hagiography, hagiographic account of ...
'' poems by Tamil Saivite
Nayanar Tirugnanasambandar
Sambandar (Tamil: சம்பந்தர், romanized: ''Campantar''), also referred to as Thirugnana Sambandar (Tamil: திருஞானசம்பந்தர், romanized: ''Tiruñāṉacampantar''), was a Shaiva poet-saint of Tami ...
.
Etymology

There are three smaller shrines to the Hindu god
Ganesha
Ganesha or Ganesh (, , ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped Deva (Hinduism), deities in the Hindu deities, Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in the Ganapatya sect. His depictions ...
and another to Shiva as
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 ...
or "Lord of Dance".
One of the sculptures in the temple represent Shiva embracing Goddess Parvathi.
Ayyar
Ayyar may refer to:
*Ayyar, a lunar month in the Arabic calendar, corresponding to Iyar in the Hebrew calendar and to May in the Gregorian calendar
* Ayyār, a person associated with a class of warriors in Iraq and Iran from the 9th to the 12th ...
, p 271 According to
Sthala Purana
A sthala purana or sthala puranam () refers to a religious account that recounts the historical significance of a Hindu temple, or the sacredness of the region in which it is situated. It is sometimes referred to as a eulogistic work that glorifi ...
, the goddess Parvathi, the consort of Shiva, once offended him.
Shiva was so annoyed he cursed Parvathi to be born as a lowly peahen.
Later, when Parvathi repented, Shiva reduced this sentence.
Parvathi had to pray first at
Mylapore
Mylapore (also spelt Mayilapur), or Thirumayilai, is a neighbourhood in the central part of the city of Chennai, India. It is one of the oldest residential parts of the city. The locality is claimed to be the birthplace of the celebrated Tamil ...
and then at Mayiladuthurai, at the end of which she was ridden of her curse and became known as "Abhayambal".
It is believed that
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– ...
,
Lakshmi
Lakshmi (; , , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, , ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the goddess of wealth, fortune, prosperity, beauty, fertility, sovereignty, and abundance. She along with Parvat ...
, sage
Agastya
Agastya was a revered Indian sage of Hinduism. In the Indian tradition, he is a noted recluse and an influential scholar in diverse languages of the Indian subcontinent. He is regarded in some traditions to be a Chiranjivi. He and his wife ...
,
Manmatha
Kamadeva (, ), also known as Kama, Manmatha, and Madana is the Hindu god of erotic love, carnal desire, attraction, pleasure and beauty, as well as the personification of the concept of ''kāma''. He is depicted as a handsome young man decked w ...
, birds and animals worshipped Mayuranathar.
[
]
History
The temple was built by the 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 ...
. The oldest inscriptions on the temple walls date to the time of Kulothunga Chola I
Kulottunga Chola I ('; Middle Tamil: Kulōttuṅka Cōḻaṉ; Classical Sanskrit: Kulottuṅgā Cōḷa; 1025–1122) also spelt Kulothunga (), born Rajendra Chalukya ( Telugu: Rājēndra Cāḷukyuḍu), was a Chola Emperor who reigned fro ...
.Ayyar
Ayyar may refer to:
*Ayyar, a lunar month in the Arabic calendar, corresponding to Iyar in the Hebrew calendar and to May in the Gregorian calendar
* Ayyār, a person associated with a class of warriors in Iraq and Iran from the 9th to the 12th ...
, p 280 Massive renovations were carried out during 1907–1927 by Devakottai AL. VR. P. Veerappa Chettiar and Pethaperumal Chettiar. In May 1927, a temple entry of Dalits
Dalit ( from meaning "broken/scattered") is a term used for Untouchability, untouchables and Outcast (person), outcasts, who represented the lowest stratum of the Caste system in India, castes in the Indian subcontinent. They are also called ...
was organised on a big scale by the proponents of the Self Respect Movement
The Self-Respect Movement is a popular human rights movement originating in South India aimed at achieving social equality for those oppressed by the Indian caste system, advocating for lower castes to develop self-respect. It was founded in ...
thereby resulting in a huge clash.
Architecture
The Mayuranathaswami temple is located in the southern part of Mayiladuthurai about a mile from the Kaveri River
The Kaveri (also known as Cauvery) is a major river flowing across Southern India. It is the third largest river in the region after Godavari and Krishna.
The catchment area of the Kaveri basin is estimated to be and encompasses the states o ...
. The temple is on the Chidambaram
Chidambaram is a major 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 b ...
–Thanjavur
Thanjavur (), also known as Thanjai, previously known as Tanjore, Pletcher 2010, p. 195 is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the 12th biggest city in Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur is an important center of southern Indian religion, art ...
highway. The temple complex is long and wide. The ''gopura'' at the eastern entrance to the temple is nine storeys high and measures . The idol of Durga
Durga (, ) is a major Hindu goddess, worshipped as a principal aspect of the mother goddess Mahadevi. She is associated with protection, strength, motherhood, destruction, and wars.
Durga's legend centres around combating evils and demonic ...
near the northern entrance of the temple is expertly sculpted and differs from those in other temples. On the temple walls, there is the sculpture of a devotee trying to sever his head as an offering to the God.
There is an expansive temple tank in the centre of the complex. People travel in large numbers to Mayiladuthurai to bathe in this tank on the day of the new moon in the Tamil month of ''Aippasi'' (November–December). This bath purifies a person of sins because the waters of the river Ganges
The Ganges ( ; in India: Ganga, ; in Bangladesh: Padma, ). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international which goes through India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China." is a trans-boundary rive ...
and other Indian rivers mingle with the waters of the Kaveri river
The Kaveri (also known as Cauvery) is a major river flowing across Southern India. It is the third largest river in the region after Godavari and Krishna.
The catchment area of the Kaveri basin is estimated to be and encompasses the states o ...
in this tank on this particular day.Ayyar
Ayyar may refer to:
*Ayyar, a lunar month in the Arabic calendar, corresponding to Iyar in the Hebrew calendar and to May in the Gregorian calendar
* Ayyār, a person associated with a class of warriors in Iraq and Iran from the 9th to the 12th ...
, p 249
Gallery
File:Gopura of the Mayuranathaswamy Temple.jpg, Gopuram view after 2024 Kumbhabhishekam
File:Mayuram mayuranathartemple2.jpg, Temple tank
File:Mayuram mayuranathartemple3.jpg, View from entrance
File:Mayuram mayuranathartemple4.jpg, Inner gopura
File:Mayuram mayuranathartemple5.jpg, Adhimayurathaswami vimana
Notes
References
*
External links
{{Mayiladuthurai district
Padal Petra Stalam
Shiva temples in Mayiladuthurai district
Hindu temples in Tamil Nadu
Mayiladuthurai
Hindu temples in Mayiladuthurai district
Chola architecture
Dravidian architecture