Vedapureeswarar temple is a sacred place on the northern banks of the
Cheyyar River in the
Tiruvannamalai District
Thiruvannamalai District (previously known as Central Arcot, Tiruvannamalai Sambhuvarayar District) is the second largest district in Tamil Nadu by area after Dindigul District and one of the Districts of Tamil Nadu, 38 districts in the state o ...
near
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 ...
in the
state
State most commonly refers to:
* State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory
**Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country
**Nation state, a ...
of
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 ...
in
South India
South India, also known as Southern India or Peninsular India, is the southern part of the Deccan Peninsula in India encompassing the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana as well as the union territories of ...
. This sacred place is now known as
Cheyyar
Cheyyar, officially Tiruvetipuram is a Town in the Tiruvannamalai District in the Tamil Nadu state of South India. The most common name of this town is Cheyyar but it is also referred to as Tiruvetipuram in many government records. The town has ...
but was previously called Thiruvothur. This is one of the important towns in Thiruvanamalai district. It includes a sub-collector office, taluk office, two courts and a special prison.
History
It is one of the shrines of the 275
Paadal Petra Sthalams. The temple is devoted to Lord Vedapuresswarar who came here and imparted his spiritual knowledge regarding 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 ...
. According to legend, it is in this sacred place that Saint
Thirugnanasambanthar used his holy miraculous powers and transformed a male palm tree into a female palm tree.
Arunagirinathar
Arunagirinathar (', ) was a Tamil language, Tamil Shaivism, Shaiva saint-poet who lived during the 14th century in Tamil Nadu, India. In his treatise ''A History of Indian Literature'' (1974), Czechs, Czech Indologist Kamil Zvelebil places Aru ...
, a devotee of Lord
Muruga worshipped the Lord in this temple. According to popular legend, when the
Saivite saint
Sambandhar visited Therazhundur, he could not distinguish the temple from the neighbouring
Sri Devaadi Raja Perumal Temple dedicated to
Vishnu
Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...
. At that instant,
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 ...
is believed to have manifested before Sampandhar and pointed out the Shiva temple to him.
Unique Features
This temple has a few unique distinctions. The Nandi, which usually faces the Shiva Lingam, is facing the opposite direction. One can also worship all the Pancha Bootha (lingams) in this temple.
Festivals
The devotees of the temple and the natives of the town celebrate a festival every year with street processions which spans 10 days, called Brahmmotsavam. The 6th, 7th and 10th days of the festival are celebrated in a grand manner.
7th day function is celebrated in grand manner called Thiruther vaibhavam. It is the main day of festival. The 10th day function is celebrated at night.
See also
*
Cheyyar
Cheyyar, officially Tiruvetipuram is a Town in the Tiruvannamalai District in the Tamil Nadu state of South India. The most common name of this town is Cheyyar but it is also referred to as Tiruvetipuram in many government records. The town has ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vedapureeswarar Temple
Cheyyar
Hindu temples in Tiruvannamalai district
Padal Petra Stalam
Shiva temples in Tiruvannamalai district