Kasinathaswami Temple, Ambasamudram – The Temple
This
temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is worshipped as Kasinathaswamy or
Kasipanathar. Lord Shiva is Swayambu lingam. Mother (Goddess Parvathi) of this
temple is worshipped as Maragathambigai. Mother Maragathambigai is a gracious
god who is fulfilling all the wishes of her devotees. As Mother is all merciful
as an ocean, the place is named as Amba Samudram (ocean). This temple has Lord
Nataraja who is worshipped as Punugu Sabapathy. On the Thai Poosam day special
pooja is performed to him.
Perumal
graces in the temple from a shrine opposite Shiva shrine. The temple is
located on the banks of Tamirabarani River. The temple measures 440×260 feet
with two praharams. Those seeking child boon offer bangles in the shrine and
hang cradles. Sthala Vriksham is Amla (Gooseberry). According to Agama Rules,
six time puja is followed in the temple. The east facing temple
of Kasibanatha Swami is magnificent in size. The location is very
calm and scenic. The main region of the temple is built in the ‘maada kovil’ architectural
style (raised platforms).
The
sanctum sanctorum of the God as well as the shrine of the Goddess is located
atop the platform. The main shrine has moolasthanam (sanctum), ardha mandapa,
maha mandapa and a front side pillared mandapa. There are
two prakaras around the main shrine. The area connecting the temple and
the main entrance is huge and is in the form of a
pillared mandapa with its roof covered. Rajagopuram has been
constructed recently. The entire temple complex is covered by the thick
fortress walls.
Main Shrine:
The
sanctum sanctorum is facing the east direction. It houses a small
Shiva Linga named as Kasibanatha Swami. The entrance
of ardha mandapa has an idol of Ganesha. In the maha mandapa,
there is a beautiful painting of Sivakami and Nataraja. Nandi is installed
in the Maha mandapa facing towards Lord Shiva. There are many
pillars with sculptures in the maha mandapa. The entrance
of maha mandapa has another idol of Ganesha called as
‘Anugnai Vinayaka’.
As this
region of the temple is located on a raised platform (maada kovil), there
is also a front side pillared mandapa. The steps that lead to this mandapa too
have few beautiful sculptures. In this front side mandapa the main shrine
of the Goddess Maragathambigai is found; she is found in the standing
posture with a flower on her right arm.
Inner Prakara:
The
first prakara has the following sub-shrines:
·
Dhakshinamoorthi
·
Chandikeswara
·
Ganesha
·
Subramanya-Valli-Devasena
· Punugu Sabhapati –
big idols of Nataraja and Sivakami along with the regular rishis – made up
of Punugu – a kind of perfume
·
Uma Maheswarar along
with Ganesha and Nandi
·
Utsava idols (metal
idols)
Apart
from the above sub-shrines the following idols are also found here;
·
Surya
·
Chandra
·
Saneeswara
·
Ganesha
·
Agastya
·
Yogeeswara
·
Nalvar – the four
important devotees of Shiva
·
63 Nayanmars
·
Suradeva
·
Veerabhadra
·
Sapta matas
Outer Prakara:
The
outer prakara is located in the open space with a lot of trees and
plants. The following sub-shrines are located here.
·
Vishwanathar – Vishalakshi
·
Annamalai – Unnamalai
·
Subramanya-Valli-Devasena
·
Meenakshi – Chokkanathar
Special Shrines:
The
shrine of big Shiva Linga named as Eritthatkondaar which is
associated with the legend of the site is located in the inner prakara. The
Nandi idol is placed facing this shrine. In addition there is another shrine
for Vishnu located opposite to this shrine. It is believed that he calmed down
Lord Shiva. He is standing on "Aavudai". He has four arms holding
conch and discus in his upper arms.
External Mandapam:
There is
a broad mandapa that connects the temple with the main entrance.
The mandapa is full of pillars and its roof is covered. The big and
tall flag staff, Bali peetha and Nandi are located in
this mandapa. It should be noted that the flag staff is located between
Nandi and the main temple in Ambasamudram and the surrounding areas;
usually, nothing is placed between Nandi and the Lord.
The
following sub-shrines are found in this mandapa:
·
Navagraha – the nine
planets
·
Shasta with his
consorts Poorna and Pushkala
Theerthams:
·
Devi
·
Shala
·
Deepa
·
Kasiba
·
Kirumikara
·
Gokila
·
Purushothama
It is
believed that Thamirabarani is a confluence of all these seven Theerthams.
