Nellaiappar Temple, Thirunelveli
Nellaiappar Temple is one of the ancient famous
Lord Shiva Temples situated at the
heart of Tirunelveli, Tamil
Nadu, India. Nellaiappar Temple (also spelled Nellaiyappar) is
located in the heart of the city of Tirunelveli in the state of Tamil Nadu,
India. It is one of the famous Tamil Nadu temples, deep in tradition and
history and also known for its musical pillars and brilliant sculptural splendours.
The temple dates back to 700 AD and in the temple are
inscriptions going back to 950 A.D. It is believed there were two distinct
temples. They were built for Shiva and for Parvati, the consort to Lord Shiva,
by the Pandyan kings. It is the largest Shiva Temple in Tamilnadu.
The Sangili Mandapam, a big terraced hall linking these
two, was built in the 17th century. The towers also date back to early 17th
century. It is the largest Shiva temple in Tamil Nadu. The Aani Car festival is
the most famous festival in this temple. The temple has five cars each for
Vinayakar, Murugan, Nellaiappar, Kanthimathi, and Sandikeswarar.
Nellaiappar Car is the third largest car in Tamil Nadu
and it is the first largest man-powered car. Nellaiappar Temple is one of the
Panchasabha (with the Thaamira Sabha). This is the 258th Devaram Paadal Petra Shiva Sthalam and 14th & last Shiva Sthalam in Pandya Naadu. Thirugnanasambandar has sung hymns in praise of Lord Shiva of this Temple.
Lord Vishnu and sage Agastya are believed to have
worshipped Shiva here. The temple of Arulmigu Swami
Nellaiappar and Arultharum Kanthimathi Ambal is situated in the
heart of the city. The river Tamirabarani referred to by poets as
"Porunai" flows round the town. In the distant past the town was a
bamboo forest; hence it was known in those days as "Venuvanam".
The temple complex consists of two huge temples, one for
Lord Shiva (Nellaiappar temple) and the other for his consort Parvathi
(Kanthimathi Ammai temple). The former temple is also called as 'Swamy
Venunathar', 'Nelveli Nathar', and ‘Chaleevadeesar’ and later by the names
'Vadivudaya Ammai' and 'Kamakkottamudaiya Naachiyaar'. These two temples are
linked by a big terraced hall namely Sangili Mandapam that has life sized
sculptures adoring the pillars. The main deity of Kanthimathi Nellaiyappar
Temple is a 'Suyambu Lingam' or a Shiva Lingam which erupted from underneath
the earth.
The Nandi mandapam has a fairly big statue of Nandi (the
bull God), similar to those at Tanjore and Rameswaram. The unique feature of
the temple is the 'Mani mandapam' located near the nandi mandapam with two
giant pillars carved out of a single stone and each one is having 48 sub
pillars which produce musical notes when struck. Tamil poet says that the
pillars here are a combination of the Shruti Gana Laya types.
Other mandapams in the temple include Oonjal Mandapam
and the 1000 pillared hall. The 1000 pillared hall is famous for the celestial
wedding of Kanthimathi Ammai with Nellaiyappar which is celebrated every year
in the Tamil month of Aippasi corresponding to October-November.
One of the Pancha Sabha temples that are revered as the
five Cosmic Dance halls of Lord Shiva, Nellaiappar Temple is associated with
copper. The other four are Chidambaram with gold, Madurai with silver, Thiruvalangadu
with ruby and Kutralam with images.
Significance
It is one of the famous temples in Tamilnadu steeped in
tradition and history and also known for its musical pillars and other
brilliant sculptural splendours. This temple houses a shrine to Shiva and
Parvati dating back in time covering a 14 acre area. Shiva is said to have been
worshipped by Agastya in a bamboo grove and by Rama after having killed
Mareecha some nine miles away at Manoor. There is also a shrine to Vishnu near
the sanctum, signifying the belief that Nellai Govindan (Vishnu) visited
Tirunelveli to officiate the divine marriage of Shiva and Kanthimathi. There
are several other legends associated with this temple.
Near Tirunelveli, are the nine Vaishnavite temples
dedicated to Vishnu (the Alwar Nava Tiruppatis), the Krishnapuram Venkatachalapathi
temple with its brilliant sculptural work, Thiruchendur with its grand and
imposing temple dedicated to Subramanya, and Kutralam a popular tourist resort
with its charming waterfalls and abundant natural beauty. The region between
Tirunelveli and Kutralam abounds in natural splendour. Mention must be made of
Tenkasi, Papanasam and Ambasamudram. Further, Kanyakumari the Southernmost tip
of India is only a couple of hours away from Tirunelveli.
Antiquity
The temple dates back to 700 AD and has been sung by the
Saivite saint Thirugnana Sambandar. Supposedly there were two distinct temples
for Shiva and his consort both built by the Pandyan kings and the Sangili
Mandapam linking these two were built in the 17th centuries. The towers
also date back to early 17th century. There are inscriptions dating all
the way back to 950 AD in the temple.
Legends
For brief details, please refer;
History
For brief details, please refer;
Temple Architecture
For brief details, please refer;
Pooja Timings & Details
For brief details, please refer;
Waking Up Ritual
Daily at 6 o’clock in the morning, Kanthimathi Amman is
brought to Nellaiappar Temple in a chariot to wake him up. After Nellaiappar is
woken up, Gopooja (worship of the cow) and Gaja pooja (elephant pooja) is
performed. This is a special ritual rarely seen.
Festivals
For brief details, please refer;
Literary Mention
For brief details, please refer;
Muthuswami Dikshitar
Muthuswami Dikshitar composed one song (Sri Kantimatim) on this temple
goddess Kanthimathi Amman. This song is considered to be a rare song set in the
rare raga.
Song of
Muthuswami Dikshitar:
Shri Kantimatim Shankara Yuvatim Shri Guruguhajananim
Vandeham.. Samashti Charanam Hrîmkâra Bîjâkâra vadanâm Hiranya manimaya Shôbhâ
Sadanâm.
Annadhanam
S.No
|
Annadhanam Details
|
Amount
|
1.
|
One day Annadhanam for
100 persons
|
Rs.2,000
|
2.
|
Permanent endowment for
one day's Annadhanam Scheme(The Annadhanam will be done on the day of your
choice every year )
|
Rs.25,000
|
Contact
Arulmigu
Nellaiappar Arultharum Kanthimathi Amman Temple,
Thirunelveli Town,
Thirunelveli District - 627 006
Phone: 0462 – 2339910
Mobile: 97877 11544
The
Golden Chariot
The Golden Chariot procession is held on every day
at 7.00 P.M. The Fee for the Thangaratham Ula (Golden Chariot Procession)
is Rs.2, 000/, for which two members are allowed.
Connectivity
For brief details, please refer;
Photos
For Pictures, please refer;
