Arjuneswarar Temple, Kadathur, Tirupur
Arjuneswarar Koil
is situated on the banks of Amaravathi
River in Kadathur. This has the tallest Swayambu Lingam in the Kongu Region. Swayambu
Lingams manifest on its own i.e. not made by man. They appear suddenly or
mysteriously without any human efforts.
The main
deity, Moolavar in this temple is Arjuneswarar. The alternate
names for the Moolavar are Marudheesar, Marudhudaiyar & Marundheesar.
The consort of the main deity is worshiped in the name of Gomathi Amman.
The
temple was built during the Chola reign. The temple is being maintained by
donations and grants from many people, who are native to this region. This
temple is administered by the HR&CE of Tamil Nadu. The maintenance of the
temple is done by the Arjuneswarar Trust.
Though
legends place the earliest temple here around the 10th century, it is
Vikrama Chola who is mentioned as the king who discovered the lingam, which
dates it to around the 12th century.
Legends
Story behind the root impressions on Lingam:
Cows
seem to have a close relationship with this village, for the discovery of
the lingam of Arjuneswarar, is also linked to them. At one time, Kara
Thozhuvur was famed for its cows, and the cattle were taken to the palace
everyday so that fresh milk could be provided for the royal family. It was
noticed that all the cows but one gave ample milk, and on closer observation,
the cowherd realized that one cow discharged its milk every day at the foot of
an Arjuna tree (called Marudha maram in Tamil).
The king
ordered the roots of the tree to be dug up, and when the axe struck the root,
blood started oozing out. The king immediately staunched the flow with his
golden ring, and then carefully cleared the area, which brought to light an
ancient lingam underneath. The lingam still bears the marks of the roots of the
Arjuna tree under which it was buried, which is probably the actual reason for
the name of the Lord here. Incidentally, the lingam is huge, easily over 5 feet
in height, including the avudaiyar or base, and is said to be the
tallest lingam in the Coimbatore area.
Story behind the naming of this Linga:
During
the Mahabharata time Pandavas had lived in the areas around Dharapuram a nearby
town. The Lord here is a form of Shiva, and he gets his name from Arjuna of the
Mahabharata, who is believed to have worshipped him here. It is also believed
that the Pandavas spent some time in this area during their exile, and the
village also gets its name from an incident which occurred during that period.
It is
said that Dhuryodhana once seized cows with the idea of inciting the Pandavas,
and kept them hidden on the other bank of the river. The place came to be known
as ‘Kara (river bank) thozhuvu (stable) or Kara thozhuvur and
over the years, the name evolved to Kadathur. It is a belief that during
that period, Arjuna had worshipped this Linga. This is one of the reasons why
the deity has been named Arjuneswarar.
King got cured of Diabetes:
In
Tamil, the Lord is called Marudha Vaneswarar, since he was found
under a Marudha maram. Since the roots of the tree have medicinal
properties, worshiping the lord here is believed to cure one of many ailments.
It is especially believed that a king was cured of diabetes, by praying to the
Lord, so today, with diabetes growing more and more common, the temple is
attracting a growing attention, offering a cure to the disease by worshipping
the Lord.
Temple Speciality
Lord
Shiva is Swayambumurthy big in size placed on a broad Avudaiyar. The rays of
Sun falling on the waters of River Amaravathi and reflecting on the Lord in the
temple are a rare Shiva darshan for the devotees throughout the year. This
happens even during the Utharayana and Dakshinayana seasons (transition period
of six months from south to north and from north to south) also without fail.
The construction of the temple is such that this happens during the whole year.
The Temple
Amaravathy
River flows around the
temple. In the morning sun's rays fall on the river and get reflected on to the
Lingam. Two times in a year Sun's rays directly fall on the Lingam. This speaks
volumes of the temple architecture of Tamilnadu. The Gomathi Amman temple is on
the right side of the Lord which is a special feature. Just like in Kashi,
there is a cremation ground right in front of the Deity's sanctum.
The
Gomathi Amman Sannithi is to the right of Moolavar. There is a large mound near the
entrance to the Amman Sannithi. Earlier, there was a wall between the Sivan and
Ambal Sannithi. It is also to be noted that the temple for Mother is in a
separate building partitioned by a compound wall; hence both are separate
temples with separate mandapas, entrance, and kitchens-Madapalli.
A
Shivalinga is on the left side of Mother temple around the Arali plants.
It is still growing upward. Showing harmony between the Saivites and the
vaishnavites, there is a shrine with due respect to Lord Vishnu. The
reputation is that the temple for Mother is on the right of Lord as in Madurai
Meenakshi temple.
The
temple has a marble statue of Sri Dakshinamurthy, which was brought from Kashi.
The temple has a separate Sannithi for Lord Saneeswara. Lord Valampuri Vinayaka
shrine is in the Kannimoola corner. The shrine for Lord Subramania is in the
northwest called Vayumoola.
Lord
Chandikeswara is nearby with a shrine also in the northeast corner –
Eesanya. Nandhi is in a Mandapam with a Vimana before Lord’s
shrine. On the south of sanctum sanctorum graces marble made Lord
Dakshinamurthy, Lord Vishnu on the west in a standing posture. 36 feet
tall Rajagopuram stands majestically at the east entrance of Lord Shiva shrine.
The
Swayambu Linga in this temple is biggest in size among those in temples of
Coimbatore district. It has a spacious sanctum sanctorum and Vimana. There are
11 Shiva temples on the banks of Amaravathi, but Kadathur alone has a Swayambu
Linga. The restoration work has also brought to light various inscriptions on
the temple walls.
Temple Opening Time
The
temple is open from 8.00 a.m. to 12.00 .m. and from 4.00 p.m. and 6.00 p.m. On
Pradosha days the temple is open till 7.30 p.m.
Festivals
Maha
Shivrathri in February-March is the principal festival of the temple. Monthly
Pradoshams and other Shiva related festivals also are celebrated.
Prayers
Because
the Linga had been under a Marudha tree for a long time, the water used for
bathing the lingam is supposed to contain healing properties. During the Kongu
Chola Vikrama Cholan III's (1302 A.D) rule Vikrama Cholan Thirubhuvana Singhan
had diabetes. He worshipped Arjuneswarar and donated lands to the temple. He
got cured and hence there is a belief that praying to Arjuneswarar cures one of
diabetes.
In this
Temple by worshiping Lord Shiva and visiting temple on Sunday 4.30 to 6 will
clear the obstacles in Marriage. In the Temple History once there lived a King
and his daughter marriage was met drastic struggle. By visiting this Temple
those barriers in marriage were removed and her marriage happened.
All
powerful and merciful Lord Shiva grants all the boon the devotee seeks from
Him. Devotees perform abishek and archanas to Lord and Mother.
Contact
Sri
Gomathi Amman-Arjuneswarar Temple,
Kadathur,
Tirupur
Phone: +91-93448 31598
Connectivity
Kadathur
is 18 km from Udumalpet. Buses from Udumalpet to Kaniyur pass through this
place. Nearest Railway Station is located at Udumalaipet & Nearest Airport
is located at Coimbatore.
