Moondreeshwarar Temple, Athalanallur, Thirunelveli
Moondreeshwarar
Temple is dedicated to Hindu God Shiva located at Athalanallur Village near
Veeravanallur in Thirunelveli District of Tamilnadu. Presiding Deity is called
as Moondreeshwarar and Mother is called as Maragadambika. It is believed that Brahma,
Vishnu and Shiva graces in the form of a Shiva Linga at Sanctum.
Legends
After
Lord Shiva sent sage Agasthya to south to balance the ground level during
Shiva-Parvathi wedding, many sages and Siddhas chose this place for their
penance. Agasthya first landed at Pothigai Hills and came to this
place for Shiva worship. Many followed then. Being so
sacred with a congregation of enlightened souls, this place is praised as
Siddhar Peetam.
The
Temple
This
ancient temple of Lord Shiva is located at the outskirts of Athalanallur
village on the way to Tirupudaimarudur. Unfortunately, this extraordinary
temple, which is supposed to be the highlight of the village, remains unknown.
It is not easy to locate this temple. Even the local people are unaware of this
temple. It is located at a distance of around 400 meters from the famous Aadi Moolam Gajendra Varadan temple.
The
temple, which badly needs maintenance, is east facing. It does not have tower.
Instead, there is a beautiful Naalukal (four pillared) mandapa in front of the
temple. The Bali peetha, flag staff and Nandi mandapa are all located
inside a long mandapa which is found with a ceiling. The main shrine is built
based on 'maada kovil' architecture.
The
sanctum sanctorum has a small Shiva Linga named as 'Moondreeshwarar'; it is
believed that all three main deities Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva together appear
as this Linga and hence it is named as 'Moondreeshwarar' (the word Moondru in
Tamil language means 'three'). The Goddess Maragadambika is found in
a separate south facing shrine outside the maha mandapa.
As the
temple structure is not maintained well and as it is mostly damaged, few
Ganesha and Subramanya idols are placed inside the Maha mandapa. The prakara
has the idols of Dhakshinamoorthi, Chandikeswarar, Surya, Chandra, Bhairava,
Bhadra, Sura Deva, Sapta Matas, Durga and Adhikara Nandi. There are two sub
shrines dedicated to Ganesha and Subramanya-Valli-Devasena.
Lord Dakshinamurthy
appears in a rare style hanging his right leg and placing the left on the right
knee, the feet upward. There are three small shrines in the western
prakara with a Shivalinga and a Nandhi in each. A sculpture showing a
priest offering a Deepa Aaradhana to Lord Muruga with a peacock, Nandhi and
Kodimaram speaks volumes of art skills of ancient sculptors. There are
many beautiful carvings in the pillars and also few Mandapams which are not
reachable due to poor maintenance.
There is
one such sculpture with a Shivalinga is on the other mandapam. There are many
such beautiful art works at every corner and part of the temple including the
sanctum sanctorum. The temple also houses two samadhis of Siddhars; Shiva Linga
idols are installed on those samadhis. Three sub shrines of Shiva Lingas are
also found in this temple; it is also believed that due to these three
sub-shrines of Shiva Lingas which are located together, the main deity is named
as Moondreeshwarar.
Temple
Opening Time
The
temple is open from 6.00 a.m. to 10.00 a.m. and from 5.00 p.m. to 8.00 p.m.
Festivals
Shivaratri
is grandly celebrated in the temple in February - March besides pradosha pujas
each month.
Prayers
People
pray here to realize their various wishes. Devotees perform abishek and
archanas to Lord and Mother and offer vastras.
Connectivity
The
temple can be reached by auto from Veeravanallur on the Thirunelveli-Papanasam
bus route. Buses are infrequent between Veeravanallur and Athalanallur. From
Athalanallur, one can cross the Tamaraibarani by foot to reach Ranga Samudram
Venkatachalapathy temple. Athalanallur is located at about 42 Kms from
Thirunelveli, 5 Kms from Veeravanallur, 12 Kms from Ambasamudram, 200 Kms from
Madurai, 43 Kms from Tenkasi and 150 Kms from Thiruvananthapuram. Nearest Railway
Station is located at Veeravanallur. Nearest Airport is located at Madurai and Thiruvananthapuram.
References