Thanthondreeswarar Temple, Woraiyur, Trichy
Thanthoneeswarar
Temple is a Hindu
temple dedicated to Shiva, located in Woraiyur, a suburb in the town of Tiruchirappalli in Tamilnadu, India. The temple was built by the Pandya ruler Varaguna Pandiyan II during the 9th century.
It has inscriptions dating back to 885 AD during the rule of Cholas. The temple has six daily rituals at various times from
5:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., and three yearly festivals on its calendar. The
temple is maintained and administered by hereditary trustees.
Legends
Thanthoneeswarar,
the presiding deity of the temple, derives its name from Tamil
word Thanthondri, meaning the one who formed on his own. As per Hindu
legend, Chola queen Kanthimathi was an ardent devotee of Shiva and worshipped
Shiva in Thayumanavar swamy Temple. When she was pregnant, she could not climb the hill to
reach the temple. Shiva was pleased by the devotion of the queen and is
believed to have appeared to her in the form of lingam (an iconic form of Shiva) at this place on his own
and blessed her with a safe delivery.
History
The
temple was built in the 9th Century by the Great Pandya king
Varaguna Maharaja II. There are many references to the early Chola capital,
Woraiyur. The Panchavarneswarar temple here has been glorified by Sambandar in
his hymns. The Kamalavalli Nachiyar temple has been referred by Thirumangai
Azhwar in his Paasurams. Thirupaan Azhwar hailed from Woraiyur. According to
Dr. R. Kalaikkovan, director, Rajamanickar Centre for Historical Research,
Varaguna Maharaja II belonged to the dynasty of the early Pandyas, who ruled
the south from 600 A.D. to 900 A.D.
The
inscription dated 885 A.D. has referred to donation of gold coins to the
village Sabha for performing pujas in the temple. Inscriptions in the Rockfort
Thayumanavar Temple, Thiruvellarai Siva temple, Lalgudi Saptharsheeshwara
temple, and temples in Kumbakonam, Senthalai, Tiruvakovil, Tiruviyalur, and
Tiruchottuthurai also speak of the donations by this great Pandya king.
The
Temple
The
temple was built by the Pandya ruler Varaguna Pandiyan II during the 9th
century. It has inscriptions dating back to 885 AD during the rule of Cholas. The temple, in modern times, is maintained and
administered by hereditary trustees. Thanthoneeswarar temple complex has a
single prakaram (outer courtyard) and a two-tiered Vimana (tower over the sanctum). At the entrance, a
beautiful and richly decorated Nandi greets the visitor. The temple has a maha
mandapam, ardha mandapam and sanctum sanctorum.
The
central shrine faces east and holds the image of Thanthoneeswarar (Shiva) in
the form of lingam made of granite. The shrine of Kunkumavalli, the
consort of Thanthoneeswarar, faces north and is depicted with Ankusham and
lotus in her two hands. Close to the shrine, one can see the images of
Mahavishnu, the Sun God, Lord Saneeswara and Kala Bhairava moorthy. The temple
precinct is surrounded by granite walls.
The
granite images of the deities Ganesha (son of Shiva and god of wisdom), Murugan (son of Shiva and god of war), Nandi (the bull and vehicle of Shiva) and Navagraha (nine planetary deities) are located in the hall
leading to the sanctum. In the Ardha
mandapam, at the entrance of the sanctum sanctorum, there are two brilliant
six-feet-tall Dwarapalakas with typical 9th century features. Both the images
are brilliantly decorated.
The
Koshta in the southern wall of the sanctum sanctorum is adorned with
Dhakshinamoorthy and the northern wall Koshta with Lord Brahma. The magnificent
Arthanareeswarar in the southern wall koshta is an indication of the antiquity
of the temple. Similar images are seen in the temples at Tiruvaiyaru and
Koviladi. The two-tier Vesara type Vimanam of the temple sports Lord
Dhakshinamoorthy, Lord Vishnu and Lord Brahma on the southern, western and
northern sides.
The
four-feet-tall granite idol of Chandikeswara inside the shrine on the northern
side is one of the tallest granite idols. Chandikeswara had prevented his own
father from causing obstruction to the performance of puja to his Lord. The
temple, renovated in 2002 by the hereditary trustees A. Karunamoorthy and
Chitra Karunamoorthy.
Worship
& Religious Practices
The
temple priests perform the puja (rituals) during festivals and on a daily basis.
Like other Shiva temples of Tamil Nadu, the priests belong to the Shaiva community, a Brahmin sub-caste. The temple rituals
are performed six times a day; Ushathkalam at 5:30 a.m., Kalasanthi at
8:00 a.m., Uchikalam at 10:00 a.m., Sayarakshai at 5:00 p.m.,
Irandamkalam at 7:00 p.m. and Ardha Jamam at 8:00 p.m. Each ritual
comprises four steps: Abishekam (sacred bath), Alankaram (decoration), neivethanam (food
offering) and Deepa aradanai (waving of lamps) for both
Thanthoneeswarar and Amman.
The
worship is held amidst music with nagaswaram (pipe instrument) and tavil (percussion instrument), religious instructions in
the Vedas (sacred texts) read by priests and prostration by
worshippers in front of the temple mast. There are weekly rituals like Somavaram (Monday)
and Sukravaram (Friday), fortnightly rituals like Pradosham and monthly festivals like Ammavasai (new moon day), Kiruthigai, Pournami (full
moon day) and Sathurthi.
Connectivity
Woraiyur
is located at about 7 Kms from Trichy Center, 3 kms from Trichy Railway
junction, 2 Kms from Chathram Bus Stand, 5 Kms from Trichy Central Bus Stand
and 10 Kms from Trichy Airport. Plenty of town buses are available from
Chathram bus stand or the central bus stand. Auto rickshaws charge around Rs 50
to Rs 100 (max). If you drive your car, it is easily accessible. Nearest
Railway Station and Airport are located at Trichy.