Bhoominathar Temple, Manachanallur, Trichy
Bhoominathar Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva
located at Manachanallur in Trichy District of Tamilnadu. This a special temple
for Vastu Shastra. The temple appears to be a later Chola period temple.
Legends
In
Bhoominathar (God of Earth) Shiva Temple in Manachanallur, where Lord
Shiva himself is present as God of Vasthu. There is a legend behind the main
deity who got control of Vasthu Bhagavan here. As per the legend, a King
faced a lot of problems. It was discovered that his palace had Vastu problems.
He was advised by a sage to worship Lord Shiva. Accordingly, the King installed
the Shiva Linga of this temple and named it as Bhoominathar. After doing
regular poojas to this Linga, his problems got resolved. Hence, the presiding
deity of the temple is believed to resolve Vastu related problems. Even today,
the devotees having land or house related issues, visit the temple in large
numbers.
The
Temple
The east
facing temple has a tower. Near the wooden flagstaff, Kodi Mara Vinayak is
found. Nandi is found near the flag staff and it faces towards the sanctum. The
east facing sanctum enshrines a small Shiva Linga named as Bhoominathar. The
sanctum is guarded by two big and beautiful Dwarapalas images. In addition, the
idols of Ganesh and Subramanya are also found at this entrance. Ganesha,
Dhakshinamoorthi, Lingodhbava, Brahma and Durga are found as the Koshta idols
around the sanctum.
Mother
is called as Dharmasamvardhini / Jagadambal and she is found in a separate
south facing shrine. Ichcha Shakti, Kriya Shakti and Gnana Shakti are the niche
idols found around the shrine of the Goddess. Shrines of Ganesha under Vanni
Tree, Nagabarana Vinayaka, Saptha Kannigas, Naalvar, Lord Muruga with his
consorts Valli and Deivanai, Gaja Lakshmi, Anjaneya, Vishwanathar, Vishalakshi,
Chandikeswara and Chandikeswari are there in the prakara.
The
idols of Surya, Chandra and Bhairava are found facing towards the sanctum.
Nalvar and Sapta Matas are also found in the prakara. In Navagraha, only Surya
is found with his consorts. The other eight Grahas face towards Surya, who is
in the middle. Guardian deity Karuppannar shrine is at the entrance of the
temple. Outside the temple, a small temple of Mannai Mahashakti Mari Amman is
located.
Prayers
On
Vasthu days, Vasthu Dosha problems can be solved by doing few rituals in this
Temple.
Connectivity
The
Temple is located at about 500 meters from Manachanallur Main Bus Stop, 800
meters from Manachanallur Veppamaram Bus Stop, 5 Kms from Uthamar Kovil, 8 Kms
from Srirangam, 9 Kms from Thiruvanaikoil and 16 Kms from Trichy. Manachanallur
is well connected to Trichy by road. The state highways SH 62 pass through
Manachanallur. There are regular buses to Thuraiyur. Manachanallur is also well
connected to the neighboring villages by mini buses. Nearest Railway Stations
are located at Uthamar Kovil (5 Kms) and Trichy (19 Kms). Nearest Airport is
located at Trichy (20 Kms).
