Atheeswarar Temple, Athi, Vandavasi, Thiruvannamalai
Atheeswarar Temple
is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located at Athi Village near
Vandavasi in Thiruvannamalai District of Tamil Nadu. The Temple belongs to
Chola Period. Presiding Deity is called as Atheeswarar / Brahmapureeswarar
and Mother is called as Pattambigai / Pattu Vadhana Ambigai. The Temple is considered as Thevara Vaippu
Sthalam as Devaram hymns had a mention about this Temple.
Legends
Once, Rajaraja Chola III
visited this place and found an Athi Forest. He was riding the horse in the
forest and his horse got hit by something and he fell down. The King ordered
his soldiers to dig the place and he found a beautiful Shiva Linga in the place.
Since the Lord was found amidst Athi Forest, he is named as Atheeswarar.
The Temple
The Temple is facing east. There is no Rajagopuram at
present. The Temple is in complete ruins. Presiding Deity is called as Atheeswarar / Brahmapureeswarar and Mother
is called as Pattambigai / Pattu Vadhana Ambigai. The roof over the sanctum ins
completely destroyed and is open to sky. There is no Mother Idol and her shrine
now. There are shrines for Vinayagar,
Murugan, 63 Nayanmars and Jyeshta Devi in the Temple premises.
There are lot of inscriptions found in the Temple
premises. There is an inscription dated to 1242 AD and it belongs to Rajaraja
Chola III. This inscription provides information about the construction of this
Temple. There are inscriptions belonging to Kopperuchinga, Kadava Chieftain and
Vijayanagar Kings can be found in the Temple premises.
Temple Opening Time
The temple remains open from
07.00 AM to 11.00 AM and 05.00 PM to 07.00 PM.
Festivals
Monthly Pradoshams are celebrated in this Temple by the
Villagers and Shaiva Devotees nearby.
Literary Mention
The Temple is considered as
Thevara Vaippu Sthalam as Devaram hymns sung by Thirugnana Sambandar had a
mention about this Temple. The Temple is mentioned in 2nd Thirumurai
in 39th Patikam in 2nd Song.
அண்ணாமலை ஈங்கோயும் அத்தி முத்தாறு
அகலா முதுகுன்றம் கொடுங்குன்றமும்
கண் ஆர் கழுக்குன்றம் கயிலை கோணம்
பயில் கற்குடி காளத்தி வாட்போக்கியும்
பண் ஆர் மொழி மங்கை ஓர் பங்கு உடையான்
பரங்குன்றம் பருப்பதம் பேணி நின்றே
எண்ணாய் இரவும் பகலும்
இடும்பைக்கடல் நீந்தலாம் காரணமே.
Contact
Atheeswarar Temple,
Athi, Vandavasi,
Thiruvannamalai District – 603
404
Phone: +91 95970
00857 / 99416 49110
Connectivity
The Temple is located at about
8 Kms from Perunagar, 8 Kms from Manampathi, 13 Kms from Purisai, 15 Kms from Cheyyar,
18 Kms from Uthiramerur, 18 Kms from Vandavasi, 31 Kms from Kanchipuram, 33 Kms
from Kanchipuram New Railway Station, 95 Kms from Tiruvannamalai, 90 Kms from
Chennai Airport and 108 Kms from Chennai. The Temple is situated on Vandavasi
to Kanchipuram Route. Autos are available from Perunagar.