Athmanatha
Swamy Temple, Avudaiyarkoil – Sanctum
Presiding
Deity is called as Athmanatha Swamy / Athmanatheswarar / Guruswamy / Paramaswamy
/ Athmanathar. He is formless here. There is no Shivalingam but
only a pedestal (Avudayar) located in the sanctum, hence the name Avudayar Koil. A metallic banam shaped receptacle with an opening in the front is placed
over this Avudaiyar. The presiding deity does not have a form here, which again
reflects the status of soul.
There
is deep spiritual significance in the queerness. Hinduism allows
deity worship for the novice. As their devotion matures, one has to realize the
truth of formless of the Brahman. The temple has been designed to illustrate
the quintessential theology. This Temple is one of the rarest Saivite shrine
in whole of India to
portray the supreme truth symbolically.
Lord
is facing south like Dakshinamoorthy (Guru Form). The construction of this temple is that the rays of the setting sun always fall on the sanctum sanctorum
although it is inside three Prakarams. There are three Deepas (lamps) lit in
the sanctum sanctorum behind the presiding deity in white, red and green as the
three eyes of Lord Shiva representing Sun (white), Agni (red) and Moon
(green). As Lord is formless, these three lamps are lit.
It is
customary to worship Athmanathar by entering the Ardha Mandapam from the
western side instead of through the main entrance. There are five lamps in the
sanctum indicating the five-time scales and 27 lamps indicating the 27 stars. A
kind of oil prepared with 108 herbals is used for abishek during all the
six-time puja (Arukala puja in Tamil).
Generally,
the Arati offered to deities in temples are shown to devotees who touch it and
place their hands in eyes. But the Arati plate in Avudaiyarkoil Lord is
not brought out of the sanctum sanctorum as Lord by himself is a Jyoti.
Worshipping Lord or the Arati makes no difference. Contrary to traditional
absence of pujas in temples during eclipse time, it is otherwise in
Avudaiyarkoil temple conducting the six-time puja as usual even during such
occurrence. The philosophy is that eclipses cannot stop the pujas for
Shiva having no beginning nor an end – no Aadhi – no Andham.
The
daily rituals for the third kala puja include the offering made to the God
during puja – the steaming par boiled rice is heaped on the slab in front of
the Garbha Griha like miniature mound, and around it are placed a huge variety
of snacks - Thenkuzhal, Vada, Athirsam, Sooyam, Pittu and Dosai. The steam that
rises from these is the offering to the Lord. Utsava Idol of the temple is the
Saint Manikkavasakar, not of the Lord Shiva. This is a special
feature in the Hindu religious practice in Tamil Nadu.
Representing
the rule that disciple should not sit before Guru but only stand,
Manikkavasakar, Chokka Vinayaka, Muruga and Veerabhadra are standing before
their Guru (Lord Athmanathar). Lord Shiva graces in three postures in this Temple as formless, form-formless as the Kurundha tree and in form as
Manikkavasakar. As the Kurundha tree is praised as Lord, 108 conchs
Abishek (Sankabisheka) is offered on Mondays of Karthikai month (November-December).