Saturday, April 4, 2020

Alandhuraiyappar Temple, Nallathukudi, Nagapattinam

Alandhuraiyappar Temple, Nallathukudi, Nagapattinam
Alandhuraiyappar Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located in Nallathukudi Village in Mayiladuthurai Taluk in Nagapattinam District of Tamilnadu. Presiding Deity is called as Alandhuraiyappar and Mother is called as Kuyiladu Nayagi / Kuyilanda Nayagi. The Temple is considered as Thevara Vaippu Sthalam as Devaram hymns had a mention about this Temple. The place was called as Kuyiladthuurai / Kuyilalanthurai / Nallakudi in ancient times. This Temple is considered as Parihara Sthalam for Surya Dosham.


Legends
Alandhuraiyappar:
As Lord appeared under Banyan Tree (Aala Maram in Tamil), he came to be called as Alandhuraiyappar.
Kuyiladu Nayagi:
Mother worshipped Lord Shiva in the form of Cuckoo bird (Kuyil in Tamil), she came to be called as Kuyiladu Nayagi / Kuyilanda Nayagi. The place also came to be called as Kuyiladthuurai / Kuyilalanthurai.
Surya Pushkarini:
It is believed Lord Surya created Surya Pushkarini and worshipped Lord Shiva of this Temple. The Theertham from Surya Pushkarini is said to remove all skin diseases, health problems as Sun is related to Health.
The Temple
This is a small west facing Temple. Presiding Deity is called as Alandhuraiyappar and is facing west. He is housed in the sanctum in the form of Lingam. Dakshinamoorthy and Durga are the Koshta idols located around the sanctum walls. Mother is called as Kuyiladu Nayagi / Kuyilanda Nayagi. She is housed in a south facing shrine.


There are shrines for Vinayagar, Murugan, Mahalakshmi, Bhairavar, Suryan, Saneeswarar and Navagrahas in the temple premises. Sthala Vriksham is Vilwa tree. Theertham associated with this Temple is Surya Pushkarini. A big pond can be found towards the south side of the temple.


Literary Mention
The Temple is considered as Thevara Vaippu Sthalam as Devaram hymns sung by Appar had a mention about this Temple. The Temple is mentioned in 6th Thirumurai in 71st Patikam in 3rd Song.
நற்கொடிமேல் விடையுயர்த்த நம்பன் செம்பங்
குடிநல்லக் குடிநளிநாட் டியத்தான் குடி
கற்குடிதென் களக்குடிசெங் காட்டங் குடி
கருந்திட்டைக் குடிகடையக் குடிகா ணுங்கால்
விற்குடிவேள் விக்குடிநல் வேட்டக் குடி
வேதிகுடி மாணிகுடி விடைவாய்க் குடி
புற்குடி மாகுடி தேவன்குடி நீலக்குடி
புதுக்குடியும் போற்றவிடர் போகு மன்றே
Prayers
The Theertham from Surya Pushkarini is said to remove all skin diseases, health problems as Sun is related to Health. People pray to Lord Shiva to get cure from leprosy. This Temple is also considered as Parihara Sthalam for Surya Dosham.
Connectivity
The Temple is located at about 3 Kms from Mayiladuthurai, 5 Kms from Mayiladuthurai Bus Stand, 6 Kms from Mayiladuthurai Junction Railway Station, 52 Kms from Nagapattinam and 132 Kms from Trichy Airport. The Temple is situated on Mayiladuthurai to Nedumarudhur Route.
Location