Neelakandeswarar Temple,
Thiruneelakkudi – Legends
Neelakandeswarar:
As per Hindu legend, when the
celestial deities Devas and demons (Asuras) were churning the Ocean
of Milk for nectar (Amruta), poison emerged first. Lord Shiva consumed
the poison, but his wife Parvati held his throat to stop the poison
from entering Lord Shiva’s stomach. It is believed that Shiva got the name
Neelakanta from then on. Lord Shiva throat turned blue due to the poison.
Hence, Lord Shiva came to be
called as Neelakandeswarar (Neela means blue and Kandam means throat) and place
came to be called as Thiruneelakudi.
It is said that Mother Parvati anointed Lord Shiva with gingelly oil in this
place to relieve Neelakanta of his pain. The practice of anointing the lingam
with gingelly oil in the
temple continues in modern times where the whole oil is consumed by the
image.
Saptha Sthana Temples of Thiruneelakudi:
Sage Markandeya is
believed to have worshipped Lord Shiva of this
temple by carrying him in palanquin to attain long life. Sage Markandeya
achieved Chiranjeevi Status from Lord Shiva at Thiruneelakkudi
Temple. As a mark of respect to Lord Shiva, Sage Markandeya worshipped Lord
Shiva in Seven Temples around Thiruneelakkudi.
In remembrance to this event, during annual Chithirai festival, Sage Markandeya
accompany Lord Shiva and Mother of Thiruneelakkudi
and visit the remaining six Shiva Temples. This is called Saptha Sthana
Festival of Thiruneelakkudi.
The Saptha Sthana Temples of
Thiruneelakkudi are;
1.
Neelakandeswarar
Temple, Thiruneelakkudi
2.
Sundareswarar
Temple, Elandurai
3.
Somanathar
Temple, Enathimangalam
4.
Naganatha
Swamy Temple, Thirunageswaram
5.
Kampaheswarar
Temple, Thirubuvanam
6.
Mahalingeswarar
Temple, Thiruvidaimarudur
7.
Airavateshwarar
Temple, Maruthuvakudi
Mooladhara Sthalam:
Those following the Yoga Marga, Tiruneelakkudi
is the place to begin with as Mooladhara Sthala. There are six Aadharas known
as Mooladhara, Swadishtana, Manipooraka, Anagatha, Vishuddi and Aagna in the
human body. The efforts to raise the Kundalini Shakti begin from the
Mooladhara.
Saint
Appar saved by Lord Shiva from drowning:
As per legend, Saint Appar was tied to a stone and
thrown into the sea by Jains. He prayed to Lord Shiva of this
Temple to safeguard his life. By the grace of Lord Shiva, Saint Appar
escaped unhurt, was able to float and reach the shore. Saint Appar had
mentioned about this incident in his hymns.
Reunion of Mother Parvathi with Lord Shiva:
Mother Parvati was reunited with
Lord Shiva here after being killed at Daksha's Yagna. Hence, this
place is considered to bring
together the couples after separation and strengthen the Thali Bagyam of
devotees.
Brahma got relief from his curse here:
The Brahma Lingam (housed in
Mukthi Mandapam) in the front hall of the central shrine is believed to have
been worshipped by Lord Brahma, the Hindu god of creation, to relieve
him of the sins committed while coalescing with celestial dancer Urvasi.
Kamadhenu got
relieved from its curse here:
Kamadhenu,
the holy cow that emerged from churning the Ocean of Milk, is believed to have
worshipped Neelakanta in this
place to relieve itself of its curse from her master sage Vasishta.
Jackfruit:
It is believed that the
jackfruit tree in the prakaram is very auspicious. The fruits from the tree
cannot be taken out without making an offering to Lord Shiva. If it is taken
out without offering to Lord Shiva, the fruits will get spoilt and the person
who took the fruit out will have a bad phase in his life.
Pandavas worshipped Lord Shiva here:
It is said that Pandavas
installed five Lingas in this
Temple and worshipped Lord Shiva here.
People worshipped Lord Shiva here:
It is believed that Lord Brahma,
Katyayini, Varuna, Sage Romesa, Sage Vashishta, Sage Bharadhwaja, Sage Durvasa,
Sage Markandeya, Deva Kannigas, Kamadhenu and Surapadman had worshipped Lord
Shiva here.