Ramanatha Swamy Temple, Thirunaraiyur – The Temple

Ramanatha Swamy Temple, Thirunaraiyur – The Temple

The Temple is facing towards east with an entrance arch. Nandi and Balipeedam can be found facing the sanctum immediately after the entrance. Presiding Deity is called as Ramanathaswamy and is facing east. He is housed in the sanctum in the form of Lingam. The rays of the Sun and the Moon fall directly on the Shiva Lingam in the month of April.

Brahma, Durga, Medha Dakshinamoorthy, Lingodbhava and Nardana Ganapathy are the Koshta idols located around the sanctum walls. There is a shrine of Dasaratha in worshipping posture can be seen in the temple premises. Chandikeswarar Shrine can be seen in his usual location. Mother is called as Parvathavarthini. She is housed in a separate shrine facing south.

There is a shrine for Lord Saneeswarar called Mangala Saneeswarar, can be seen in the temple premises. He is present with his two wives Mandha Devi and Jyeshta Devi and two sons, Maanthi and Kuligan. This is the only place where Lord Saneeswarar is present with his whole family. Though it is a sub shrine, this shrine has separate Dhwaja Sthambam, Balipeedam and the crow mount in front of it.

This Temple is popularly called as Mangala Saneeswarar Temple after this shrine. There is a separate shrine for Navagrahas with the Sun at the centre with his two Consorts, Usha Devi and Prathyusha Devi. The other planets are found around the sun.

There are shrines for Gajalakshmi, Hanumantha Lingam, Anantha Ganapathy, Mahalakshmi, Subramaniya with his consorts, Valli & Devasena, Gajalakshmi, Hanumantha Lingam, Nagas, Bhairava and Surya in the temple premises. Sthala Vriksham is Erukku Plant. Theertham associated with this Temple is called as Rama Theertham.

Ramanatha Swamy Temple, Thirunaraiyur – Legends

Ramanatha Swamy Temple, Thirunaraiyur – Legends

Sani Dosha Nivarthi Sthalam:

The legend goes that King Dasaratha, father of Lord Rama, was once ruling the entire world. Saturn was to make its transit to Rohini star after Kiruthigai. King Dasaratha was informed by sage Vasishta that this transit by Saturn to Rohini would be devastating for the whole world as it would be punctuated with famine and drought causing immense hardship to all the living beings. He asked Dasaratha to prevent it.

Dasaratha instantaneously set out on his chariot and arrived at the star, Rohini. He saw Saturn moving in his golden chariot in the direction of Rohini and tried to stop Saneeswaran by force. Saneeswaran, though impressed with the King’s valour said that just his looks can destroy anybody. However, king Dasaratha could not be harmed because of the powers that he had accumulated through severe penance.

Dasaratha requested Saneeswaran to spare Bhooma Devi and all the creatures living on it. Lord Saneeswaran was pleased by the King’s concern for his people. He asked Dasaratha to go to Thirunaraiyur and have a bath at the temple tank to have his wish fulfilled. King Dasaratha did accordingly and Saneeswaran gave a darshan to Dasaratha and agreed to his prayer. This Temple is a Sani Dosha Nivarthi sthalam. This is the only place where he is present with his wives Mandhi Devi and Jyeshta Devi and two sons Mandhi and Kuligan.

People worshipped Lord Shiva here:

Lord Rama and Anjaneya, during their return from Lanka to Ayodhya worshipped Shiva here.

Ramanatha Swamy Temple, Thirunaraiyur, Thanjavur

Ramanatha Swamy Temple, Thirunaraiyur, Thanjavur

Ramanatha Swamy Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located at Thirunaraiyur in the outskirts of Nachiyar Koil in Kumbakonam Taluk in Thanjavur District of Tamil Nadu. Presiding Deity is called as Ramanathaswamy and Mother is called as Parvathavarthini. The Temple is situated on the southern banks of Arasalaru River. This temple lies between Thirunaraiyur Siddhanatheswarar Temple and the Nachiyar Koil Thirunaraiyur Nambi Temple. This temple is under the control of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department of Government of Tamil Nadu.

Legends

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://tamilnadu-favtourism.blogspot.com/2021/10/ramanatha-swamy-temple-thirunaraiyur-legends.html

The Temple

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://tamilnadu-favtourism.blogspot.com/2021/10/ramanatha-swamy-temple-thirunaraiyur-temple.html

Pooja Timings

·        Kaala Sandhi (09.30 to 10.00 am)

·        Sayaratchai (06.00 to 06.30 pm)

·        Artha Jamam (08.30 to 09.00 pm)

Festivals

Chitirai Brahmotsavam, Margazhi Thiruvadhirai, Karthigai Deepam, Pradoshams, Somavaram, Gurupeyarchi, Sanipeyarchi and all Saturdays & Sundays are the festivals celebrated here.

Prayers

The temple is considered as equivalent to Rameswaram. Devotees who are unable to visit Rameswaram, make their offerings to the Lord Ramanatha Swamy here.

Contact

Ramanatha Swamy Temple,

Thirunaraiyur, Nachiyar Koil,

Kumbakonam Taluk,

Thanjavur District – 612 602

Phone: +91 435 247 6411 / 247 6157

Connectivity

The Temple is located at about 500 meters from Nachiyar Koil Bus Stand, 9 Kms from Kumbakonam Bus Stand, 9 Kms from Kumbakonam Railway Station, 10 Kms from Kumbakonam, 47 Kms from Thanjavur and 106 Kms from Trichy Airport. Thiru Naraiyur is situated on the Kumbakonam to Thiruvarur Route. Thiru Naraiyur is in the outskirts of Nachiyar Koil. Buses are available to Nachiyar Koil from Kumbakonam for every 10 minutes.

Location

Seeraleswarar Temple, Mathur – Legends

Seeraleswarar Temple, Mathur – Legends

Paranjothi popularly known as Siruthondar was an army general of the great Pallava king Narasimhavarman I who ruled South India from 630 – 668 CE. He also led the Pallava army during the invasion of Vatapi in 642 CE. In the later years of his life, Paranjothi gave up violence and became a wandering Saivite monk, Siruthonda Nayanar. He is venerated as one of the 63 Nayanmars. He regarded himself as the lowly servant of the Lord and other Siva bhaktas. Hence, he came to be called as Siruthondar (small servant).

Lord Siva wanted to test his devotion. So, one day, Lord Shiva appeared in front of Siruthondar house, in the guise of a Shiva Yogi. Lord enquired Sandana Nangaiyar, maid servant of Siruthondar, about his master whereabouts. She said Lord that he had gone in search of a Shiva devotee as he would not take food before feeding a Shiva devotee. She invited Shiva Yogi to come into their house as his master would be happy to see a Shiva Yogi at his home.

Shiva Yogi refused to enter the house as the women in the house were alone without their male companion. Thiruvengattu Nangaiyar, wife of Siruthondar, also invited him to the house. Shiva Yogi still refused and informed them that he would reside under the tree near the temple till the arrival of Siruthondar. Once Siruthondar arrived, his wife informed about the Shiva Yogi. Siruthondar ran towards to the temple and invited him to the house.

Shiva Yogi stated that he had doubts whether Siruthondar might accept his conditions to accept the Bhiksha. Siruthondar promised that he was ready to accept any demand from the Shiva Yogi. Shiva Yogi revealed his condition that he wanted to eat the meat of a 5 year old healthy child and should be the only son to their parents. Further, he stated that the child must be held by his mother and cut into pieces by his father. Siruthondar realized that his son, Seeralan, fitted all criteria.

Siruthondar told his wife about the Shiva Yogi and she too agreed. The mother held the child in her lap and Siruthondar cut his throat in one stroke. They cooked their own son and requested Shiva Yogi to have his meal. Now, Yogi wanted another Shiva devotee to eat with him. Siruthondar agreed to give company and ready to eat the flesh of his son. Yogi further stated that he wanted Siruthondar son to join the feast. Siruthondar informed Yogi that his son was not in the house currently.

But Yogi insisted Siruthondar to go out and call his son. Siruthondar wanted to obey the words of Yogi and called him son. To utter surprise, his son came running to him. The parents were astonished and went inside to the see the Yogi. Yogi and the meat offered to him disappeared. Lord Shiva appeared before them, blessed the family and took them to his abode, Kailasha. It is said that the above incident took place in this place. Hence, the temple is considered as rebirth place of Seeralan, son of Siruthonda Nayanar.

Seeraleswarar Temple, Mathur, Thanjavur

Seeraleswarar Temple, Mathur, Thanjavur

Seeraleswarar Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, located in Mathur Village near Nachiyar Koil in Kumbakonam Taluk in Thanjavur District of Tamil Nadu. Presiding Deity is called as Seeraleswarar and Mother is called as Nithya Kalyani. The Temple is situated on the southern banks of T.R. Pattinam River. The temple is considered as rebirth place of Seeralan, son of Siruthonda Nayanar.

Legends

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://tamilnadu-favtourism.blogspot.com/2021/10/seeraleswarar-temple-mathur-legends.html

The Temple

The Temple is facing towards east with an entrance arch. Nandi and Balipeedam can be found facing the sanctum, immediately after the entrance. There is no Dhwaja Sthambam (flag-staff) in this temple. The Sanctum Sanctorum consists of Sanctum and Artha Mandapam. The Sanctum is situated in little elevated position like Mada Koil. Presiding Deity is called as Seeraleswarar and is facing east. He is housed in the sanctum in the sanctum in the form of Lingam.

Vinayaga, Dakshinamoorthy, Lingodbhava, Brahma and Durga are the Koshta Idols located around the sanctum walls. Chandikeswarar shrine can be seen in his usual location. Mother is called as Nithya Kalyani. She is housed in a separate south facing shrine. There are shrines for Vinayaga, Murugan, Maha Lakshmi, Bairavar, Suryan and Navagrahas can be seen in the temple premises.

Prayers

Devotees pray to Lord and Mother in this temple for Child boon and welfare of their children.

Connectivity

The Temple is located at about 100 meters from Mathur Bus Stop, 1.5 Kms from Nachiyar Koil, 11 Kms from Kumbakonam Railway Station, 11 Kms from Kumbakonam Bus Stand, 12 Kms from Kumbakonam, 47 Kms from Thanjavur and 106 Kms from Trichy Airport. The Temple is situated on Kumbakonam to Thiruvarur Route.

Location

Brahma Temple, Kumbakonam – Connectivity

Brahma Temple, Kumbakonam – Connectivity

The Temple is located at about 2 Kms from Kumbakonam Railway Station and 2 Kms from Kumbakonam Bus Stand. Kumbakonam is well-connected by road and rail with the rest of India. Kumbakonam is located at about 6 Kms from Thirunageswaram, 8 Kms from Patteeswaram, 9 Kms from Thiruvidaimarudur, 9 Kms from Nachiyar Koil, 15 Kms from Papanasam, 34 Kms from Mayiladuthurai, 35 Kms from Thiruvaiyaru, 40 Kms from Thanjavur, 42 Kms from Thiruvarur, 88 Kms from Trichy, 101 Kms from Trichy Airport and 283 Kms from Chennai.

By Road:

There are regular government and private bus services to Chennai, Thanjavur, Mannargudi, Trichy, Chidambaram, Tiruppur, Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, Coimbatore, Palani, Thoothukudi, Madurai, Sivagangai, Puducherry and Tirunelveli. The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) operates daily services from Bengaluru and Mysuru to Kumbakonam. 

By Train:

Kumbakonam is connected by rail with most important towns and cities in South India. The Mysuru – Mayiladuthurai Express connects Kumbakonam with Mysuru and Bengaluru. There are regular express trains that connect Kumbakonam with major cities in the state like Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai and Trichy. There are passenger trains that connect Kumbakonam with Thanjavur, Trichy, Chidambaram and Mayiladuthurai.

By Air:

The nearest domestic and international airport is located at Trichy.

Brahma Temple, Kumbakonam, Thanjavur

Brahma Temple, Kumbakonam, Thanjavur

Brahma Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu located in Kumbakonam Town in Thanjavur District in Tamil Nadu. Presiding deity is called as Veda Narayana Perumal and Mother is called as Veda Valli Thayar. Though the temple is dedicated to Vishnu, this temple is generally known as Brahma Temple.

Legends

Once, Lord Brahma became arrogant thinking that he was the only person capable of creation and was superior to both Shiva and Vishnu. Lord Vishnu sent a ghost (Bhooda) to Brahma who trembled on seeing the creature. He ran to Lord Vishnu saying that a ghost not created by him was threatening and sought protection. Lord Vishnu said that it was created by him to check his pride and that he would also forget the art of creation. When begged for a remedy, Lord Vishnu suggested that he should go to Earth and perform penance.

Lord Brahma chose Kumbakonam that stays stable even after the destroying Pralaya floods. All the Devas assisted Brahma in his penance. Pleased with Brahma’s penance, Lord Vishnu appeared before him, taught the Vedas and reinstated Brahma to his earlier status. Hence, he came to be called as Veda Narayana Perumal and Mother came to be called as Vedavalli. To facilitate the final bath of Lord Brahma and the Devas after the penance, Lord Vishnu created a river with his club known as Hari Sollaru. It got corrupted to Arasalaru today.

The Temple

This is a small Temple with an entrance arch with stucco images of Narayana Perumal, Brahma and Yoga Narasimha with their consorts respectively. Though the temple is dedicated to Vishnu, this temple is generally known as Brahma Temple. Presiding deity is called as Veda Narayana Perumal. He is housed in the sanctum. He is flanked by his consorts Sridevi and Bhoodevi. He is in sitting posture.

There is a separate shrine for Lord Brahma to the right side of the sanctum. He is flanked by Saraswathi and Gayatri. He is in standing posture. He is having four faces. However, the fourth face which is in the back, is generally covered by a cloth. The fourth face could be seen as a reflection in the mirror behind the idol and it is the face of Mother Gayathri.

There is a shrine for Yoga Narasimha to the left side of the sanctum. He is gracing the devotees along with his consorts Sridevi and Bhoodevi. It is unique as the Lord is present with two Thayars, generally Narasimhar is seen with Lakshmi only. There is a separate shrine for Vedavalli Thayar, the consort of Veda Narayana Perumal, in the prakaram. There are shrines for Srinivasa Perumal, Dhanvatri and Andal in the Temple premises.

Temple Opening Time

The temple remains open from 08.00 a.m. to 11.30 a.m. and from 05.30 p.m. to 09.00 p.m.

Pooja Timings

Poojas	Timings
1. Vishwarupa	08.15 am
2. Kaala Sandhi	09.30 am
3. Uchi Kaalam	11.30 am
4. Nithyanu Santhanam	06.30 pm
5. Aaradhanam	07.30 pm
6. Artha Jamam	09.00 pm

 Festivals

Vaikuntha Ekadasi and Saraswathi Pooja are the festivals celebrated here with much fanfare.

Prayers

Devotees perform special pujas for Lord Brahma and Mothers Saraswathi and Gayatri before admitting children to school. Special pujas are performed during Thursdays. Pujas are performed for Mother Mahalakshmi on Fridays and Perumal on Saturdays for relief from debt burdens. Homas are performed for Lord Yoga Narasimha by devotees for longevity on their 60^th, 70^th and 80^th birthday occasions. Devotees perform abishek to Lord and Mother offering vastras.

Contact

Veda Narayana Perumal Temple (Brahma Temple),

Kumbakonam,

Thanjavur District – 612 001

Mobile: +91 94865 68160

Connectivity

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://tamilnadu-favtourism.blogspot.com/2021/10/brahma-temple-kumbakonam-connectivity.html

Location

Vanmeeganathar Temple, Cheyyur – The Temple

Vanmeeganathar Temple, Cheyyur – The Temple

This Temple is facing towards east but the rajagopuram is facing towards south. The rajagopuram is of three tiers. The sanctum sanctorum consists of sanctum, ardha mandapam and maha mandapam. Balipeedam, Dhwaja Sthambam and Nandi can be found in the outer prakaram facing towards the sanctum through a window. The maha mandapam can be entered from the southern side. This entrance is connected to the rajagopuram through a mukha mandapam.

Mayura Subramaniyar can be seen on the right side at the entrance of the ardha mandapam. He is seen dancing on his mount peacock. Dvarapalas, Sumukan and Sudhegan, can be seen guarding the entrance of the sanctum. Presiding Deity is called as Vanmeeganathar and is facing east. He is housed in the sanctum in the form of Lingam. Lord is a Swayambu Moorthy (self-manifested). The sanctum will be flooded with water till avudaiyar and only top portion (Linga) will be visible during rainy season.

Vinayagar, Dakshinamoorthy, Lingodbhava, Brahma and Durga are the koshta idols located around the sanctum walls. Chandikeswarar shrine can be seen in his usual location. Mother is called as Muthambigai. She is housed in a separate south facing shrine. Her shrine is situated in maha mandapam to the left side of the sanctum. She is four armed and considered to be in Lakshmi aspect in this temple. Hence, she is depicted with lotus (Padma) and water lily (Neelotpala) in her hands.

The pillars of the mandapam in front of the Mother shrine has sculptures of women riding horses. Her shrine is guarded by Dvarapalas Jayan and Vijayan confirming the Lakshmi aspect. Shrines of Vinayaga, Murugan with his consorts Valli & Devasena, Kasi Viswanathar, Vedagiriswarar, Venugopala Swamy, Bhairavar, Suryan, Gaja Lakshmi and Navagrahas can be seen in the inner prakaram.

Shrines of Vinayaga, Murugan and Sapta Matrikas can be seen in the outer prakaram. Shrines of Vinayaga and Murugan in Brahma Sastha form can be seen in front of the temple. Sculptures depicting the legend of Manu Needhi Chozhan can be seen on the four sides of a pillar in the temple. Sthala Vriksham is Vilwam tree. The temple tank is situated to south western side of the temple.