the Ultimate Web on Indian Gods & Temples

 by Padmani,

Abodes of Shiva

Lord Shiva is believed to have told Goddess Parvathi that he loves this place the most. She visited this place and decided to stay here. Hence, she is praised here as Sri Vazhavantha Nayaki (vazhavantha means the one who came to stay and nayaki means goddess in Tamil). According to legend, due to some conflict between Goddess Sridevi and Boomadevi, Sridevi left Lord Mahavishnu. He then came to this place and worshipped Lord Shiva here to seek his blessing to be reunited with Goddess Sridevi. It is believed that Lord Shiva blessed him and reunited the couple. Due to the Vaanchai (vaanchi means affection in Tamil) this place gets the name Sri Vanchiyam. Another legend associated with this place is that of Yama, the god of death. In Hindu mythology, Yama is believed to be the one who decides the afterlife for human beings based on their good or bad deeds. It is believed that he was once very worried about himself. He was under the impression that because of taking away many lives, he had accrued many sins. He felt that he was destined to go to hell after his death. He sought the advice of Lord Brahma for a solution to this problem. Lord Brahma asked Yama to go to earth and find out a place on the banks of the river Cauvery, where Sandal wood trees were in abundance. He asked him to perform penance there. He further advised Yama that Lord Shiva will take care of him. Yama found this place (Sri Vanchiyam also known as Gandhaaranyam) to be the one that most suited his needs. He performed his penance here. Pleased with his penance, Lord Shiva blessed him with his dharisanam and told him that he had not done anything wrong while performing his duties. The lord asked Yama to build a temple for him which would also house a separate shrine for Yama. Lord Shiva also granted him the status of the guardian of this temple - Kshetra Palakar. The lord further informed that the people who visit this place should first offer prayers to Yama. Lord Shiva advised Yama to bless the devotees who come to worship him here with a long and peaceful life. Devotees would also be able to break free from the continuous cycle of life, death and rebirth. Yama built this temple and stayed here as the mount of Lord Shiva. Since this temple was built in a forest of sandalwood trees, it is called Gandhaaranyam (the fragrant forest).Another legend associated with this temple is that of the river Ganges. She thought that since many people take a dip in her waters to cleanse themselves of their sins, she might have accrued all of those sins. She prayed to Lord Shiva for relief and the lord advised her to come to this place and take a dip in this temple’s tank. He also told her that he had asked Yama to do the same when he had come to him with the same problem. This tank is believed to have been created by Lord Shiva using his trident (Trisul). Ganga visited this place, took a dip in the tank and worshiped the lord. It is believed that she still stays in this temple’s tank. Hence this tank is called Guptaganga. It is believed that Lord Mahavishnu, Brahma, Indran, Suryan, Agni, Devas, Saptharishis, Sage Athiri and Sage Parasarar have also worshiped the lord here. Highlighting the significance of this temple, Sage Agasthiyar said that one will get salvation if one just thinks about this temple.

This is one of the 276 Devara Paadal Petra Shiva Sthalams and 70th Shiva Sthalam on the Southern bank of the river Cauvery in Chozha Nadu (Thenkarai). Lord Shiva in this temple is a Swayambumurthi (self-manifested). This temple is famous for Lord Yama’s shrine. Devotees worship the lord here and seek his blessings for a long and prosperous life. This temple is famous as a Rahu-Ketu parihara Sthalam. This place is called as the Mount Kailash on earth (Bhoologa Kailash). This is one of a few Paadal petra sthalams where the Nalvar (the four saints - Saint Thirugnanasambanthar, Saint Thirunavukarasar (Appar), Saint Sundaramurthy (Sundarar) and Saint Manickavasagar had rendered their Pathigams. This east facing temple has 3 corridors and its main tower (Rajagopuram) has 5-tiers. This is one of the six Shivasthalams on the banks of the river Cauvery which are considered to be very sacred and are equivalent to Kasi (Banaras). These are Thiruvengadu, Thiruvaiyaru, Chaayavanam, Mayiladuthurai, Thiruvidaimarudur and Thiruvanchiam (this temple). According to Hindu mythology, at the end of every Yuga, there is a huge flood (deluge) that leads to the destruction of all living beings on the earth. This is called the Pralayam. It is believed that this place was not destroyed even at the end of the Pralayam. It is believed that in each of the four Yugas the idol of Lord Shiva takes a different form. It is considered to be made out of gemstone (Rathinam) in Kretha Yuga, gold in Thretha Yuga, silver in Dvapara Yuga and granite in Kali Yuga. There are 27 stone inscriptions in this temple which date back to the periods of the later Cholas, Pandiyas and Nayakkars. This temple was originally built by Chola King Rajarajan. The historical names of this place are Vanchiyapathi, Santhanavanam, Thiruvaraiyur, Bhukailasam and Gandhaaranyam. This temple is under the administrative control of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department of Government of Tamil Nadu (HR&CE). It is surprising to see that Mahalakshmi’s elephant has four tusks. There is no Navagraham here. However, there is a separate shrine for Saneeswarar. A prominent feature of this temple is that Yama has a separate shrine. Devotees are advised to worship Yama first and then Lord Shiva. Chitragupta, the accountant of Yama, can also be seen in this shrine along with Yama. There is a separate shrine for Lord Bhairavar in the inner corridor. He can be seen here sitting in a yogic posture. His mount (dog) is not seen along with him. This is a unique feature of this idol. Next to the shrine of Bhairavar is the shrine for Rahu-Kethu, both carved from a single stone. This is another unique aspect of this temple. In this temple, poojas are performed first to Yama and then to the other gods. The procedure to worship in this temple is that one has to first take a dip in the Guptaganga, then worship Lord Vinayakar on the banks of this tank, then go to Yama’s shrine for worship and finally go to Lord Shiva’s shrine. There is a Yama Vahanam (mount) in this temple over which the procession idol of Lord Shiva is taken during festivals. Devotees believe that by worshiping Goddess Mahishasuramardhini here with 108 lotus flowers, they will be relieved from all kinds of doshas. The Sthala Viruksham of this temple is Sandalwood tree. Here, Sandalwood leaves are used for pooja in place of Vilvam leaves. It is believed that by reciting Saint Thirugnanasambanthar’s hymn, estranged couples will be reunited. This temple is considered to be significant for its three important attributes – Moorthy, Sthalam and Theertham - glory of Lord, sacredness of the land and the auspicious temple tank. Guptaganga Theertham is on the northern side of the outer corridor. According to the Sthala Puranam, a holy dip in this tank is equivalent to taking a dip in Varanasi, Rameswaram and the Maha Maham tank in Kumbakonam. Lord Vinayakar on the banks of the Guptaganga is to be worshiped after taking the holy dip. It is believed that taking a dip in this Theertham would help devotees get salvation and will help them break away from the repetitive cycle of birth and re-birth. There are three more Theerthams associated with this temple - Lakshmi Theeratham, Naga Theertham and Chakra Theertham. These were created by Goddess Lakshmi, Adhiseshan and Saint Chakrathazhwar respectively. A dip in Lakshmi Theertham on Fridays in the Tamil month of Aavani is believed to reunite a person with his estranged family. A dip in Naga Theertham on Thiruvonam star day in the Tamil month of Vaikasi is believed to liberate one from all the Naga Doshas. It is believed that by taking a dip in Chakra Theertham on Ekadasi/Dvathasi days in the Tamil month of Aavani, one is absolved of his Brahmahathi dosham. In the first corridor, there is a relief depicting Lord Vinayakar. He is praised as Vennai (butter) Pillaiyar. People suffering from stomach ailments smear some butter on this Pillaiyar’s stomach with the hope that they will be cured. Saint Arunagirinadhar has sang songs in praise of Lord Murugan of this temple in his revered Thirupugazh. Another notable aspect in this temple is that routine poojas are carried out even if a death occurs in this village. Tradition mandates that the temple should remain closed if a death occurs in the village. However, this is not the case in this temple. This temple is also open during the time of eclipse and special poojas are performed. The sanctum sanctorum is in the form of semi-circular tank (akazhi in Tamil). One must visit this temple to experience the grandeur and architectural beauty of the Chola and Nayakkar periods.

Some of the important festivals celebrated in this temple are – 10-day Aadi Pooram festival in the Tamil month of Aadi (July-Aug). 12-day Kadai Gnayiru festival in the Tamil month of Aippasi (Oct-Nov). 10-day Masi Maham festival in the Tamil month of Masi (Feb-Mar). Other festivals celebrated here are - Vinayakar Chaturthi and Aavani Moolam in the Tamil month of Aavani (Aug-Sept), Navarathri in the Tamil month of Purattasi (Sept-Oct), Skanda Shashti and Annabishekam in the Tamil month of Aippasi (Oct–Nov), Thiru Karthikai in the Tamil month of Karthikai (Nov-Dec), Theerthavari at Guptagangai on all Sundays in the Tamil month of Karthikai (Nov-Dec), Thiruvadhirai in the Tamil month of Markazhi (Dec-Jan) and Shivrathri in the Tamil month of Masi (Feb-Mar). Pradosham is also observed regularly.