the Ultimate Web on Indian Gods & Temples

 by Padmani,

Abodes of Shiva

It is believed that Jambavan, the king of the bears, worshiped Lord Shiva here and received his blessing. This temple’s tank is named after him - Jambava Theertham. It is believed that taking a dip in this tank will absolve you off your sins. As per the Sthala Puranam, a farmer called Periyan and his wife lived in this village. They had the habit of taking food only after offering it to a Shiva devotee. One day, Lord Shiva decided to test their faith. That day, the couple could not find anyone to offer the food to. Periyan came to his field to ask one of his workers to come to his house so that he could make his offering. Surprisingly, he could not find anyone in the field. He waited for some time for them to return. After some time, Periyan saw an old man pass by and he requested him to come and have food. The old man said that he could not accept food without earning it. He offered to some work in the field and then accept the food as wage. The farmer asked him to plough the field. Once the old man started ploughing the field, the farmer went back home to fetch some food for him. When he returned with the food, he was astonished to see that the crops were fully grown and ready for harvest. Periyan and his wife served the food for the old man under the kontrai tree. After he had finished eating, they asked him how he was able to do such a miraculous thing. The old man disappeared before answering. Thereafter Lord Shiva appeared on his bull mount (Rishabha Vakanam) with Goddess Parvathy and gave dharisanam to the couple. The lord further informed them that he had only come there in the form of an old man. After worshiping the lord, Periyan and his wife requested Lord Shiva to stay back in the place and bless them. Lord Shiva stayed back as a Swayambu Lingam in this place under the kontrai tree. The lord here is named as Sivakozhundeeswarar. Since the Lord Shiva himself is believed to have ploughed the field, sowed millet seeds (Thinai) and made it ready for harvest, this place gets the name Thiru Thinai Nagar. Another legend associated with this temple is that of a king named Veeraseran who was suffering from leukoderma. Once he had come to this temple for worshiping the lord. His dog, who was also suffering from skin diseases, had also come with him. His dog accidentally fell in the temple’s tank. When it came out, its skin diseases had disappeared. Noticing this, the king decided to take a dip in the tank. To his surprise, when he came out, he was cured of his leukoderma. He worshiped the lord and conveyed his gratitude. It is believed that thereafter King Veeraseran constructed this temple. His idol can also be seen in the temple corridors.

This is one of the 276 Devara Paadal Petra Shiva Sthalams and 5th Shiva Sthalam in Nadu Naadu. This east facing temple has a single corridor and its main tower (Rajagopuram) has 3-tiers.This temple is situated on the banks of river Pennai and is believed to have been built in the 6th century. The historical name of the village around the temple is Thiru Thinai Nagar. It has now been changed to Theerthanagiri. On the walls of the sanctum, one can see beautifully chiselled sculptures (Pudai Sirpangal). These sculptures depict the stories related to the sthala puranam – the farmer couple, Lord Shiva ploughing the field and King Veeraseran. There is also a sculpture of Nardhana Ganapathy with four Boodha Ganas (soldiers of the lord). An idol of Lord Natarajar can be seen in a separate shrine along with idols of Lord Mahavishnu and Lord Brahma. Here Lord Vishnu is seen with his conch and Lord Brahma with a percussion instrument called Panchamuga Vadhyam (an instrument similar to Tabla). Lord Natarajar is seen in his Ananda Thandavam posture to which Lord Vishnu is singing with his conch and Lord Brahma is playing the Panchamuga Vadhyam. Such a display of the Trimurthy is very rare. Lord Dakshinamurthy is seen sitting on a platform (peedam) with his legs folded. Four of his disciples are seen sitting near him. Unlike Lord Dakshinamurthy’s posture in other temples, Abhasmaram (the demon representing ignorance) is not seen under his foot. It is believed that when the farmer couple served food to Lord Shiva, he took it by sitting on the floor with his legs folded. To depict this, Lord Dakshinamurthy graces here in this form. It is believed that every year, Suryan worships Lord Shiva for a period of three days from 20th to 22nd of the Tamil month of Panguni (Mar-Apr) by illuminating the lingam in the sanctum. Worshiping of Lord Natarajar here is considered to be auspicious for those seeking excellence in the fields of music and dance. It is also believed that worshiping Lord Dakshinamurthy here will reward devotees with a rich yield from their farms.

Important festivals celebrated in this temple are – 13-day Vaikasi Brahmotsavam in the Tamil month of Vaikasi (May-June), Shivrathri in the Tamil month of Masi (Feb-Mar), Annabishekam in in the Tamil month of Aipasi (Oct-Nov), Arudra Dharisanam in the Tamil month of Margazhi (Dec-Jan). Pradosham is also observed regularly.