Pancha Bhoota Stalam

The Jambukeswarar temple in Tiruchirapalli of Tamil Nadu is one of the  Pancha Bhoota Stalas (the five Shiva temples). The presiding deity is the Appu Lingam – the water element. It is one of the 275 Paadal Petra Sthalams, where all the Nayanars (Saivite Saints) have sung glories of the deity.

Another famous temple in the Pancha Bhoota Stalas is the Arunachalam Temple located in Tiruvannamalai.

What is the history of Jambukeswarar Temple?

The history of Jambukeswarar temple is that it was built by Kocengannan (Kochenga Chola), one of the Early Cholas, around 1,800 years ago. It is in the Srirangam Island, which has the famous Ranganathaswamy temple. Hundreds of devotees gather here every year to watch the Lord and get his blessings.

What is the legend of Jambukeswarar temple?

Devotees believe that once, Devi Parvati made fun of Lord Shiva’s penance for the improvement and welfare of the world. So, Shiva asked her to go to the earth from Kailash (Shiva’s abode) to perform her penance.

Parvati in the form of Akilandeswari as per Shiva‘s wish found Jambu forest (Thiruvanaikoil) to conduct her penance. Hence, she made a lingam out of water of river Cauvery under the Venn Naaval tree (the Venn Naaval tree on top of the saint Jambu) and commenced her worship. Threfore, the lingam is known as Appu Lingam (Water Lingam). Siva at last gave darshan to Akilandeswari and taught her Siva Gnana. Further, Akilandeswari took Upadesa (lessons) facing East from Shiva, who stood facing west.

Also, Malyavan and Pushpadanta were two Shiva Ganas or disciples. They always were on conflict over something or other and once Malyavan cursed Pushpadanta to become an elephant on Earth. The latter cursed the other to become a spider. The elephant and the spider came to Jambukeswaram and continued their Siva worship.

The elephant collected water from river Cauvery and conducted ablution to the lingam under the Jambu tree every day. Shiva, in the form of Jambukeswara, moved by the deep devotion of the two, relieved them from the curse. As an elephant worshipped Shiva here, this place was famous as Thiru Aanai Kaa (thiru means holy, aanai is elephant, kaa (kaadu) means forest). Then, later the name ‘Thiruaanaikaa’ becomes ‘Thiruvanaikaval’ and ‘Thiruvanaikoil’.

For committing the sin killing the elephant, the spider was born as the King Kochengot Chola meaning red-eyed king and built 70 temples and this temple is the one among them.

What is the significance of Jambukeswarar Temple?

The significance of Jambukeswarar temple is that the main deity is Jambukeswara, representing the element water. Also, Jambukeswara is depicted sitting under a jambu tree. It grows over a small stream that engulfs the deity during the rainy season. The sanctum of Jambukeswarar is always abundant in water.

The massive outer wall covering the fifth precinct is famous as the Vibudi Prakara. It stretches over a mile, and is two feet thick and over 25 feet high. Legend maintains that Shiva built the wall with the laborers. The fourth precinct contains a hall with 796 pillars.

The temple is also the abode of goddess Akilandeswari, one of the forms of the goddess Parvati.

Moreover, the sannathy of the goddess Akilandeshwari and the sannathy of Prasanna Vinayaka are in the shape of the pranava manthra “Om”.

Also, the temples idols are opposite to each other. Such temples are Upadesa Sthalams. As the Devi was a student and Jambukeswara a Guru (teacher), hence Thiru Kalyanam (marriage) does not take place in this temple for Shiva and Parvathi, unlike the other Shiva temples.

What are the timings of Jambukeswarar temple?

The timings of poojas and rituals at Jambukeswarar temple are:

Timings	From	To
Morning Darshan	6AM	12 PM
Evening Darshan	5 PM	9 PM
Ushakkala Pooja	6:30 AM	7:30AM
Kaalashandhi Pooja	8 AM	8:45 AM
Uchikkala Pooja	11 AM	12 PM
Saayaraksha Pooja	5 PM	5:45 AM
Ardhajama Pooja	9 PM

 

What are the festivals celebrated at Jambukeswarar Temple?

Some of the festivals celebrated at jambukeswarar temple are:

• Panguni Brahmmotsavam in March-April and Aadi Pooram in July-August are the famous festivals of the temple.
• Also, Purattasi is the Navarathiri festival taking place elaborately over 10 days.
• Thai – Thai Poosam, Thai theppam (Float) festival. Special poojas take place during Fridays of Thai month.
• Another name for Vaikasi is Vasantha Urchavam. It is another important 10-day festival.

How to reach Jambukeswarar Temple?

Here’s how to reach Jambukeswarar Temple:

• Air: The nearest airport is Trichy at a distance of 15km.
• Rail: The Trichy junction is 8km away.
• Road: Thiruvanaikaval is about 320 km on Chennai & Kanyakumari national highway. The temple is 8 km away from central bus stand and 3 km from Chathiram bus stand at Trichy.

Where to stay near Jambukeswarar Temple?

Some places to stay near Jambukeswarar temple are:

• Sri Maruti Pilgrims House offers accommodation in Tiruchchirappalli. The temple is 2.1 km away. It has a welcoming atmosphere.
• Mayas Kem Pride at 75-I, Salai Road , Thillai Nagar is a famous hotel.
• Also, Hotel Mayas at Hotel Mayas 46, Karur Bye Pass Road, Chatram Bus Stand features good accommodations.

What are some temples near Jambukeswarar Temple?

Some of the temples nearby Jambukeswarar temple are:

• Arulmigu saptharisheeswara Temple has won a unique place among the temples of Tamil Nadu. The seven rishis, atri, brihu, pulsithar, vasistar, gauthamar, angeerasar and marichi, prayed here to the presiding deity, saptharisheeswarar, to ward off the bad period they were passing through. Also, the parantaka kings extended the temple.
• Arulmigu Vekkalaimman Temple– It is dedicated to Lord Mother Vekkali Amman. She is holding a trident, Udukkai, the rope-pasam and Akshaya Patra (a vessel from which food would be constantly flowing to feed all beings) in Her four hands.

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The Ekambareswarar Temple in the town of Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu is one of the Pancha Bhoota Stalas. It is dedicated to the element of earth, or Prithvi.  Lord Shiva is Ekambareswarar or Ekambaranathar here represented byPrithvi lingam. Moreover, Devi Parvati is depicted as Gowridevi Amman.

The other four temples in this category are Thiruvanaikaval Jambukeswara (water), Chidambaram Natarajar (ether), Thiruvannamalai Arunachaleswara (fire) and Kalahasti Nathar (wind). Further, all of the four famous Shaivite Saints have sung the glories of this temple. Srikalahasti temple is famous for it’s Rahu Ketu Dosha Remedy.

What is the history of Ekambareswarar Temple?

History of Ekambeswarar temple says that Pallava Kings built a part of the temple. However, the rest of it was built in the 17 th century. This temple is one of the most ancient in India. Also, Second century AD Tamil poetry speaks of Kama kottam, and the Kumara kottam. 

Initially, Pallavas built the temple. The Vedantist Kachiyapper served as a priest at the temple. Then, the Chola Kings rebuilt the entire structure. Also, Adi Sankara, the 10th-century saint remodelled kanchipuram along with expansion of this temple.

The Vijayanagar kings also made a lot of contributions to the temple. Vallal Pachiyappa Mudaliar used to go regularly from Chennai to Kanchipuram to worship in this temple. He also spent a lot of money on the temple’s renovation. The temple pillar contains an image of Pachiyappa Mudaliar seated at horseback.

According the devotees, there is a legend around the temple. Some say that once while Lord Shiva was meditating Parvati mischievously covered his eyes with her fingers. It resulted in complete darkness on earth for many years. As a result, Parvati went to earth and created the earth linga and worshiped it under a mango tree in Kanchipuram giving birth to the temple.

What is the significance of Ekambareswarar Temple?

The significance of the Ekambeswarar Temple is that it is the 1st of the 32 Tevara Stalam built in the Tondai region. It is the largest Shiva temple in Kanchipuram. A Somaskanda panel featuring Shiva, Parvati and Skanda together adorn the back end of the main shrine.

In 1509, Krishna Deva Raja of the Vijayanagara kingdom built a 60 meter high Gopuram.

The temple premise also has a 540 pillar hall, beautifully designed and carved. The Vijayanagara Monarch constructed the pillared hall.

A 3500 years old mango tree adores the sanctum having four branches each dedicated to the four Vedas. Moreover, the Deity derives its name from the Mango tree from the words Eka-Amra-Natha, meaning the Lord of the Mango tree. The path to the tree also has a Shiva Lingam made of around 1008 small lingas.

What are the timings of Ekambareswarar Temple?

The timings of Ekambeswarar temple are:

Timings	From	To
Morning	6 AM	11 AM
Evening	5 PM	8 PM
Ushakkala Pooja	6 AM
Saayaraksha Pooja	6 PM
Arthajama Pooja	8PM

Which festivals are celebrated at Ekambareswarar Temple?

Some of the festivals celebrated at Ekambeswarar temple are:

• The month of July observes the important festival Ani Tirumanjanam .
• Also, the month of August observes Adi Kritikai and Avani Moolam .
• The Chitra Purnima and Vaisakhi In the months of May and June marks the temples annual calender. The Panguni is a festival of 13 days. During this period, the wedding of the presiding deity takes place.

How to reach Ekambareswarar Temple?

• Air: Chennai is the nearest airport which is 75km away from Kanchipuram. Public and private transport facilities are available.
• Rail: Connected on the southern part of railways Kanchipuram has few trains running through the town.
• Road: The city is only a few kms away from the Quadrilateral National Highway.

Where to stay near Ekambareswarar Temple?

Some places to stay near Ekambeswarar temple are:

• Sri Hari Residency at 99, West Raja Street, Near Sri Kumara Kottam Temple offers grand cosy accomodations. It is an excellent place to stay.
• Also, M.Hotel, Kanchipuram of No. 65-66, Nellukara Street, Bus Stand is another great place to check in. It has well suited amenities and a blissful environment.

What are some temples near Ekambareswarar Temple?

Some of the temples near Ekambeswarar temple are:

• Kailasnatha Temple- This temple worships Lord Shiva, the supreme Hindu God. His temples are present in every part of the country. However, many of these temples are not there in Tamil Nadu.
• Kamakshi Amman Temple- This temple is for Goddess Kamakshi Amman. This huge temple spreads across 5 acres of land. The temple also houses a gallery, which presents the life history of Adisankaracharya.
• Kanchi Kudil represents the life of the people of the city with a view to attract tourists and let them feel the essence of life as lived here. Kudil means house. Moreover,the house is over 90 year old and its architecture resembles the olden style.
• Devarajaswami Temple- The temple is another place famous for its richness of exquisite sculptures. Vijayanagar Kings built this temple for lord Vishnu.

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Chidambaram Nataraja Temple in Chidambaram in Tamil Nadu is one of the Pancha Bhoota Stalas (the five Shiva temples). The main deity is in the form of Spatika Lingam – the sky element. Also, the 9 gateways of the temple signify the 9 orifices in the human body.

What is the history of Chidambaram Nataraja Temple?

The history of Chidambaram Nataraja Temple starts with the legend of Lord Shiva strolling into the Thillai Vanam. Vanam means forest and Thillai trees are a species of mangrove trees. In the Thillai forests lived sages who believed that God can be controlled using mantras and rituals.

 Lord Shiva walked in the forest with great beauty, assuming the form of Bhikshatana, a simple mendicant seeking alms. Vishnu followed him as Mohini.

The sages and their wives were enchanted by the beauty of Shiva. On seeing their womenfolk enchanted, the rishis got angry and invoked scores of nagas by performing magical rituals. However, Lord Shiva lifted the serpents and donned them as ornaments on His locks, neck and waist. Further enraged, the sages invoked a fierce tiger. But Shiva used its skins and dons as a shawl around His waist.

The rishis then gathered all their spiritual strength and invoked a powerful demon Muyalakan – a symbol of complete arrogance and ignorance. Lord Shiva wore a gentle smile, stepped on the demon’s back, immobilized him and performed the Ánanda Tandava (the dance of eternal bliss). It then disclosed his true form. Hence, the sages surrendered.

Adhisesha, the serpent who serves as a bed for the Lord, hears about the Ananda Tandava and yearns to see and enjoy it. The Lord blesses him, beckoning him to assume the saintly form of ‘Patanjali’. He then sends him to the Thillai forest, informing him that he will display the dance in due course.

When was Chidambaram Nataraja Temple constructed?

This temple is significant to the shaivites and is famous for its grand architecture. Also, the Sangam classics refer to Viduvelvidugu Perumtaccan as the chief architect of the temple complex. There have been several renovations in its history, particularly during the days of Pallava or Chola emperors in ancient and pre-medieval periods.

Perumtaccan of the respected clan of Vishwakarmas constructed and maintained the early structure of Chidambaram temple. The Chola king, Parantaka I laid the golden roof of the Chitambalam. In those flourishing times, kings Rajaraja Chola I and Kulothunga Chola I made significant donations to the temple.

he temple sculptures depicting the Thillai trees date back to the 2nd century CE. The word “Koyil” or temple in the Tamil Shaivite tradition refers to none other than the Thillai Natarajar Temple.

What is the significance of Chidambaram Nataraja Temple?

The significance of Chidambaram Temple is that it is one of the Panchabootha Sthalas and worships the Lord as sky or Aagayam. It is here that the hymns of three great Shaivite Saints were discovered. It is located at the Lotus heart of the Universe”: Virat hridaya padma sthalam.

Moreover, Lord Shiva is in three forms in Chidambaram, as visible idol form, formless as Akasha or space and form and formless as a Spatika Linga..

The spot where the Lord displayed the Ananada Tandava, the Ponnambalam/ Porsabai (Pon meaning gold, Ambalam/Sabai meaning stage) houses the Lord Shiva in his dancing form. The Lord is also hence famous as the Sabhanayakar, meaning the Lord of the Stage.

The Garbhagriha is a stage of the temple and houses the Lord in three forms. The “form” refers to the anthromorphological form as an appearance of Lord Nataraja, called the Sakala thirumeni; the “semi-form” – the semi-anthropo-morphological form as the Crystal linga of Chandramouleswarar;
the “formless” – as the Space in Chidambara Rahasyam, an empty space within the Garbhagriha, the Nishkala thirumeni.

What are the timings of Chidambaram Nataraja Temple?

Here are timings of Chidambaram Nataraja temple:

Day	Timing
Monday	6:00 am – 12:00 pm 5:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Tuesday	6:00 am – 12:00 pm 5:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Wednesday	6:00 am – 12:00 pm 5:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Thursday	6:00 am – 12:00 pm 5:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Friday	6:00 am – 12:00 pm 5:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Saturday	6:00 am – 12:00 pm 5:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Sunday	6:00 am – 12:00 pm 5:00 pm – 10:00 pm

Timings	From	To
Morning Darshan	6 AM	12 PM
Evening Darshan	5 PM	10 PM
Pal Nivedhayam	6:30 AM
Maha Arati	7 AM
kalashandhi Pooja	7:45 AM	9:45 AM
Irandam Kalaam	10 AM	11 AM
Uchhikalam	11:30 AM	12 PM
Saayarakhshai	5 PM	6 PM
Irandam Kalaam	7 PM	8 PM
Ardhajanam	9 PM	10 PM

Which festivals are celebrated here?

Some festivals celebrated at Chidambaram nataraja temple are:

The 10 day Margazhi festival in December-January is one of the most important festivals that begin on the day prior to Tiruvadhirai star day with flag hoisting. The importance of the festival is that it is for Saivite Saint Manickavasagar.

The Vidayathi festival is both for the Lord and the saint.

The 10 day Aani Tirumanjanam festival begins with flag hoisting. It takes place 10 days earlier of Uthira star day. Also, from day one to the eighth day of the festival, procession of deities like Somaskanda, Shivananda Nayaki, Vinayaka, Subramania and Chandeswararm (panchamurthis) takes place in silver and gold vahans.

How to reach Chidambaram Nataraja Temple?

Here’s how to reach Chidambaram Nataraja Temple:

• Air: The nearest airport is Trichy that is 195km away and Chennai that is 235 km away.
• Rail: Local trains connect Chidambaram  to Trichy and other major cities of Tamil Nadu.
• Road:  There are requent buses from Andhra, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu to Chidambaram. Locally auto rickshaw is the best mode of transport.

Where to stay nearby?

Some places where one can stay near Chidambaram Nataraja Temple are:

• Hotel Akhshaya at Gandhi Nagar, Chidambaram has comfortable accommodations for tourists visiting Chidambaram. It is 1.8km away from the Chidambaram railway station. Also, it has a wide range of comfort delicacies.
• Hotel Lakshmi Vilas Heritage at T Neduncheri, Chidambaram is has a big complex. The hotel gives the tourists a chance to enjoy living in pollution free atmosphere. It is only 12 km away from the Chidambaram railway station.

What are some temples nearby?

Some of the temples near Chidambaram nataraja Temple:

• The Thillai Kali Amman Temple is famous for its presiding deity who is Goddess Parvathi in the form of Mahakali. Moreover, the idol is truly lively and magnificent to look at.
• The Tiruvetkalam temple is adjacent to the Anamalai university complex. It is also a great place to visit for its peaceful and resplendent structure.