VANCHINATHASWAMYTEMPLE-SRIVANCHIYAM-TIRUVARUR DISTRICT- TAMILNADU-COMPILED
Dear friends, Vanchinatha Swamy temple at Sri Vanchyam in the TiruvarurDistrict is dedicated to the deity Shiva, located in Srivanchiyam, in the TiruvarurDistrict of Tamil Nadu. Shiva is worshiped asVanchinadha Swamy, and is represented by the lingam. His consort Parvati isdepicted as Mangalambigai Amman. The presiding deity is revered in the 7thcentury Tamil Saiva canonical work, the Tevaram, written by Tamil saint poetsknown as the Nayanmars and classified as Paadal Petra Sthalam. There is a separate sanctum for Lord Yama Dharma. First the devoteshave to worship Yama before going to other deities. There is a plantain gardenin the temple associated with worship. The specialty is if small plant shootingfrom it is planted anywhere, it will get dried up. I have visited this temple 3 years back in an evening, as part of visiting temples after my retirement. Thetemple is very crowded with devotees. Hope a Divine reading. Gopalakrishnan former ITS (7024) Legends As per legend, once Lakshmi, the consort of Vishnu had afight with him and left their abode, Vaikunta. She came to earth and Vishnu followed in search of her. Hefound a Linga (an iconic form of Shiva) in a Sandalwood forest and startedworshipping Shiva. Shiva was pleased with thedevotion and he restored Lakshmi to Vishnu. This story is not mentioned in puranas. As per another legend, a sage named Sarva was performingpenance on the banks of river Sarayu. A divine voice told him that the Dharmawould get destroyed during Kaliyuga. The sage was running towards the templeshouting "Shivaya Namaha, Thiruvanjiyam Abayam". Kali, another formof Yama was running behind the sage. He was stopped by Shiva on the border ofthe village. Shiva appearedas Vanchinathar to ward off the threat of Yama, who is stationed ina shrine outside the first precinct following the legend. History The present masonry structure was built during the Choladynasty in the 11th century, while later expansions are attributed toVijayanagar rulers of the Thanjavur Nayaks of the 16th century. The five-tieredRajagopuram, which is 110 feet high, was built by Rajendra Chola in 850 AD.This temple, which is about 558 feet long and 320 feet wide, has 3 towers and 3prakaras . Architecture The temple complex covers an area of 2 acres and houses twogateway towers known as gopurams. The tallest is the eastern tower, with 11stories and a height of 108 feet (33 m) The temple has numerous shrines, withthose of Vanchinathaswamy, Yama and Mangala Nayagi Amman being the mostprominent. Presiding deity The presiding deity of the temple is Shiva in the name ofVanchinathan and the name of the Goddess is Mangalambika. Yama Shrine: On entering, there is a separate temple for Yama on the left, In the Agni corner of the temple bothYama and Chitragupta facing south. SinceYama was cursed by everyone because he had the position of taking all lives,and in order to get rid of the Brahmahatti dosha caused by taking many lives, Yama came here and did severe penance to Lord Shiva to atone for hissins. TheLord granted a boon that the sin and punishment of taking lives would not reachYama. He also granted thatthose who worship Lord Shiva at this temple would not be reborn and would begiven a peaceful final life . Similarly, he granted a boon that Yama, who isthe king of the Kshetra, should first be worshipped at this temple beforeworshipping the Lord. Accordingly, the first worship and aradahanas are performedfor Yama every day. It is a tradition that one should firstbathe in the Gupta Ganga Theertha here and worship Yama first and only thenworship others in the temple. Those who are afraid of death come here and worship, and theywill be relieved. Those who die in this temple do not sufferfrom Yama. No matter where a death occurs in thistemple, the temple is not closed like other temples . Yama appears in asitting position with four arms (Pasam, Katha, Sulamendhi), his left legfolded, his right leg hanging, and his feet crossed. Sub deities If one goes insideafter worshipping Lord Yama he will seethe shrines of Vinayagar andSubramaniyar. After crossing the inner gate, there is the shrine of Ambal on the right. There isa flag pole and an altar. Next is the shrine of 'Nattuvan Pillayar'. If you goinside, Lord Siva appears as Swayambuwith a slightly larger Thirumeni. The joy that comes to the mind when you seeand worship him cannot be described in words. It is believed that worshiping him will remove mentalconfusion and fear of death. If one walks around the inner courtyard, you will findshrines of Veena Pillayar,Vinayagar, Subramanya, Panchabhootha Lingams, Jeshta Devi, andLord Shani. Next to that, there are shrines of Shivalingas, which areconsidered to be equivalent to Kashi, such as Agoreshwar, Panchanatheswar,Mayuranatheswar, and Mahalingesar. There is a shrine of Bhairava in the inner courtyard.Bhairava is seen here in a yoga posture. Next to the shrine of Bhairava is theshrine of Rahu-Ketu. Their idols carved out of a single stone are also aspecial feature of this temple. When milk is offered to Rahu-Ketu, the milk turns blue.Devotees believe that worshipping Rahu-Ketu in this temple removes obstacles inmarriage and cures nervous diseases. Since Lord Shiva is the one who bestowsall blessings in this temple, thereis no separate shrine for the nine planets here. There is no separate shrine for Durga; the embodiment ofDurga is Mahishasuramarthini, who appears as a gigantic heroine. Lord Ganesha is applied with butter in this temple Poojas The temple has six daily rituals at various times from 6:00a.m. to 9 p.m. The temple priests perform the puja (rituals) during festivalsand on a daily basis. Like other Shiva temples of Tamil Nadu, the priestsbelong to the Shaiva community, a Brahmin sub-caste. The temple rituals areperformed six times a day; Ushathkalam at 5:30 a.m., Kalasanthi at 8:00 a.m.,Uchikalam at 10:00 a.m., Sayarakshai at 5:00 p.m., Irandamkalam at 7:00 p.m.and Ardha Jamam at 8:00 p.m. Each ritual comprises four steps: abhisheka(sacred bath), alangaram (decoration), naivethanam (food offering) and deepaaradanai (waving of lamps) for both Vanchinadha swamy and Mangala Nayagi. There are weekly rituals like somavaram (Monday) andsukravaram (Friday), fortnightly rituals like pradosham and monthly festivalslike amavasai (new moon day), kiruthigai, pournami (full moon day) and chathurthi. Festivals Twelve yearly festivals on its calendar, with the Masi Magamfestival celebrated during the Tamil month of Maasi (February - March) beingthe most prominent. During the festival the festival image of Shiva is taken in the mount ofYama around the streets of Srivanchiyam. During the Tamil month ofKaarththigai (Nov-Dec), Theerthavari (sacred water splash) is conducted in theGuptha Gangai (temple tank) on all Sundays. It also includes a ten-day festivaland a car festival at the end of the month. In all temples, the Tirthavari is conducted only after theBrahmotsavam is over. On that day, the Lord is bathed in the Tirtha of thetemple. In this temple, since the Tirtha is very glorious, the Tirthavari isconducted on the second day of the Masimagam Brahmotsavam. The second day is the Tirthavari here. On that day, Vanchinathar rides in the YamaVahana. On the last day, a festival is held for Murugan. Tirthavari is alsoheld in the early hours of the Sundays of Karthigai. Temple tree The sthala vriksham (sacred tree of this temple) isSandalwood tree. Temple tanks The sacred tank of this sthalam (place) is called the Gupta Gangaiwhich is square in shape with 150 metres (490 ft).Other tanks associated withthe temple are Yama Theertham, Agni Theertham andLakshmi Theertham. It is one of the shrines of the 275 Paadal Petra Sthalams. Specialties It is one of the rare temples where there is aseparate shrine for Yama, the god of death. Yama is sported in seatedposture with Chitragupta by his side. This temple is a place that dispels fear, those who worship Lord Shiva at thisplace will not be reborn and will attain a peaceful final state. It has two nandhis facing both sides of Vanchinadha. Rahu-Ketu, carved out in a composite sculpture. There is a separate sannithi for Shani. Srivanchiyam are considered equivalents of Kasi. There is asacred tank in which goddess Ganga herself bathes to cleanse herself from thesins. A holy dip in this tankis equivalent to that of Ganga in Kasi. It is customary for all temples to be closed during theeclipse period. However, this temple is will be open. A special abhishekam(anointing) ceremony will be performed for Lord Shiva during the eclipseperiod. Similarly if any death occurs with in temple premises or nearby,the temple is not closed, keptopen. There is a saying that visiting this Temple once is equal tovisiting Kasi 100 Times Literary mention andreligious importance Appar, the 7th centuryTamil saivite saint poetand nayanar has revered Kumbeswarar and the temple in his verses in Tevaram,compiled as the Fifth Tirumurai. As the temple is revered in Tevaram, it isclassified as Paadal Petra Sthalam, one of the 276 temples that find mention inthe Saiva canon. The temple is counted as the seventh in the list of temples inthe southern banks of Cauvery. Other singers about this temple are Sundarar, Sambandar,Arunagirinathar. It is the 70th temple among the southern banks of the Kaverithat has received the Thevara hymn . It is the 133rd temple among the 276temples that have received the Thevara hymn. What are the benefitsof worshipping at Srivanjiyam Temple? Worshipping at Srivanjiyam Temple is believed to removeYama's fear (God of Death), improve longevity and health, and cleanse past-lifesins and karmic doshas, leading to a peaceful life. The temple's unique feature is a separate shrine to Yama, and performingspecial parihara pujas here is thought to bestow blessings of good health,happiness, and prosperity. Location The Srivanjiyam temple is near the villages of Pandaravadaiand Kumbakonam, with Kumbakonam being the most convenient town for travellers, as it offers bus services directly toSrivanjiyam and is also near the temple. Kumbakonam has a railway station,making it the most practical hub for reaching the temple. Etymology This temple is called Srivanchiyam because it is the placewhere Vishnu, desiring to regain his separated daughter, attained the blessingsof Lord Shiva through penance. Administration The temple is maintained and administered by the HinduReligious and Charitable Endowments Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu. Opening hours : >From 5.30 am to 12.30 pm, from 4.00 pm to 8.30 pm. Contact Numbers: 04366 – 228305 , 94424 03926 , 93606 02973 Temple Phone Number: Swaminatha Gurukkal 98421 81507(Devotees can call only between 1 PM to 3 PM) , Raja Gurukkal 94424 03926 -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/2142682857.617151.1756106407158%40mail.yahoo.com.
