Aparanadari Arunasaleshwar Shiva Temple, Nagapattinam

Address

Aparanadari Arunasaleshwar Shiva Temple, Nagapattinam

Aparanadari, Nagai Circle,

Nagapattinam district,

Tamil Nadu – 611104

Moolavar

Arunachaleswarar

Amman

Unnamulaiyammai

Introduction

Aparanadari Arunasaleshwar Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva, Located in the Aparanadari village, Nagai circle, Nagapattinam district, Tamil Nadu. Aparanadari is located 3 km south-west from the junction on the Nagapattinam-Tiruvarur National Highway. Aparanadari is a small village; there are two Shiva temples in this town. The first one is at the entrance of the town and it is the Arunasaleshwarar temple and the other temple is on the eastern bank of the big pond along the road and it is the Vishwanathar temple.

Puranic Significance

Arunachala, who is a shaft of brilliant fire. The wall in front of the temple is collapsing. On the south-west there is a defaced lingam and its ambika. In the centre, the main temple dedicated to Lord Arunasaleshwar is constructed from black stone from floor to ceiling.

The Lord has a temple towards the East and the Goddess towards the South. Moolamurthy is a medium sized Lingamurthy and Ambika is standing with a beautiful face. At the gate of the sanctum sanctorum all the idols like Vinayagar Valli Deivanai Sametha Murugan, Sandesar Surya Tirumal are placed in the front hall.

The temple is built during the Rajaraja Chola II (12th century); in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple, one can see two Sanakathi sages near the idol’s koshta on the south side. Brahman is also present in the standing posture, so this must have been a Shiva temple built during the Chola period. It may have been converted into a Perumal temple during Vijayanagara rule.

“With the kind permission of Sri Kadambur K. Vijayan, these are extracted from his posts”.