Sri Anandavalli Samedha Naganathar Swamy Temple – Trichy

Address

Sri Anandavalli Samedha Naganathar Swamy Temple – Trichy

N Andar St, Devathanam,

Tiruchirappalli,

Tamil Nadu 620002

Moolavar

Naganathar Swamy

Amman

Sri Anandavalli

Introduction

• Location: Nandhi Koil Street, near Theppakulam/Rockfort, Trichy City, Trichy District, Tamil Nadu.
• Presiding Deity: Naganatha Swamy (Lord Shiva).
• Mother Goddess: Anandhavalli.
• Temple Age: Over 1800 years old, making it older than the Malaikkottai Thayumanavar Temple.
• Temple Significance: One of the Pancha Bhootha Sthalams (five elemental temples) around Trichy, representing the element of Water.

Puranic Significance

• Naganadar:
  • Legend has it that some sages, driven by their ego, believed they could live independently of divine blessings. To humble them, Lord Shiva fought with them, and they sent snakes against him. In response, Lord Shiva wore the snakes as ornaments, thus earning the name Naganadar (Lord adorned by snakes).
• Sevvanthi Nadhar:
  • Saramamuni worshipped Shiva here with Sevvanthi (Chrysanthemum) flowers, and thus, Lord Shiva is also called Sevvanthi Nadhar.

Beliefs

• Devotional Requests:
  • Devotees come to pray for child boons, prosperity, and fearlessness.
  • Offerings of vastras (clothes) and ornaments are made to the deity for blessings.

Special Features

• Temple Structure:
  • The temple is located below ground level, adding to its unique architectural design.
  • The presiding deity, Naganatha Swamy, is enshrined as a Swayambu Lingam (self-manifested form) in the sanctum, facing east.
  • Mother Anandhavalli is housed in a shrine facing the south.
• Navagraha Aspect:
  • The Navagraha (nine planets) idols in this temple are unique in that Surya (the Sun) is depicted with his consorts Usha and Pradyusha. In this temple, all eight planets are directed towards Surya, which is a distinct feature of temples in the Trichy and Thanjavur regions.
  • In other regions, each planet typically faces its own direction.
• Other Shrines:
  • The temple complex includes shrines for Lord Ganesha, Subramanya Swamy, Dhandayuthapani, Somaskandar, and Bairavar.
  • The Sthala Vriksham (sacred tree) is the Vilvam tree (Bael tree), which is highly revered in Shiva temples.
  • The associated theertham (holy water) is called Shiva Theertham.

Festivals

• The temple celebrates all Shiva-related festivals, with Maha Shivaratri being the most prominent, observed with grand rituals and festivities.

This has been extracted from,

https://tamilnadu-favtourism.blogspot.com/2018/09/naganatha-swamy-temple-trichy.html#google_vignette

Century/Period

1800 Years Old

Nearest Bus Station

Singarathoppu

Nearest Railway Station

Trichy

Nearest Airport

Trichy

Location on Map

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