Avalur Shiva Temple, Kanchipuram

Address

Avalur Shiva Temple, Avalur village, Kanchipuram District – 632531

Diety

Ekambarar, Sundareswarar Amman: Meenakshi

Introduction

Avalur is a Village in Kanchipuram Block in Kanchipuram District of Tamil Nadu State, India. It is located 16 KM towards East from Kanchipuram.. 66 KM from Chennai. It is a place of special prayer for women. The temple was built during the Vijayanagara period as the Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple, which was completely demolished about five hundred years ago, now in disrepair. While the servants were searching for the sculptural shrines in the old temple, they found the very old Ekambarar and Sundareswarar Statues. Statues of Valampuri Ganesha, Sundeswara Murthy, Valliyamai and Datsinamoorthy have been found. This magnificent temple stands in ruins and miserable. Today, the temple is steeped in mythological traces from time immemorial.

Puranic Significance

Shakti Devi was cursed and came to earth because she once closed Eason’s screw eyes as a game. Mother Kamatchi went to many places in the south and prayed to Easan to remove the curse and accept her. Eason, however, did not relent. On the way to Mother Kamatchi Kanchi she came to present day Avalur called Purana Kanchi. There she consecrated Lingathirumani and prayed to Easan. For a long time there was no response from Easen. Mother was confused. Something that day angered her with unbearable grief. “ Does this earth have to come and work, even if it’s Maceson’s wife? Is this the situation of women? She wondered if the men’s minds were Kalmanama. She thought like this for a moment.. In the meanwhile, she changed her mind and wept, saying, Eason appeared immediately. Capturing the power of the Goddess, he went to Kanchipuram and blessed her to attain herself by doing virtues. The goddess also departed as Purana Kamatsi and went to Kanchi. The locals narrate the legend of the head of the Avalur Shiva temple. It was called ‘Aval Ur’ because it was the temple where the Goddess stayed and prayed. It is said that during the Ramayana period, Dali Devi, the wife of Vali, came to Avalur and worshiped Maha. Similarly, Draupadi, the goddess of the Pandavas, came here and prayed for the victory of the Pandavas. Even today, the temples of Draupadi and her companion Krishna Paramatma are located near the Avalur temple. The town was popularly known as Tara vanam because of the worship of Tara and Pandavapuram by the Pandavas.

Beliefs

Women come and worship here, especially with the prayer that men who are depraved by alcoholism should be converted. On Tuesdays and Fridays, they come here during the Rahu period and walk around the temple. Devotees in tears say that the offerings made here improve the physical health of men and regulate mental health from bad habits.