Gnayiru Gramam Sri Pushparatheswarar Temple, Thiruvallur

Address

Gnayiru Gramam Sri Pushparatheswarar Temple, Gnayiru Gramam, Via Cholavaram, Thiruvallur District– 600 067 Phone: +91 44 2902 1016

Diety

Sri Pushparatheswarar Amman: Sornambigai

Introduction

Pushparatheswarar Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva located at Gnayiru Gramam Village in Thiruvallur District of Tamilnadu. Presiding Deity is called as Pushparatheswarar and Mother is called as Sornambigai. This temple is associated with Sundaramurthy Nayanar and Sangili Nachiyar. The Temple is believed to be 1000 years old. It is a birth place of Sangili Nachiyar. This is one of the ‘Pancha Bhaskara Sthalams’ and revered as the prime among them.

Puranic Significance

The temple was in a dilapidated condition for several decades. Surya Trust took up the renovation work for three years and the consecration was done in June-July 2006. Sanjana Devi, the wife of Sun God is the daughter of Vishwakarma. Though she was happy with her husband, at one stage she felt that she couldn’t bear his heat any longer. So, she left him after leaving her duplicate in her place whom she created from her own shadow. When Sun God realized the truth, he prayed to Lord Siva at the Arunachaleswarar Temple to unite him again with his wife. While circumambulating the shrine he saw a light which fell on him by way of blessings and then moved away. Intrigued, he followed the light till it reached the village of Gnayiru where it fell on a Linga and vanished. Surya was pleased at the happening and for Shiva’s (Lord Pushparatheswarar) blessings, after which Surya returned to his wife. Since the Sun God is said to have bathed in the pond, it became known as Surya Theertham and there is also a Surya Shrine in the Temple. There are a few interesting legends behind this temple. A Chola King was returning after successfully waging a war on a kingdom in Andhra Pradesh. He camped at Cholavaram. He was a staunch Shiva devotee and went in search of lotus to perform his daily pooja. During his search he saw a pond full of lotuses. One of the flowers was taller, bigger and more beautiful than the rest. The King wanted this flower for the pooja and tried to reach the flower. As the King neared the flower it moved away and was elusive. After several futile attempts, the King was very angry and threw his sword at the flower. The sword broke into pieces. One of the pieces fell on a Lingam which was in the pond. The pond turned red in no time because of the blood that was oozing from the Lingam. This scar can still be seen on this Shiva Lingam. The King fainted there. His horse fled from the scene before fainting. Lord Shiva then appeared before the King and blessed him. The King apologized to the Lord. Lord Shiva asked the King to build a temple for the Lingam that was found in the pond. Named after the Sun God, the village has an interesting Sthalapuranam. Surya or the Sun had been cursed by Lord Brahma. To cure himself of the malady caused by the curse, Surya came down to the Earth looking for a place to pray to Lord Siva. He chanced upon a beautiful pond, filled with huge lotuses, some of which even had 1,000 petals. Fascinated, Surya got into the water to offer his prayers. Touched by Surya’s devotion, Lord Siva appeared as a Lingam on one of the lotuses and cured him. Filled with joy and gratitude Surya built a temple for the Lingam, in Gnayiru (Sun) village. The presiding deity of the temple is Lord Pushparatheswarar, called so because Lord Siva emerged from a flower in the form of a Lingam. Surya was also bestowed with an Akshaya Paathram with which he fed thousands of devotees, who came to the temple every year, in search of remedies for their ailments. They believe the Lord here will relieve them of pain and shower prosperity on them.

Beliefs

Surya Theertham is believed to have medicinal power which will cure skin and eye related diseases.

Special Features

The temple is east facing east with 5 tiered Rajagopuram on the south side. The temple is small but maintained beautifully with flowering plants inside the temple premises. Lord is Swayambu Moorthy and Lingam is short. The scar caused by the cut of the king is visible on the Shivalinga This can be seen every year in the mornings, when the Sun’s rays fall at their Feet. It is believed that Sun performs the Shiva Puja these days; hence the midday puja is not performed in the temple. Vinayakar, Dhakshinamoorthy, Lingothbavar, Brahma and Durgai are the niche idol around the sanctum walls. There is a small statue for Kanva in the sanctum. There is shrine for Surya in the Artha Mandapam. Special poojas are conducted on Sundays. Mother is called as Sornambigai and she is 5 foot tall. She is housed in a separate shrine facing east. Interconnecting mandapam between Mother Shrine and Sanctum was added at a later stage. There is special tree near Sangili Nachiyar Shrine called Tiruvodu maram (the one is used for getting Bhiksha from the public by the Adiyars). Tiruvodu (begging bowl of the sanyasis) is a half of the outer shell of the fruit of these trees. It is also used by them to drink or eat food from and is believed to prevent viral infections Adityahrudayam: Sage Agasthiyar, the author of Adityahrudayam is believed to have stayed here and worshipped Lord Shiva. Adityahrudayam is a sloka recited by Agasthiyar to Lord Rama in the battlefield before the fight with Ravana. The sage teaches Lord Rama the procedure of worshipping Suryan for strength and to gain victory over the enemy. Reciting this sloka of about 30 verses every day is said to be highly beneficial. Final Resting of Kanva Maharishi: The place of final resting of Shri Kanva maharishi (foster Father of Shakunthala). Birth place of Sangili Nachiyar: The Birth place of Sangili Nachiyar, the wife of the Nayanmar Sundara.

Festivals

All Shiva related festivals, Pradoshams, Thai Pongal, Tamil New Year and Navarathri are the festivals celebrated in the temple. Sudarsana Homam is conducted on the second and fourth Sundays of every month.