Karisulndamangalam Kanaga Sabapathy Temple - Thirunelveli

Address

Karisulndamangalam Kanaga Sabapathy Temple – Thirunelveli

Karisulndamangalam, Thirunelveli District,

Tamil Nadu – 627453

Mobile: +91 99435 55866

Moolavar

Kanaga Sabapathy

Introduction

Kanaga Sabapathy Temple is dedicated to God Shiva located at Karisulndamangalam Village near Cheranmahadevi in Thirunelveli District of Tamilnadu. This is one of the Pancha Natarajar Sthalams in Thirunelveli District. The sthapathy who created the Chidambaram Natarajar idol created five idols including this. The others are: Kattarimangalam, Mela Karuvelankulam and Chepparai.

Puranic Significance

Pancha Nataraja Sthalams:

In Chola Nadu lived a sthapathy by name Namasivaya Muthu. He made five Nataraja idols and had them installed in 5 temples. Thus Lord Sri Nataraja’s ‘Ananda Dance’ has been represented through these five Pancha loka idols installed in Chidambaram, Chepparai, Kattarimangalam, Karisulndamangalam and Karuvelankulam.

Nataraja Abode in Karisulndamangalam:

There is a story to the making of five Nataraja idols by one sthapathy. During that period, Kattarimangalam was ruled by Veera Pandiyan who was related to ‘Muzhuthum Kanda Rama Pandiyan’. When Veera Pandiyan visited Chepparai he saw the idol of Lord Nataraja. Extremely impressed, he requested Rama Pandiyan for a similar idol. Rama Pandiyan called for the sthapathy, gave him enough copper and asked him to prepare two identical vigrahas. He wanted to give one to Kattarimangalam and the other to Swamy Nellaiyappar temple. The two idols were ready. King Veera Pandiyan was highly pleased and impressed by the beauty of the vigrahas. He decided that such beautiful idols should not be available to anyone else. So he chopped off the right hand of the sthapathy; then the two vigrahas were taken by the king’s army. One group went to Kattarimangalam. The other group proceeded to Nellai, but could not proceed because of floods in the river; so they threw away the Vigraha into the river and returned when the floods receded. However the villagers of Karisulndamangalam took the idol and installed it in their village. It has been worshipped since.

In the meanwhile Rama Pandiyan came to know of his poor stapathy’s loss, the chopping of the right hand. An enraged Rama Pandiyan waged war against Veera Pandiyan, defeated him—and had both his hands chopped off. Rama Pandiyan worshiped the Sri Nataraja Vigraha and wanted to take it to his own place. But none could move the idol. That night the Lord appeared in the King’s dream and said that he wanted to dwell in that fertile village which was full of black clouds; he asked the king to build a temple there. Then the Lord disappeared. The king built a temple there and installed the Vigraha in Karisulndamangalam.

Special Features

The Siva temple is situated at the eastern corner of Agraharam. The chief deity here is called Sundareswarar. The Devi here is known as Sundarambikai. This Amman is the new Amman. The nose of the old Amman was slightly damaged. When arrangements were being made to perform Kumbabishekam, the Amman appeared in the dream of Archakar and showed him a place in the temple where an idol was hidden in the earth. When that place was dug subsequently the new Amman idol and a Vinayagar idol were found.

In ancient inscriptions it was referred to as ‘Kanaviniya Pandeswaramudaiya Nayanar’. There are ten inscriptions. Of these six belongs to the times of Pandyas. This temple is believed to be built by Maravarman Sundara Pandiyan in 1216 AD. The kings of that period usually name the Lord after their name. The village Sabha agreed to donate certain paddy fields to the Siva Temple. In 1687 AD functions like Karsana Kumbabishekam were celebrated. Last Kumbabishekam was performed in Uthiradam Nakshathra on 27.06.2002.

References

https://tamilnadu-favtourism.blogspot.com/2017/05/kanaga-sabapathy-temple.html