Kolapadu Sundareswarar Shiva Temple, Nagapattinam

Address

Kolapadu Sundareswarar Shiva Temple, Nagapattinam

Kolapadu, Thirukkuvalai circle,

Nagapattinam District,

Tamil Nadu 610207

Moolavar

Sundareswarar

Amman

Akilandeswari

Introduction

Kolapadu Sundareswarar Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva, located in the Kolapadu village, Thirukkuvalai circle, Nagapattinam district, Tamil Nadu. Kolapadu means the area near Kulathangari; (pool is full) as the name suggests, the town has five or six ponds, big and small, of which there is an east-facing temple on the bank of a large pond. The temple is situated in the middle of a large Nandavanam-garden. A low-height copper flagpole flanks the temple. In front of the flagpole there is a small flagpole. There is an altar in front of the flagpole. There is a Chola building built of black stone to the east-facing Lord’s shrine. Here the presiding deity is called as Sundareswarar and Mother is called as Akilandeswari

Puranic Significance

The Lord is in the form of a beautiful medium sized lingamurthi, in front of him is a square sized mughamandapam. It is a recent concrete building. Outside this there is a separate temple facing south. In this temple there are also some fragmentary inscriptions on the upper panel of the inscription chamber, which are related to the Nivandals given in 1229. The old Shiva temple is said to be more than 1300 year old temple.

The Thiripuravijaya idol in the Kolapadu temple is known as the oldest Thiripuranthakar copper plate. Considered to be of the Pallavar period, Lord Shiva is depicted with his left leg slightly raised and resting on the Apasmaram. The oldest deity in Karuvarai Kotham is Dakshnamurthy.

Prakarasitalayas; First there is Siddhivinayak, then there is a long hall like Thirumalikaipatti, in which is Varadarajaperumal and on both sides are bhudevi sridevi and Andal is next to it. In the next hall are the four Jagatheeswars, Kashiviswanatha Saraswati and Mahalakshmi. Muruganvalli is the deity in one of the sanctum sanctorum with an ancient Nagara viman in the northwest corner. Near him are an ancient statue of Ambigai and an idol of Periyabhairava. Newly, Bhairav and Surya are kept in small scale in two floors. There is also Navagraga mandapam. A small shrine has been built for Lord Saturn in addition to the Ambikai shrine.