Kudanthai Keezhakottam Sri Nageswaraswamy Temple, Kumbakonam

Diety: Nageswaraswamy Amman: Brahandnayagi
Temple Address: Kudanthai Keezhakottam Sri Nageswarswamy Temple, Kumbakonam Post & Taluk, Thanjavur District, Tamil Nadu – 612 001. Tele: +91 435 243 0386.
Open between: 05:30 AM to 12:00 PM and 04:30 AM to 08:30 AM

Introduction

Nageswaraswamy Temple, Kumbakonam is dedicated to Shiva located in Kumbakonam in Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu, India. The presiding deity is revered in the 7th century Tamil Saiva canonical work, the Tevaram, written by Tamil poet saints known as the nayanars and classified as Paadal Petra Sthalam. The temple is counted as the earliest of all Chola temples. Shiva in the guise of Nagaraja, the serpent king.. There are many inscriptions associated with the temple indicating contributions from Cholas, Thanjavur Nayaks and Thanjavur Maratha kingdom. The oldest parts of the present masonry structure were built during the Chola dynasty in the 9th century, while later expansions, including the towering gopuram gatehouses, are attributed to later periods, up to the Thanjavur Nayaks during the 16th century. Theertham (Holy water): Mahaamaham tank Sthala Vriksham (Sacred Tree): Vilvam tree

Puranic Significance

According to Hindu mythology, at the end of every “yuga”, there is a huge flood that leads to the destruction of all living beings in the earth. This is called the “Pralayam”. Lord Shiva, through Lord Brahma, arranged for the seeds of all living organisms and four Vedas and Puranas to be put in a pot (“Amutha Kalas” or Kumbham or Kudam in Tamil) filled with nectar (“amirtham”). This was decorated with flowers and cloth and a string was tied to it. This was kept on top of the Mount Kailash. When the Maha Pralayam started, it destroyed all living creatures on the earth. The Amutha Kalas also got displaced and started floating on the seas for years. Eventually when the Pralayam stopped, the Kalas settled in Kumbakonam. Then Lord Shiva took the form of a hunter (Kiratha Murthy) and split open the pot with his arrow. The life on earth started flourishing again. One of the legends of Hindu mythology states that the serpent king Adhisheshan (Naga Raj, the king of serpent) holds the earth in its place. Once he was tired and was unable to hold the earth. He pleaded to Lord Shiva to give him enough strength to continue doing his job. Lord Shiva advised him to go to earth and worship him at this temple in Kumbakonam. The lord further advised him that he would get the energy to hold the earth with a single head instead of having 1000 heads. He installed a Shivalingam here and worshipped the lord. As Nagaraja worshipped the lord here, the lord is praised as Sri Nageswarar. Gangai Vinayakar It is believed that during Chola King Rajendra’s Ganges expedition, the victorious army brought a beautiful Vinayakar statue as a war trophy to the Chola empire. This Vinayakar statue was kept in this temple and was aptly named as “Sri Gangai Vinayakar”. This Vinayakar can be seen in the hall in front of the sanctum sanctorum. It is believed that serpents Adhiseshan, Dakshan and Kaarkotakan worshipped Lord Shiva here. Also, it is believed that Suryan and King Nala worshipped the lord here.

Beliefs

Devotees can worship the lord here between 4.30 p.m. and 6.00 p.m. (Rahukala time) on Sundays to get relief from all types of ailments. It is also believed that worshiping Lord Shiva here will result in the reunion of estranged couples. Devotees believe that by worshiping the lord here, obstacles from their marriage proposals will be removed. Lord Jurahara Ganapathy is very famous here – (“Juram” means fever in Tamil). For any kind of fever, devotees can pray to this lord for relief. They perform abhishekam of the lord with offerings of rice, pepper “rasam” and dal paste (“Thokaiyal”).

Special Features

Other than the shrines of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathy, shrines and idols of lords Vinayakar, Murugan with his consorts, Natarajar, Somaskandar, Sapthamaadakkal, Valanchuzhi Vinayakar, Gajalakshmi, Adhisheshan and Iyanar can be seen in the corridors.Also in the corridors are the Saptha Vidanga lingams – Sri Thiyagarajar (Thiruvarur), Sri Darbaranya Nathar (Thirunallaru), Sri Kayaarohaneswarar (Nagapattinam), Sri Kannayiranathar (Thirukkaravasal), Sri Vaaimurnathar (Thiruvaaimur), Sri Solinganathar (Thirukkuvalai) and Sri Maraikattu Manaalanathar (Vedaranyam). There is a separate shrine for Goddess Parvathy in the outer corridor. In the “koshtam” (place surrounding the sanctum sanctorum), idols of Vinayakar, Dakshinamurthy, Arthanareeswarar, Brahma, Durgai and Chandikeswarar can be seen. There are separate shrines in the corridors for Sri Pralayakala Rudrar, Juragara Vinayakar, Goddess Thaiyalnayaki with Sri Vaithiyanathaswamy, Goddess Padaivetti Mariamman and Suryan.

Festivals

Maasi Maham” Brahmotsavam in the Tamil month of Masi (Feb-Mar) is celebrated here in a grand manner. Almost all festivals related to Shiva temples are celebrated in this temple.