Thellar Thirumoolataneswarar Temple, Thiruvannamalai

Address

Thellar Thirumoolataneswarar Temple, Thellar, Vandavasi Taluk, Thiruvannamalai District- 604406

Diety

Thirumoolataneswarar Amman: Akhilandeshwari

Introduction

Thirumoolataneswarar Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva located in Thellar Town in Vandavasi Taluk in Thiruvannamalai District of Tamil Nadu. Presiding Deity is called as Thirumoolataneswarar and Mother is called as Akhilandeshwari. The Temple is considered as Thevara Vaippu Sthalam as Devaram hymns had a mention about this Temple.

Puranic Significance

Thellar was the place, where the famous Chola Dynasty met its end in the second battle of Thellar. Rajaraja Chola III succeeded Kulothunga Chola III on the Chola throne in July 1216 CE. Rajaraja came to the throne of a kingdom much reduced in size as well as influence. Nandi Kalambagam is one the greatest and most versatile of the Kalambagams but unfortunately it serves as an elegy also on Nandi Varman, the king and hero of the poetry. It is sung on Nandi Varman, a mighty Pallava king. Nandi Varman who ruled the Northern part of Tamil Nadu was a great and mighty king. He was a patron of Tamil poetry and other art forms and he himself was also a poet. His enemies who could not conquer him on the battle field, plotted with his avaricious younger brother who was after the throne. They went to a great poet and composed a very complex and versatile poetry and set it to a most mellifluous tune. They chose a beautiful courtesan who was also a good singer and trained her in the rendition. Every time the king went on his customary night rounds, he heard the most enchanting verses sung in a most pleasant tone from some place near a park. He ordered his attendants to find the singer, but they failed to bring her before him. Charmed by the poetic flavour of these verses, Nandi himself went over to the place of the courtesan and entreated her to sing the whole of the poetry before him. The courtesan at first refused firmly but consented on a big condition: “100 flowery ‘pandals’ or platforms should be erected from the palace up to the crematorium.The hero of the verses should sit on each platform and hear the songs until the hundred are finished.” Nandi Varman agreed instantly without caring to look if there were any intrigues behind scarcely heeding the bequests of his ministers. Accordingly, 100 pandals were erected and on the appointed day, as he sat on the first pandal, the courtesan sang a verse and Nandi heard it overwhelmed by the versification and tune. As he raised to go to the next pandal, that on which he had sat burnt in a flash as if by magic or sorcery. He sensed danger but was too passionately involved with the luring verses and also tied down by the promise of abiding by the condition, to go back. In this way it happened and as he sat on the last and 100th pandal. At this the whole pandal with the lured and enchanted Nandi Varman burnt aflame and that was the sad end of Nandi Varman. Sundarar mentioned Nandi Varman as Kazharsinga Nayanar in his Thiruthondar Thogai.

Special Features

This is an east facing Temple. There is no Rajagopuram. There is an entrance arch with stucco images of Rishabaroodar flanked by Murugan, Vinayaga, Mother and Chandikeswarar on top. Presiding Deity is called as Thirumoolataneswarar and is facing east. He is housed in the sanctum in the form of Lingam. Vinayaga, Dakshinamoorthy, Vishnu, Brahma and Durga are the Koshta idols located around sanctum walls. Mother is called as Akhilandeshwari. She is housed in a separate south facing shrine. There are shrines for Naalvar, Valampuri Vinayaga, Shanmuga, Navagrahas, Bhairavar, Saneeswarar and Suryan in the Temple premises