Karaikudi Koppudai Nayaki Amman Temple, Sivaganga

Address

Karaikudi Koppudai Nayaki Amman Temple, Sivaganga
Karaikudi town,

Sivaganga district,

Tamil Nadu630 001
Phone Number: +91 -4565 2438 861, 9942823907

Amman

Koppudai Nayaki Amma

Introduction

Koppudai Amman Temple is one of the oldest and the most famous temple located at the center of Karaikudi town, Sivagan district, Tamil Nadu. Koppudaiya Nayaki Amman Temple is known as the guardian deity of Karaikudi. Once this entire locality was a forest with overgrown “Karai” trees and when a new habitat was created around this area which is called the “Kudiyetram”. As it was from the Karai forest, the place was named and called “Karai Kudiyetram, which later transformed this place’s name into Karaikudi. Koppudai Amman is blessing the devotees from the east. At the Koppudai Nayaki Amman temple, the main deity – the urchavar and Moolavar – the presiding deity are the same, which is similar to the Chidambaram Lord Shiva temple and Karaikudi, the Moola Vigraham is taken out in procession.

Puranic Significance

Goddess Kattamman and the Goddess Koppudai Nayaki Amman are sisters. Goddess Kattamman had seven children whereas Koppudai Nayaki has no children. Goddess Koppudai Nayaki treated her sister’s kids as her own. Goddess Koppudai Nayaki used to visit her sister to see her children, by making rice flour puddings – Kollukattai. But Goddess Kattamman in the thought of intellectual did not want her sister to come often to see her children. So she hides her children behind from the vision of Goddess Koppudai Nayaki. Realizing this, Goddess Koppudai Nayaki returned angrily. This made Goddess Kattamman realized her mistake. Goddess Koppudai Nayaki reached Karaikudi and observed severe penance and reached God. The location of this temple is the place of the Goddess Koppudai Nayaki temple where she forgave her sister.

Another history about Goddess Koppudai nayaki Amman, that Goddess Kattamma is none other than Goddess Koppudaiyamman. During the early period a king who worshipped Goddess Kattamma hide the deity in a neem tree, because of the Mughal invasion nearby this area. After many years, a cowherd found the idol and worshiped it under a Magizham tree. After the clearance of forest area and when people started to live here raised temple for her in the present-day temple location.

Beliefs

Devotees pray to Mother Koppudai Nayaki for total cure from various illnesses they suffer from, for wedding and child boon, for profitable farm yields and progress in their trades. Performing abishek to mother and offering vastras are the general commitments by devotees realizing their wish.

Special Features

Among the Shiva temples in the state, only at Chidambaram Nataraja temple, the presiding deity in the sanctum sanctorum and the procession deity are one and the same. Next, it is so in Mother Koppudai Amman temple in Karaikudi.

The Temple is believed to be 1500 years old. At the entrance, the temple stands with the royal towers of three levels. The temple has great inner architecture and a peaceful ambiance for its devotees. At this temple on the left are the separate shrines for Lord Ganesha shrine and Lord Karupannaswamy, the Guardian of this temple who is seen riding a horse. On the right, Lord Murugan is blessing us as Lord Dhandayuthapani. Lord Kannimoola Ganapati, Lord Kasi Viswanathar, Goddess Kasi Visalachchi, Lord Anjaneyar (Hanuman), Lord Dhatsinamoorthy, Lord Chandikeswarar, and Lord Byravar has their separate shrines. The murti of Amman is made from Panchaloha – the five metal alloys, which have numerous healing properties, the Goddess’s anointment milk is said to have medicinal properties.

Koppudaiya Nayaki Amman blesses us in a standing posture with four hands with a Jwala Kreedam or burning fire like a crown, her hands hold trident, rope, and skull. One hand is in Abhaya’s posture, blessing her devotees with Sowbhagyam, and prosperity in life. Koppudai Amman is a goddess who believed that praying at the temple can help solve your problems. Devotees who come to the temple with complete faith will have his/her prayers granted. Most of the shop owners nearby the Karaikudi keep their shop keys at the feet of the Koppudaiya Nayaki Amman Temple goddess to get blessed before opening their shops in the morning. This temple is under the control of Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department.

Acharya Sri Adi Sankara had visited this temple for worshipping Mother Koppudai Nayaki Amman and had installed the Sri Chakra. As Mother is on a Sri Chakra, Her power is immense. While Ugra Devathas (Gods or Goddesses with furious characteristics) are facing north in temples, She is facing east in this temple promising education, prosperity and courage. The other special feature of the temple is that unlike in other temples, custodian deity Karuppanna Swami appears on a horse vahan. The car for the festival is of a strange construction with palm tree frames joined with the stems of a special plant called Thaiyilan Kodi. The car-rath procession starts in the morning of the eighth day of festival, passes through a canal, and reaches the Kattamman Koil in the evening. The Rath will be back in the main temple on the 9th day. As a canal is on the way of the procession route, a regular sturdy car is not made as it would be difficult to manage the canal when water level would be more sometimes to stand the shocks. It requires special skill and experience to build a Rath of this type using only palm frames and plant stems.

Festivals

10 day Sevvai Perum Tiruvizha is grandly celebrated in the temple beginning from last Tuesday in Chithirai-April-May till the First week of Vaikasi-May-June. Poochoridal festival is celebrated in Chithirai on the second Tuesday if there will be four Tuesdays in the month or on the third Tuesday if there will be five Tuesdays in the month. Tamil New Year day falling almost on April 14, Purattasi Navarathri in September-October, Aadi Tuesday in July-August, Margazhi Tirupalli Ezhuchi in November-December, Panguni Darabishekam in March-April is the other festivals observed in the temple. Devotee crowd in the temple would be huge on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays.