Thiruvanchaikalam!

The Mahadevar Temple at Thiruvanchaikalam

Thiruvanchaikalam or Thiruvanchikulam is the only Devara Padal Petra Sthalam in Malai Nadu (Kerala). That's not all - It is also the place from where Sundaramurthy Nayanar left to his abode of his Lord on a white elephant that was dispatched to carry him. It also stands testimony to the friendship between Cheraman Perumal (believed to have been the Chera King Rajasekhara Varman) and Sundaramurthy Nayanar.

Thiruvanchaikalam or Thiruvanchikulam as it is also called is about three kms from Kodungallur, the place that has the famous Bhagavathi Amman temple wherein the main deity Bhagavathi is believed to be Kannagi who reached there after the burning of Madurai,  before proceeding to her heavenly abode. Today it is an ASI protected monument as well as a Muziris Heritage site. They say this temple dates back to over 2500 years making it one of the oldest temples in South India and the Mahadevar in this temple was the family God of the Cochin Royal Family over centuries and Mahodayapuram, the capital of the Kulasekaras was built around this temple.

Cheraman Perumal/Kazharittu Arivaar/ Perumakothaiyaar

Perumakothaiyar who was chosen as the Chera King was a staunch devotee of Lord Shiva. It is believed that once when he was surveying his kingdom, he saw a dhobi who was returning from the river after washing clothes. There were streaks of dried sand all over his body, which looked like smeared sacred ash to the devout Chera. Thinking the dhobi was a devotee of Shiva, the Chera King got off his elephant, and bowed before the dhobi with folded hands. The shocked dhobi fell at the feet of the King, saying, Oh King! Why are you bowing before me? I am a mere dhobi" The King smiled at him, and said, "So what, I am a mere Chera".

Cheraman perumal spent several hours worshipping Thiruvanchaikalathappar. At the end of his pooja, when he performed the Harathi, he would here the sweet sound of Lord Shiva's anklets which he would consider as acceptance of his sincere prayers.One day, he did not hear the sound of Lord Shiva's anklets atthe end of his Pooja. Fearing that the Lord had not accepted his prayers, he decided to take his life. As he was about to slit his throat, he heard the voice of the Lord, asking him to stop and apologising for having been mesmerised by the hymns sung by Sundaramurthy Nayanar in Chidambaram thereby causing a delay in acknowledging Cheraman Perumal's prayers.

Cheraman Perumal was keen to meet the saint whose songs had pleased Lord Shiva. So he travelled to Chidambaram to see Nataraja and reached Tiruvarur to meet Sundaramurthy Nayanar. Here he sang a hymn on Lord Thyagaraja and after worshipping him, met Sundarar. Soon, both became close friends. On Cheraman Perumal's invitation Sundarar went with him to Chera Kingdom and visited the wonderful temples of Shiva there.

Sundarar leaving for heavenly abode

On his second visit to Kodungaloor, at the age of 18, Sundarar had had enough of the earthly pleasures and wanted to be back in Kailash along with his Lord. So he came to the Vanchaikulathappar shrine at Thiruvanjaikalam on Aadi Swathi day, and sang a hymn on Lord Shiva, asking him to relieve him of the earthly burden and take him back to Kailash. On hearing his plea, Lord Shiva sent the white elephant Airavata, to escort Sundarar. When Cheraman Peruman saw his beloved friend depart to his heavenly abode, he did not want to be separated from him. So he got on his stately mount, chanted the Namasivaya mantra in his ears, which made the horse soar up in the air.

Cheraman Perumal circumambulated Sundarar thrice in his horse and reached Kailash before him. He then sang a hymn called Thiru Kailaaya Ula which described his journey to Kailash and this was sent back by Lord Shiva through Ayyanaar to be inaugurated at the Thirupattur Arangetra Aiyanaar Temple (close to the Tirupattur Brahma Temple. Read about the Brahma Temple on Aalayam Kanden here.

Sundarar also sang a hymn on his way to Kailash and Lord Shiva requested Varuna, the rain God to reach it back to the Thiruvanjaikula Mahadevar Temple.

About the temple:

Vanchikulathappan is a Swayambu murthy. There is no separate shrine for the Goddess here as in the past there was no practice of worshipping the Goddess as a separate entity from the Lord. This is probably the only temple in Kerala which has a Nataraja Bronze. This is said to have been brought from Chidambaram.
There is a separate shrine for Cheraman Perumal and Sundaramurthy Nayanar. On the passage to this shrine, the hymns sung by Sundarar and Cheraman Perumal have been inscribed in Tamil.

During the Aadi Swathi Guru pooja, Sundarar is taken around the temple in a white elephant along with Cheraman Perumal in his horse, signifying the journey to Kailash.

Sundarar and Cheraman Perumal in the separate shrine

This is a huge temple with over twenty five sub shrines. A look at these shrines tell us how ancient this temple is. In the evenings, the lighting of Chuttu Vilakku, all around the periphery of the temple is a delight to watch. Every month, through Aalayam Kanden Trust, we distribute ghee and oil and light lamps at ancient temples. It was indeed our proud privilege to have been able to do this at the Thiruvanjaikalam Mahadevar temple.

Yet another important pooja that happens here is the Dampathi Puja which is followed by the Palliarai Puja, which is putting the Lord to sleep for the night. Watching the Dampathi Puja and Palliarai Puja, is said to bring couples who are split by differences closer, and promote affection among them. There is a huge rush to perform the Dampathi Puja on Full moon nights, sometimes the wait list going up to months.

This temple is an evidence to the life and times of Sundaramurthy Nayanar, the Lord giving himself to his devotee as a friend, the special bonding that existed in life and liberation between Sundarar and Cheraman Perumal, and to true devotion in itself. Please do try and visit this temple, if you happen to be in this part of the world!

To know more about the life and times of Sundaramurthy Nayanar, check out these posts on Aalayam Kanden!

1. Tirunavalur and the birth place of Sundaramurthy Nayanar - In Tambiran Thozhar's land!
2. When and how the lord initiated him as a friend - God's own footwear!

How to reach here:

This temple is about 38 kms from Trichur and about 3 kms from the Kodungalloor Bhagavathi temple on one side and the N.Paravur Mookambiga temple on the other. About this wonderful unique temple, watch this space on Aalayam Kanden.

Temple Timings:

5 am to 11 am , 5 pm to 8 pm

In Thambiran Thozhar's Land!

The Bhakthajaneswara Temple at Thirunavalur

The stories of Nayanars has always fascinated me - Their devotion, the ultimate and unimaginable sacrifices they made for the love of the Lord, their steadfastness and determination demonstrated during the most trying circumstances really move me.

Among the Nayanmars, my personal favourite has always been Sundaramurthy Nayanar. Merely for the relationship he shared with Lord Shiva." I give myself to you as a friend" said the Lord to Sundaramurthy Swamy. What better privilege could he have sought !

And the things Lord Shiva did for his friend, often make you smile, become awe-struck or even wonder, and  even make you feel jealous about this special bonding that Sundaramurthy Nayanar had with the Lord!

My in-laws stay very close to Tiruvennainalllur and hence the life and times of Sundaramurthy Nayanar, the incident during his marriage ceremony where the Lord appeared as an old man, and stopped the wedding to proclaim Sundarar as his slave, are very close to my heart. Whenever I visited the Kripapureeswarar temple at TV Nallur, where the Lord gave Sundarar the first syllable of his first song - " Piththa", the 100 pillared mandapa where the hearing of the case took place, the footwear that Lord Shiva wore when he appeared as an old man, preserved over all these years, made me experience the magic in Sundara's life. Yes, you read correctly indeed! God's own footwear! You can read all about it here on Aalayam Kanden.

There was this burning desire to visit Thirunavalur, the birth place of Sundara to see more of his life and times. The occasion just did not present itself. This Pongal, all of a sudden, my husband asked me if I would like to go to Thirunavalur. I dropped what I was doing and within a few minutes, we were on the road from Thiruvennainallur towards Thirunavalur.

When we got close to the Bhakthajaneswara temple, we could see a number of saffron clad devotees involved in reconstruction of a broken portion of the outer wall, some of them whitewashing portions of the wall already repaired, while others were busy in placing signages in the shrines. The women were making garlards of flowers, some of them brewing porridge for those who were working, and the others busy cleaning the temple. I was amazed at the number of people who were working. There were close to 300 people all working in silence, in the hot sun, not minding their discomfort one bit.

We walked into the temple and my eyes fell on one of the few remains of the Kalinari Eswara temple that once stood in the place of the Bhakthajaneswara Temple. As Shri K.A.Nilakanda Sastri mentions in his book The Cholas, several important heritage monuments have been razed down, in the name of modernization or improvement. Inscriptions have been broken down and used again as stones in the new constructions. One such temple was the Kalinareswara which was brought down and the Bhakthajaneswara temple, which exists in the form today, constructed by the Chola King, Rajaditya, son of King Paranthaka I and the hero of the Thakkolam War. The village was originally called Thirunamanallur. The temple was called Rajadityeswaram, after the king who built it and then Thiruthondeeswaram, after Sundaramurthy Nayanar who sang the Thiruthondarthogai.

On entering the Rajagopuram, we find a seperate shrine for Sri Sundarar along with his wives Paravaiyar and Sangiliyar. The Elephant Vahanam which symbolises the white elephant that took him to Kailasa is seen in front of the shrine.

Although this temple is said to have existed for a very long time before Sundara's time, the connection with him is seen in every aspect of the temple. This temple is said to have existed before the four Yugas. When Lord Shiva drank the poison that was generated during the churning of the Ocean, some of it spilled down and grew as Jamun (Jambu) trees. Shiva appeared in their midst as a Swayambu Linga, and was called Jambunatheswara. Jambu in Tamil is called Naval and hence, the village was called Thirunavalur and Sundarar called himself Navaluraan. (a person belonging to Navalur).

A glimpse of the Sanctum Sanctorum and Sri Bhakthajaneswara

This was the place where Lord Shiva was worshipped by Lord Vishnu in Kritha Yuga before taking the Narasimha Avatara

Linga worshipped by Vishnu during Kritha Yuga

Chandikeswara who was originally a potter called Sivapriyar, worshipped Shiva here during Thretha Yuga to achieve the position of Chandikeswara.

Linga worshipped by Chandikeswara during Thretha Yuga

During Dwapara Yuga, Lord Brahma worshipped Shiva here and during Kali Yuga, he was worshipped by Sundara. The Lingas worshipped by all these four people are found in the temple.

 

Linga worshipped by Lord Brahma during Dwapara Yuga

Linga worshipped by Sundarar in Kali Yuga

That's not all. Sukracharya, was worshipping Lord Shiva in Kasi (Varanasi) for a very long time. Pleased with his devotion, Lord Shiva taught the Sanjeevini Mantra to Sukracharya. The Mantra when chanted, had the power of bringing back the dead to life. Knowing about this, the Asuras accepted Sukracharya as their Guru. During the war between Devas and Asuras, every time the Asuras were killed, Sukracharya brought them back to life. Frustrated, the Devas complained to Lord Shiva, who swallowed Sukracharya.

Sukracharya spent many years in Shiva's stomach, meditating. Pleased, Shiva brought him out, and gave him a position among the Navagrahas, and granted him the boon of offering wealth to those who worshipped him. Sukracharya installed a Shivalinga to thank the Lord for his generosity, and worshipped him. The Bhargaveswara Linga installed by Sukracharya is also found at this temple and it serves as a Sukra Dosha Parihara Sthalam.

The Bhargaveswara Linga installed by Sukracharya

Those who seek Sukra Dosha Pariharam, worship this lingam on fridays, offering White silk vastram, White Chickpeas and White Lotuses to the Lord. They light lamps with white ghee as well to get relief from Sukra Dosha.

The Sun facing the West among the Navagrahas

The Navagrahas near the Sukralingam are also unique here. Usually, Surya among the Navagrahas is seen facing East. Here he is seen facing the Lord in the Sanctum Sanctorum, towards west. By this, he is said to be worshipping the Lord himself. The Sun's rays fall directly on the Lord from the 23rd to the 27th day of the tamil month of Panguni. My husband's brother-in-law and ex-Chairman of Thirunavalur, Mr. Sundaramurthy, explained how the sun rays bend from the main entrance and then fall upon the Lord, even though the architecture does not facilitate it to fall directly. Several hundreds of people throng the temple to witness this spectacular occurrence every year.

The Awesome Dhakshinamurthy at the temple

The extremely handsome Dhakshinamurthy at the temple needs special mention. Leaning on the Rishaba  Vahana, in a standing posture, with no Kallala Tree behind him, he looks absolutely stunning. Worshipping this Dhakshinamurthy is said to be special for those born under Pooradam star.

Shrine of Goddess Manonmani

In a temple so unique can the Goddess be an exception? Goddess Manonmani, is said to have done penance here in order to marry Lord Shiva. With her hair open and falling behind her, she is seen her in a meditative posture. Girls seeking good marriage alliances worship her to get a groom of their choice.

Since this is the shrine where Sivapriyar has worshipped Lord Shiva to acquire the position of Chandikeswara, there is a beautiful panel that describes the whole incident on the outer prakara.

Chandeswara Panel

The temple has several beautiful moorthis of both the Pallavas and the Chola Era period. There is no word to describe the beautiful Urchava Moorthis too in this temple, which have also featured in Shri Nilakanta Sastri's book on The Cholas.

Outside the temple one can see a beautiful stone staircase through which the deities were placed on the Ratha while being taken out on procession. This beautiful structure, though dilapidated now, shows the craftsmanship of yore.

Stone Structure to place deities on the Ratha during procession

Right next to the temple is the birthplace of Sri Sundaramurthy Nayanar. After his times, there was a small shrine there and over time, this became dilapidated. It was indeed painful and shocking to hear, that this temple for last many years, was a cowshed where cows were tethered and dung collected and dried.

The birthplace of Sundaramurthy Nayanar

After struggling for almost four years with property rights and building approval from the concerned authorities, the Thirunavalur Thambiran Thozhar Trust has finally been able to clear the premises and perform Bhoomi Puja on the 23rd of January 2013. Words fail me when I try to describe the tireless efforts that Mr. Muthukumaraswamy and Mr.Kalyanakumar as well as the other members of the trust have put in in order make this possible. Today, all efforts are on to build a small but beautiful temple, to the saint who showed the other Nayanmars to the World.

Idol of Sri Sundarar in Balalayam within the temple complex

It is indeed a rare opportunity and our duty to lend a helping hand to make sure that this temple of Sri Sundaramurthy Nayanar is raised in his birthplace . The total cost of construction is estimated at around Rs. 43 lakhs and every single rupee towards this objective will be greatly appreciated.

Please send in your generous contributions through Cheque/Demand Draft or Money Order to the Thirunavalur Thambiran Thozhar Trust, No.8/44, VOC Street, Ulundurpet, Villupuram - 606 107

Contact Numbers: 94424 24456/94427 78711. You may also send funds through bank transfer through Account No.31714920381, State Bank of India, Ulundurpet Branch. IFSC Code: SBIN0011071.

How to get here:

On NH 45, towards Ulundurpet, after crossing Parikkal Narasimha Swamy temple on your right, take the service lane to the left at the Gedilam Bridge. The temple is about 2 kms from the bridge.

Temple Timings: 6 am to 12 pm, 4 pm to 8 pm

Contact Details:

Mr. Sundaramurthy - Former Chairman - 94435 38279

Mr. Sambandam Gurukkal - 98461 50804