Today we are posting information about Shri Matsyapureeswarar Kovil located at Pandarvaadi near Papanasham in Tanjavur district on Tanjavur-
Kumbhakonam route.
This is a Shiva temple. The place is also known as Kovil-Devarayan-Pettai. Shaiva saint Sambandar has sung hymns on Lord Shiva at this temple. Hence this is a Thevara-Vaippu sthalam.
Mulavar (Main Deity): Shri Matsyapureeswarar
Consort (Devi): Sri Sugandha-Kundala Ambika
Kshetra Vruksha: Vanni tree (Shami tree)
Puranik name of the place: Thiru Chelur Seloor, Rajakeshari Chaturvedi Mangalam
The temple is more than 1500 years old. It is one of the temples where Goddess Parvati along with Vajreshwari devi, one of her aadi-mula-dwarapalaki, did Navaratri worship on the Ashtami (8 th day).
Features: There is a shrine of Lord Muruga with his consorts Valli and Deivanai. The idol of Lord Muruga has three faces on the front side and the three faces on the back side. He holds a conch and a chakra in his hands.
On the back side of the temple there is an idol of MahaVishnu. On right hand side of the entrance of temple we have the shrine of Ambika in standing posture. There are no koshta murtis in the shrine. A maha-meru is in front of the Ambika. On the left side of the entrance we have idol of Ganapati and Nagaraj. There is a separate shrine for Ashtabhuja Durga at the backside facing the north.
On the pillars at the entrance to the main temple we have sculptures of Kamadhenu worshiping Lord Shiva on the left. On the right-hand side, we have a sculpture of Lord Vishnu worshiping Lord Shiva as a fish. There are separate shrines of Vinayaka and Navagrahas. In the sanctum-sanctorum we have the idol of matsya (fish) worshiping Lord Shiva. We have the koshtamurtis Bala Vinayaka, Lord Dakshinamurti, Maha Vishnu, Lord Brahma and Durga. But there is no Lingothbhavar murti. In the outer parikrama, a siddarpeetham (Shri Babaji), saptamatrikas, nalvar, Narsimha. Kashi-Vishwanath and Vishalakshi, Nritya-Vinayaka, Gaja Lakshmi, Chandishwarar, Saraswati, Maruti, Yogabhairava, Kalabhairava, Shanishwar and Surya.
Kshetra Puran:
This temple is associated with Matsyavatar, when Maha-Vishnu incarnated as matsya (fish) to bring back the four vedas stolen by the asura Hayagriva.
As the legend goes, when Lord Brahma was taking rest, the four vedas were stolen by asuras who hid them in the sea. Lord Brahma and other Devas requested Lord Vishnu to help them which he readily agreed. A king named Satyavrata while he was offering arghya, he saw a small fish in the water in his hands. The fish requested the king to protect him. The king carried it to the palace, placing it in a small vessel. When he reached the palace, he found the fish was growing rapidly. So, he put it in a tank but still it was growing fast. When he was about to leave it in the sea, the fish told the king that in seven days, there will be great deluge (pralaya). In order to escape from the pralaya, that fish, advised king that a big boat will come to fetch him and his subjects.
When the big boat came, the king and his subjects boarded as directed by the fish. The king was told that the Lord Vishnu has taken the form of fish to save him. Due to the heavy wind, the boat was about to capsize. The big fish came from nowhere and it saved the boat by supporting it from the bottom and steered it to a safe place. At that very instance the fish vanished into the sea to save the vedas. After restoring the vedas to Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu could not get back to his normal form due to his killing the asura Hayagriva. He installed a Shiva linga at this place and worshiped Lord Shiva. By grace of Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu got his normal form. Hence Lord Shiva is known as Matsyapureeswarar at this place.
Festivals in the temple:
1. Worshiped on Ashwini nakshatra in Tamil month of Avani (July-August).
2. Pradosha pooja
3. Panchamurti utsav
4. MahaShivaRatri festival in Tamil month of Masi (February-March).
5. ShivaRatri festival in Tamil month of Vaikasi (May-June).
6. AnnaAbhishek in Tamil month of Aippasi (October-November).
7. ArudraDarshan (known as Thiruvathirai) in Tamil month of Marghazi
Courtesy: Inputs are from TamilNadu-favtourism.blogspot.com
Kumbhakonam route.
This is a Shiva temple. The place is also known as Kovil-Devarayan-Pettai. Shaiva saint Sambandar has sung hymns on Lord Shiva at this temple. Hence this is a Thevara-Vaippu sthalam.
Mulavar (Main Deity): Shri Matsyapureeswarar
Consort (Devi): Sri Sugandha-Kundala Ambika
Kshetra Vruksha: Vanni tree (Shami tree)
Puranik name of the place: Thiru Chelur Seloor, Rajakeshari Chaturvedi Mangalam
The temple is more than 1500 years old. It is one of the temples where Goddess Parvati along with Vajreshwari devi, one of her aadi-mula-dwarapalaki, did Navaratri worship on the Ashtami (8 th day).
Features: There is a shrine of Lord Muruga with his consorts Valli and Deivanai. The idol of Lord Muruga has three faces on the front side and the three faces on the back side. He holds a conch and a chakra in his hands.
On the back side of the temple there is an idol of MahaVishnu. On right hand side of the entrance of temple we have the shrine of Ambika in standing posture. There are no koshta murtis in the shrine. A maha-meru is in front of the Ambika. On the left side of the entrance we have idol of Ganapati and Nagaraj. There is a separate shrine for Ashtabhuja Durga at the backside facing the north.
On the pillars at the entrance to the main temple we have sculptures of Kamadhenu worshiping Lord Shiva on the left. On the right-hand side, we have a sculpture of Lord Vishnu worshiping Lord Shiva as a fish. There are separate shrines of Vinayaka and Navagrahas. In the sanctum-sanctorum we have the idol of matsya (fish) worshiping Lord Shiva. We have the koshtamurtis Bala Vinayaka, Lord Dakshinamurti, Maha Vishnu, Lord Brahma and Durga. But there is no Lingothbhavar murti. In the outer parikrama, a siddarpeetham (Shri Babaji), saptamatrikas, nalvar, Narsimha. Kashi-Vishwanath and Vishalakshi, Nritya-Vinayaka, Gaja Lakshmi, Chandishwarar, Saraswati, Maruti, Yogabhairava, Kalabhairava, Shanishwar and Surya.
Kshetra Puran:
This temple is associated with Matsyavatar, when Maha-Vishnu incarnated as matsya (fish) to bring back the four vedas stolen by the asura Hayagriva.
As the legend goes, when Lord Brahma was taking rest, the four vedas were stolen by asuras who hid them in the sea. Lord Brahma and other Devas requested Lord Vishnu to help them which he readily agreed. A king named Satyavrata while he was offering arghya, he saw a small fish in the water in his hands. The fish requested the king to protect him. The king carried it to the palace, placing it in a small vessel. When he reached the palace, he found the fish was growing rapidly. So, he put it in a tank but still it was growing fast. When he was about to leave it in the sea, the fish told the king that in seven days, there will be great deluge (pralaya). In order to escape from the pralaya, that fish, advised king that a big boat will come to fetch him and his subjects.
When the big boat came, the king and his subjects boarded as directed by the fish. The king was told that the Lord Vishnu has taken the form of fish to save him. Due to the heavy wind, the boat was about to capsize. The big fish came from nowhere and it saved the boat by supporting it from the bottom and steered it to a safe place. At that very instance the fish vanished into the sea to save the vedas. After restoring the vedas to Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu could not get back to his normal form due to his killing the asura Hayagriva. He installed a Shiva linga at this place and worshiped Lord Shiva. By grace of Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu got his normal form. Hence Lord Shiva is known as Matsyapureeswarar at this place.
Festivals in the temple:
1. Worshiped on Ashwini nakshatra in Tamil month of Avani (July-August).
2. Pradosha pooja
3. Panchamurti utsav
4. MahaShivaRatri festival in Tamil month of Masi (February-March).
5. ShivaRatri festival in Tamil month of Vaikasi (May-June).
6. AnnaAbhishek in Tamil month of Aippasi (October-November).
7. ArudraDarshan (known as Thiruvathirai) in Tamil month of Marghazi
Courtesy: Inputs are from TamilNadu-favtourism.blogspot.com
No comments:
Post a Comment