This is one of the eight Veeratteshwarar temples. The place is connected to the slaying of Yama by Lord Shiva to save Sage Markandeya from death.
The temple is known as Shri Amrutaghateshwarar temple. The temple is located at Thirukkadaiyur on the Mayiladuthurai - Karaikkal route at about 21 kilometers from Mayiladuthurai, 22 kilometers from Karaikkal and 55 kilometers from Kumbhakonam.
This is one of the Padal Pethra Sthalams on the southern banks of Kaveri. Shaiva Saints Appar and Sundarar have sung sacred hymns on Lord Shiva of the temple, hence this temple must have existed even before the 7th century. The present structure is around 2000 years old. It was renovated as a stone structure by Chola kings. Further extensions and renovations were carried out by the Pandya and Vijaynagar kings. The stone inscriptions in the temple give an account of the endowments, gifts and work carried out by Chola, Pandya and Vijaynagar kings. There is also a mention of the contributions made by Nattukottai Chettiars. This is also considered as one of the Shakti-Peetha.
Moolavar: Shri Amrutaghateshwarar
Devi: Shri Abhirami Amman
Utsav-murti: Shri Kala Samhara Murti.
Kshetra vruksha: Bilva, Gulabi Chameli (Pinjalam or Jadi Malli in Tamil)
Sacred Theertha: Amruta Pushkarini, Ganga Theertha, Shiva Ganga Theertha, Markandeya Theertha and Kala Theertha
Puranik name: Thirukkadaiyur, Bilavavanam, Pinjalamvana
Present name: Thirukkadaiyur
District: Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu
Kshetra Puran:
1. Lord Brahma once went to Kailash to obtain dyana upadesh from Lord Shiva. At that time Lord Shiva gave him some bilva seeds and told him that he will give upadesh at that place where the seeds grow into a tree in a short time (about one prahar). When Lord Brahma came to this place the seeds sprouted and became a tree in the mentioned period. Lord Shiva gave upadesh to Lord Brahma at this place. This place is known as Bilvavanam and Shiva Linga is known as Bilvavananathar.
2. It is believed according to the purana that Lord Shiva gave amrut kalash during Samudra Manthan. The devas forgot to worship Lord Ganesha before partaking in the amrut. Lord Ganesha took the pot away from them and hid the pot at this place. But the amrut kalash got deeply entrenched and could not be removed and later on this amrut kalash became a Shiva Linga and Lord became Amrutaghateshwar. This Shiva Linga is present in the temple.
3. Sage Mrikandu and his wife Marudmati got a son by performing penance at this place. The son was known as Markandeya. Lord Shiva blessed them with a son who will be noble and wise but who will live only for 16 years. When Markandeya came to know about his fate, he went on pilgrimage to shaiva sthalams. He came to this place, which was 108th shaiva sthalam, on the day of his destiny. While he was worshiping, Lord Yama came to take away his life. Markandeya embraced Shiva Linga. When Lord Yama threw his rope on Markandeya it covered the Shiva Linga also. It is stated in purana that Lord Shiva appeared from Shiva Linga as Kala Samhar Murti and destroyed Lord Yama with his trishul. He blessed Markandeya that he will be sixteen years old forever. Lord Shiva is known as Mrutyunjaya Murti and Kala Samhar Murti. As Lord Yama was killed there was no death taking place on the earth. Goddess Bhudevi complained to Lord Shiva and he gave life back to Lord Yama at this place.
4. When we have darshan of Lord Kala Samhar Murti, without Lord Yama who is kept covered, the darshan is known as Samhar Darshan. When we have darshan with Lord Yama the darshan is known as live darshan (Uoouir-pitha ऊइरपित्त darshan).
5. Lord Vishnu wanted to perform Shiva Pooja before getting the amrut after Samudra Manthan. In order to perform pooja, it is essential to remove one’s ornaments. So Lord Vishnu removed his ornaments before performing the Shiva Pooja. From his ornaments Goddess Ambika appeared as Abhirami. It is believed that Goddess Mahalakshmi resides in the ornaments of Lord Vishnu. As Goddess Ambika appeared from the ornaments of Lord Vishnu, he is worshiped as mother of Goddess Ambika.
6. Once a staunch devotee of Goddess Abhirami known as Subramanya informed the Maratha king of Tanjavur, Saraboji Maharaja that the day was full moon day instead of new moon day. At that time Subramanya was in full concentration and in deep worship of Goddess Abhirami. The king got angry and asked Subramanya to prove that it was a full moon day or face the death sentence. Subramanya also known as Abhirami Bhattar started reciting Abhirami Antaadi i.e. the end letter of the first verse becomes the beginning of the second verse and so on. When he was reciting the seventy ninth verse the earstead of Goddess Abhirami was thrown into the sky by her. It appeared as a full moon in the sky. This day i.e. new moon day of Tamil month of Thai (Jan-Feb) is celebrated in the temple on a very grand scale. Abhirami Antaadi contains 100 verses.
7. Kungiliya Kalaya Nayanar is one of the 63 Nayanmar. He lived in the 7th century and had played the role of a host to Shaiva Saints Sambandhar, Appar, Siruthondar and Nilanakkar. Kungiliya Nayanar was born in Thirukkadaiyur and he served as a priest in this temple. He used to offer to Lord Shiva an incense known as Kungiliya (in Tamil) hence he was praised as Kungiliya Nayanar. Lord Shiva wanted to test him for his devotion. Lord Shiva made him use all his wealth in the service of Shaiva devotees. Even after selling all his property, he continued his service to Lord Shiva and Shiva devotees. At one stage, he had to sell his gold mangalsutra to feed his family. Lord Shiva came to his house disguised as a trader and sold a bag full of incense. At that stage, Kungiliya Nayanar had to put his wife and children to bed without feeding them as he used all this money to purchase the incense. His wife prayed to Lord Shiva for help. Pleased by the devotion of the couple, Lord Shiva promised her in her dream to restore their wealth on the next day. When she woke up the next day, the house was filled with wealth and valuables. Lord Shiva appeared before Kungiliya Nayanar and blessed him.
8. Kari Nayanar was the 47th Nayanmar and he was born at Thirukkadaiyur. He was a Vedic and Sanskrit scholar. He served Lord Shiva and Shaiva devotees with great devotion. He attained mukti as a reward for this prolonged selfless service.
Those who worshiped at this place:
Lord Brahma, Lord Yama, Goddess Durga, Vasuki, Sage Agastya, Sage Pulasti, Sage Markandeya, Sapta Matrikas and Shaiva Saints Appar and Sambandhar.
Special Features:
1. We can observe another Shiva Linga behind the Moolavar.
2. This is 3rd amongst the 6 holy places of Lord Vinayaka in Tamil Nadu.
3. This place is considered as one of the 51 Shakti-Peeths.
4. In this temple, we come across the idol of Goddess Parvati with her son, Lord Muruga on her right lap. She is praised as Goddess Guhambika.
5. Lord Ganesha holds an Amrut-kalash by his trunk.
6. Like Chidambaram temple, there is a metal Yantra on the right hand side wall of the sanctum.
7. This temple is believed to be one of 108 Shiva temples where Sage Markandeya worshiped Lord Shiva to escape from Lord Yama.
8. There is a scar on the Shiva Linga made by the rope of Lord Yama.
9. Goddess Parvati is depicted as a small girl and she is praised as Goddess BalaAmbika.
10. There are six places where one can get rid of fear of Lord Yama, namely - Thirukkadaiyur, Thiruveezhimalai, Thiruvaikudi, Thiruvenkadu, Thiruvaikavur, Thiruvanchiyam.
11. Lord Shiva brought Ganga to help Sage Markandeya to perform Shiva worship at this place.
12. The well (pond) near this temple is believed to have water from Ganges. Water from this well is used only for the abhishek of Lord Shiva.
13. There is a huge idol of Lord Shiva as Kala Samhara Murti who saved Sage Markandeya from Lord Yama. Lord Shiva has his left leg on AdiShesha and his trident pointing towards Lord Yama, who is at the feet of Lord Shiva. By the side we have an idol of bhuta ganas dragging Yama with a rope. The idol of Lord Yama at Lord’s feet is kept covered by a metal plate and is removed only at the time of pooja.
14. Goddess Parvati is depicted as a small girl along with Goddess Lakshmi and Goddess Saraswati. She is known as Goddess Balambika.
15. There is a scar on the Shiva Linga which is visible only during abhishek. It is believed to have been made by the rope which was thrown on Markandeya by Lord Yama. And the rope left a mark on the Shiva Linga as Markandeya was grasping the Shiva Linga.
It is believed that siddhas lived around this place, especially Pambatti Siddhar.
About the temple:
This west facing temple has five prakarams (parikramas) and seven tiered Rajagopuram. The temple occupies an area of about 11 acres. On the eastern side there is a five tiered rajagopuram. At the entrances of inner parikrama, there is another 2nd level gopuram. Immediately after the rajagopuram, on the left side are outer parikramas. There is a 100 pillar mandap. The sanctum-sanctorum consists of sanctum, antarala, ardha-mandap and maha-mandap. The Shiva Linga is a swayambhu-linga facing the west and is a little bit large in size. The sanctum is in the form of a linga. There is a scar on the Shiva Linga made by the rope thrown by Lord Yama when he tried to take away the life of Sage Markandeya. This scar is only visible during abhishek. When we observe the main Shiva Linga closely, we can see another Shiva Linga in the form of a reflection.
Koshta-murtis: Lord Vinayaka, Lord Dakshinamurti, Lord Bhikshatanar, Lord Brahma and Goddess Durga. Lord Chandikeshwarar is in the usual position.
The Kshetra-Vruksha Pinjalam is about 2000 years old. It flowers throughout the year and the flowers are used only for worship of Lord Shiva.
Utsav-murti is Kala Samhara Murti. He is in a separate south facing shrine on the right hand side of maha-mandap. He has a furious face with a trident pointing towards Lord Yama and has his right leg raised towards Lord Yama. On the left side, Bhoot-ganas are depicted as if they are pulling Lord Yama with a rope. There is an idol of Sage Markandeya near the Lord Kala Samhara Murti. The lower portion of Lord Kala Samhara Murti depicting the killing of Lord Yama is kept covered. This cover is removed only during aarti. The idol of Lord Kala Samhara Murti along with Lord Yama is considered as Anugraha-Murti.
In the inner right hand side wall of the sanctum-sanctorum there is a yantra. It is known as Thirukkadaiyur Rahasya. It is stated that one has to have darshan first of Lord Papakareshwar, then Lord Shiva and finally yantra, so that his life span will increase. In this place opposite to the shrine of Lord Kala Samhar Murti we have Lord Yama idol in worshiping posture with his mount by his side.
We have the shrines of Lord Ganesha, Lord Muruga with Valli and Devasena, Lord Somaskanda, Lord Nataraja and his consort Goddess Shivagami. In the parikrama, we also come across idols of Goddess Mahalakshmi, Lord Bilvavaneshwar, Lord Dakshinamurti, Lord Bhikshatanar, Goddess Durga, Lord Ardhanareeswarar and Lord Bhairav and koshta murtis. In this temple there is no navagraha shrine. There is a shrine of Lord Papakareshwar which was worshiped by Sage Agastya. There is another shrine of Lord Punyavaradanar which was worshiped by Sage Pulasti.
Lord Muruga has six kshetras attributed to him. Similarly, Lord Vinayaka also has six kshetras in Tamil Nadu. There is a shrine of Lord Ganesha in the outer parikrama, to the right of Nandi. In this shrine, Lord Ganesha is praised as Lord KallaVarana Vinayaka. This shrine is considered to be the third of the six sthalas mentioned above. Lord Ganesha carries an amrut kalash in his trunk.
There is a shrine of Goddess Parvati in a parikrama with infant Lord Muruga seated on her lap. She is known as Goddess Guhambika.
Goddess Ambika is in a separate east facing shrine with a Dhwajastambha, Balipeeth and her mount, the Lion. This shrine is in the southwest corner. She is praised as Goddess Abhirami. She has four hands with Abhay and Varada mudra.
There is an Emerald (Maragadha) linga which is kept in a safe. It is taken out during pooja in the morning and in the evening. There is also a shrine for Lord Vishnu in this temple complex. He is depicted along with Goddess Lakshmi, they are praised as Lord AmrutNarayan and Goddess AmrutaValli. There is no Navagraha shrine as Navagraha have no power in this kshetra. Navagraha poojas are performed to Lord Kala Samhara Murti.
Importance of the Kshetra:
In Ashwini nakshatra in the Tamil month of Panguni, Ganges appears in the well at Brahmapureeswarar temple in Thirukkadaiyur Mayanam which is very close by. The water from this well is used only for the abhishek of Lord Shiva on all days except this day when people are allowed to bathe in this water.
By worshiping Lord Shiva with a flower from a Pinjalam, one is believed to have worshiped 1008 times.
According to the Purana, one has to worship first Lord Papakareshwar, and then Lord Punyakareshwar, so that all sins are removed and one attains punya.
Of the 63 Nayanmars, Kari Nayanar and Kungiliya Kalaya Nayanar lived and attained mukti at this place. Abhiram Bhattar who wrote Abhirami Antaadi lived at this place.
Prayers:
1. People perform the sixtieth birthday (utkruta shanti) that is known Shashthyapurti, seventieth birthday that is known Bhimarathi Shanti, eightieth birthday that is known Shatabhishek Shanti, ninetieth Kanakabhishekam.
2. People perform Janma Nakshatra Shanti, Ayushya homa and MahaMrityunjaya homa to get rid of obstacles in life.
3. People perform special worship for wealth, child boon, relief from obstacles in marriage, relief from adverse effects of planets, mental peace.
4. People worship Lord Kala Samhara Murti for longevity and Goddess Abhirami for Soubhagya.
Poojas:
Regular, daily poojas, pradosh pooja, special poojas on new moon day, full moon day, Tamil and English new year day.
Some important festivals:
Chitrai (Apr-May): Utsav on Magha nakshatra, Yama samhar festival for 18 days. On the sixth day, Lord Kala Samhar Murti comes out in procession.
Aadi (July-August): Utsav on Purva Phalguni Nakshatra
Purattasi (Sept-Oct): Navaratri
Aipassi (Oct-Nov): Skanda shashthi and Annabhishekam
Karthigai (Nov-Dec): Karthigai Deepam festival. On mondays, Shankhabhishek with 1008 conches. Pradosha pooja full moon
Thai (Jan-Feb): Pooja on the new moon.
Maasi (Feb-Mar): Mahashivaratri
Panguni (Mar-April): Panguni Uttiram festival on Uttara phalguni nakshatra
Timings: 6 am to 1 pm, 4 pm to 9 pm.
Address:
Shri Amrutaghateshwarar temple,
At Thirukkadaiyur,
Taluka : Tharangampadi,
Tamil Nadu 609311.
Phone: +91-4364287429
Contact number of Priest: Shri S. RaviShankar Gurukkal +91-9788843491, +91-9003767898.
Courtesy: Various websites and blogs