Sri Arunachaleshwarar Temple

The temple of Lord Shiva (Annamalaiyar) is located at Thiruannamalai in Tamilnadu. As one of the Athara sthalam, it represents Manipura chakra. As one of the Panchabhoota Sthala it represents the element Fire. It is also one of the 275 Shiva temples revered by Nayanmars in their sacred hymns. At this place the Shiva linga is the mountain itself. This place is also known as Shonachalam, Shonagiri and Arunachal. As stated, the mountain forms the linga and the surrounding broad portion is the temple. It is stated in puran that the Lord exists at this place in the form of Jyoti (Flame). 

Mulavar: Annamalaiyar

Devi: Parvati, Unnamali amman (Devi), Apitha Kuchambal

Sacred teertha: Agni teertha

Important festival: Lamp festival in the Tamil month of Karthik known as Karthigai deepam. 

Other deities in the shrine:

Nandi, Surya. Behind the walls of sanctum sanctorum, idol of Venugopalswami (Vishnu or Lord Krishna) is found. The idols of Somaskandha, Durga, Chandikeshwar, Gajalaxmi, Arumugaswami (Sankmukha), Dakshinamurthi and Lingodbhavar are found around this sanctum. The shrine of Parvati (Unnamali amman) is depicted in the 2nd enclosure. To the north of flag staff (Kodimaram) we find Sambandha Vinayaka. There is a 1000 pillar hall and to its South, shrine of Subramanya is located. There is an underground lingam known as Patal-lingam where Raman Maharshi did penance.

The tantrik chakras personified in Shiva temples are known as Aadhar sthala. The Annamalaiyar temple represents Manipura sthalam and is associated with Manipura chakra. Following legends are associated with this place according to Puran.

Once Brahma and Vishnu had an argument regarding their superiority. They approached Lord Shiva to settle the dispute. Shiva appeared as a column of Fire and asked them to find top and bottom of the flame. Vishnu became a boar (Varaha) and sought to find the bottom while Brahma became a swan and searched for the top. With the help of the Ketaki flower, Brahma stated (lied) that he had seen the top whereas Vishnu conceded his defeat and he could not see the bottom. As punishment for lying, Brahma was cursed so that he could never be worshipped in any temple on the Earth.

In another reference in the puran, Parvati once closed the eyes of Lord Shiva in a playful manner in a garden in mount Kailash. Due to this, the whole world came to standstill. As atonement for this act, She performed penance along with the other devotees of Shiva at this place. Lord Shiva appeared as a column of Fire at the top of Annamalai mountain and blessed Her. Hence Annamalai mountain (Red mountain) which lies behind Annamalai temple is sacred and is considered as a lingam. 

Festivals: 

There are 4 major festivals at this place and are known as Brahmotsav. 

Kartigai deepam (Light festival), Chaitra pournima, Tiruvoodal in the first week of Tamil month Thai (i.e. around Sankrant on January 15-16th). Nandi is decorated with fruits, vegetables and sweets. This day is celebrated in Tamilnadu as the festival of bullock (Mattu-pongal). Besides this, every full moon day, 10s of 1000s of pilgrims perform Girivallam i.e. circumambulate Arunachal hills. There are 8 small shrines of Lingam located along the Girivallam. Each one of them is associated with the 12 moon signs. 

God	Raas	Direction
Indra	Vrishabh, Tula	East
Agni	Simha	South-east
Yama	Vrishchik	South
Nirutti	Mesha	South-west
Varuna	Makar, Kumbha	West
Vaayu	Karka	North-west
Kubera	Dhanush, Meen	North
Ishaan	Mithun, Kanya	North-east

The day on which Lord Shiva manifested first in the form of Linga i.e. column of Fire is celebrated as Mahashivaratri. In Maheshwar khanda of Skanda Puran, Sage Vyasa has described the greatness of Arunachala. A quote from Raman Maharshi on the sanctity of Arunachala is as follows – 

“Holy places such as Kashi, Varanasi and Hrishikesh are sacred as they are abodes of Lord Shiva. Whereas Arunachala is Lord Shiva Himself. Arunachala is a secret kshetra. It is the place that bestows Gyana. In that place, Lord ever abides the hill of light named Arunachala. 

According to Arunachala mahima, one will certainly attain liberation by seeing Chidambaram, by being born in Tiruvarur, by dying in Kashi and by merely thinking of Arunachala.

The great Saint Raman Maharshi meditated on the slopes on Annamalai hills. His ashram is located in the foothills of Annamalai hills. Saints like Sheshadri Swamigal and Yogi Ramsurat Kumar have been associated with this place. 

Shri Dakshinamurthy - Universal teacher

Gurupournima and origin of Guru parampara:

Gurupournima is a day when you remember and pay respect to Guru. For every human being the first Guru is their father. In case of Brahmins, father initiates the son in Gayatri mantra during upanayana (munja) ceremony. And hence father becomes Guru.

Gurupournima is also known as Vyasapournima named after Maharshi Vyasa who accomplished a gigantic work of collating Vedas and Puranas for the benefit of world. Vyasa is considered as incarnation of Lord Vishnu himself. Since he collated Vedas and wrote puranas which are repositories of knowledge, he is considered as Jagadguru.

Even before Maharshi Vyasa, Guru-shishya parampara started from the first guru of the universe i.e. Lord Dakshinamurthy who is nothing but Lord Shiva. Lord Dakshinamurthy means one who is seated facing south. His shishyas are seated facing Him i.e. facing north. South direction is a direction of death or change. Means Dakshinamurthy takes his shishyas, who are facing Him i.e. north, from death to deathless state and from change to unchanging state. Hence it is recommended that when you are meditating or learning, you should sit facing north.

Worship of Lord Dakshinamurthy in temples:

Lord Dakshinamurthy, manifestation of Lord Shiva, represents him in his aspect as an universal teacher. The idol of Dakshinamurthy is found in almost all Shiva temples in Tamil Nadu. The only jyotirlinga which is depicted as Dakshinamurthy is at Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga. Most of the idols of Dakshinamurthy are found as Lord Shiva seated on a deer skin throne and surrounded by munis. He is worshiped as god of wisdom. According to puranas, anyone who is unable to get a Guru can consider and worship Dakshinamurthy as his Guru. If they are worthy, they will be blessed with a self realized Guru later. As mentioned before, Dakshinamurthy literally means one who is facing south i.e. direction of death or change. In almost all Shiva temples the idol of Dakshinamurthy is installed facing south on the southern pradakshina path around the sanctum-sanctorum. Shiva’s idol as Dakshinamurthy has the following iconograhic representation. Shiva is depicted as seating on deer skin throne, surrounded by sages, and his right foot is on the mythical Apasmara (a demon personifying ignorance) and his left foot folded on the lap. There are other representations also known as Gnyan Dakshinamurthy, Yoga Dakshinamurthy, Veena Dakshinamurthy, Rishabharudha Dakshinamurthy etc. The fifth day of the week representing planet Jupiter is also the day of Dakshinamurthy hence the planet is also known as Guru and the day is known as Guruwar. Hence there is a special puja on Thursdays for Dakshinamurthy in many Shiva temples. Some of the famous temples of Dakshinamurthy are 

• Mahakaleshwar of Ujjain
• Shiva Temple of Alangudi, Tamilnadu (which is one of the Navagraha temples)
• Mahadev temple at Ettumanoor in Kerala
• Pragya Dakshinamurthy at Theni in Western Tamilnadu
• Thiruvotriyur near Chennai. Here Dakshinamurthy idol faces the north and the place is known as Vada Gurusthalam (north place)

Santhana Kuravars, shishyas of Lord dakshinamurthy:

It is believed Lord Dakshinamurty i.e. Lord Shiva gave Shaiva philosophy to Santhana Kuravars who then gave it to the whole world. The Kuravars may mean Gurus. The Santhana Kuravars were classified in 2 categories, namely

1) Agama Santhana Kuravars – They were 4 and they were not considered as normal human beings and are believed to be residing in Mount Kailash. They are as follows

1. Thiru (Shri) Nandidev
2. Shri Sanatakumara
3. Satya-gyana-darshi
4. Sage Paranjyoti

It is believed that the Guru-Shishya parampara started from Dakshinamurty and passed on in the order stated above.

2) Pura Santhana Kuravars – The job of spreading Shaiva Sidhanta was carried forward from Sage Paramjyoti by the following 4 kuruwars. They are namely

1. Meykandar
2. Arul Nandi Shivam
3. Maraigyana Sambandhar
4. Umapathi Shivachariyar

They resided in Tamilnadu and were responsible for spreading the Shaiva Sidhanta. Their disciples carried forward the tradition and established Mathas at Thiruvadurai and Dharmapuram. These 2 Mathas are known as Kailash parampara, as the tradition starts from Lord Dakshinamurty.

The 4 great saints who carried forward the parampara in 7th & 12th century are known as Samaya-shaiva-kuravars. They are also known as Nalwar. They are namely

1. Thirugyana Sambandhar
2. Thirunavukkarasar
3. Sundara Murty Nayanar
4. Manikka vachakar

During 4th, 5th & 6th century Budhism and Jainism were spreading very fast in south India and many rulers got converted. During this period the religious activity almost dwindled and came to a stop. But from 7th & 12th century due to the great effort of these 4, Shaiva Sidhanta attained glory again and many of the rulers came back into Shaiva Sidhanta.

Thevaram (Garland of divine songs / hymns) was sung by Nayanmars in praise of Lord Shiva. The first 3 of Nayanmars are considered foremost among the 63 Nayanmars. The Manikka Vachakar composed verses known as Thiruvasagam.

Thiruvasagam – There are 12 volumes of hymns (sacred songs) sung by the Nayanmars in praise of Lord Shiva. These were sung in 275 Shaiva Sthalams. They are collectively known as Thirumurai.

Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple - part 1

This temple represents Anahata chakra in Athar sthalam. It is located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh on the sangam where rivers Varana and Assi join river Ganga. Kashi is one of the most sacred pilgrimage centers in India. There are numerous lingas at this place and stories associated with them. Hence we are dividing this article in parts. In this first part we are giving information about the main temple in Kashi i.e. Kashi Vishwanath and in subsequent part(s) we will cover information about remaining temples.

Mulavar: Shri Vishwanathar
Devi: Shri Vishalakshi (in a separate temple)
Sacred Teerthas: 64 bathing ghats along river Ganga, Dwadashaditya Teerthas, Dharmanadi Teertha (also known as Panchanadi)
Puranik Name: Kashi
Present Name: Kashi, Varanasi

It is believed that a tribe known as Kasha used to live in this place and hence the city got its name of Kashi.

About the temple:

The original date of the temple is unknown. It is believed that it was built by Lord Shiva himself some thousands of years ago. During a number of attacks on Varanasi by Mughals, this temple was demolished and a number of times it has been rebuilt during Maratha and Rajput kingdoms. The present temple was built by Rani Ahilyabai Holkar in 1777. The size of the temple is small. Devotees have to go through narrow pathway to reach the temple. 

Vishwanath (also known as Vishweshwara) is the most prominent linga in Kashi. That is why Kashi is mostly referred to as Kashi Vishweshwar or Kashi Vishwanath. It is believed that it has stood all ravages of time for almost 5000 years. There are numerous stories, spanning all yugas, of great characters in association with Kashi. For example, the story of King Harishchandra who lived for the upholding the value of truth, perseverance and sacrifice.Then in Treta yuga Lord Shrirama who was himself considered as embodiment of Dharma. Then in Dwaparayuga Lord Krishna who performs all the lilas to revive Dharma. In Kali Yuga, Kashi has survived through foreign invasions. 

Lord Shiva has himself commended the activities that take place in this temple right from early morning till night. Kartika month is particularly filled with all sin washing activities such as Ganga snan, Maha Nyasa, Rudra Namakam and Chamakam recitations, Veda parayanas, Shiva linga abhishek with shodashopachar and so on. It is believed that temple’s entry time (pravesha kaal) witnesses outburst of devotion when Gandharvas sing Shiva stutis, Apsaras perform dance, Nandi, Bhairav, Pramathganas, Yakshas, Pishachas, the cream of Sages go wild, Navagrahas, Lokapalas, Devas along with Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu go in trance while Shiva, Parvati, Vinayaka and Skanda bless all. 

Shri Vishalakshi Temple

Near to Shri Vishwanath temple, is Shri Vishalakshi temple which is considered as one of the 51 Shaktipeethas. It is believed that Mother Sati's earrings fail at this place. Mother Sati is the previous incarnation of Mother Parvati. Vishalakshi means wide eyed. 

There are some places (Ghats), temples and journeys (yatras within Kashi) which carry very high spiritual value. 

Ghat

- Manikarnika Ghat

Temples

- Shri Vishweshwara

- Shri Bhavani temple

- Shri Harishchandreshwara

- Shri Dhundiraj

- Shri Dandapani

- Shri Bhairav

- Shri Vighneshwar

Yatra

- Antargruha Yatra

- Dakshina-manas Yatra

- Uttara-manas Yatra

- Pancha-kroshi Yatra

- Shukla-Krishna-Paksha Yatra

- Nitya Yatra

In subsequent part(s) we will cover more temples in Kashi.

Courtesy:

- Wikipedia

- kamakoti.org

Shri SriKalhasti Shiva temple

This Shiva temple is situated at Kalahasti in Chittur district of Andra Pradesh. In Athara Sthalams it represents Vishuddhi chakra. This is also one of the Pancha Bhoota Sthalam representing Vaayu tatva as well as one of the 275 Shiva temples revered by Nayanmars. This is about 40 km from Tirupati Balaji temple. This temple is also a Rahu-Ketu Parihar sthala where sarpadosha shanti is performed. The temple is about 2000 years old. The river Swarnamookhi flows nearby. 

Mulavar: Shri SriKalHastiswarar
Devi: Parvati, Gyana Prasunambika

This is a Swayambhu Linga where Lord Shiva is worshiped as Vaayu linga. This is the only temple to remain open during Lunar and Solar eclipse.

According to Purans, Brahma worshiped at this place in all 4 yugas. During Mahabharat, Arjuna worshiped here. As per puran, Vaayu performed penance at this place for about 1000 years with a lingam. Pleased by his penance, Lord Shiva granted him 3 boons. As per Vaayu’s wish, the lingam is known as Karpur (Camphor) lingam and is worshiped by all including munis, Devas, kinnars, asuras etc. Besides, there are other references also found in puran. Parvati was asked to assume the human body by Lord Shiva. To get rid of this curse, She was asked to perform penance at this place. Pleased by Her penance, Lord Shiva recreated Her with much more beauty than Her previous heavenly body. She was initiated with Panchakshari mantra and with other mantras by Lord Shiva. Hence Parvati is addressed as, Gyana Pasunambika. 

Mayura, Chandra, Devendra were freed from their curses at this place by bathing in Swarnamookhi river and performing penance.

SriKalHasti gets the name according to the puran as per the following legend. During puranik days, a spider (Sri), serpent (Kal) and elephant (Hasti) worshiped Lord Shiva at this place. The spider lived in the inner sanctum and worshiped the Lord by weaving a web over Lord Shiva. Due to breeze, the web was destroyed by altar fire. Spider getting angry tried to gulp the flame and died. Appreciating its devotion it was granted moksha by Lord Shiva. This act of spider as if it was realizing the self (flame) by gulping and endangering its life i.e. its ego gave it moksha. 

A cobra worshiped at this place by offering gems and valuable jewels. After sometime, an elephant came to worship and sprayed the lingam with water brought in its trunk. It placed bilva leaves over the lingam by removing gems and jewels. This process was going on for sometime. At last one day, the cobra getting angry, bit the elephant by entering into its trunk. The elephant dashed its trunk against the wall and both of them died. In appreciation of their devotion, Lord Shiva granted them moksha. At the foot of the linga we can see, the images of a spider, a five headed snake and 2 elephant tusks. 

A staunch devotee of Lord Shiva, Kannappa, sacrificed his both eyes and tried to fix it on the lingam. He had found the lingam bleeding from the eyes during one of his worship. After this incident, he was given moksha in appreciation of his devotion. 

A lamp burns inside the inner sanctum that constantly flickers despite the lack of air movement inside. The Vaayu linga can be seen in motion despite the doors being closed (sanctum has no windows). The Linga is a swayambhu linga and is white in color. The Linga is made of a white stone resembling the trunk of an elephant. 

There is a shrine of Lord Vinayaka which is cut in a rock. It is below the ground level. The idols (images) of Vallabha Ganapati, Mahalaxmi Ganapati and Sahasra Linga are the rare ones found in this temple. There is a large shrine for Gyana Pasunambika. There are small shrines of Kashi-Vishwanath, Annapurni, Suryanarayan, Sadyog-Ganapati and Lord Subramanyam. There are 2 sacred teerthas namely Surya Pushkarni and Chandra Pushkarni.

Festivals: 

Mahashivaratri is the most important festival. Bramhotsavams are celebrated along with Shivaratri for 13 days. 

Karthigai deepam and Maasi festival (Feb-March) are other noteworthy festivals. 

Courtesy: Following sites 

https://tamilnadu-favtourism.blogspot.com/ and
https://temple.dinamalar.com/en/

Chidambaram Shiva Temple

This Shiva temple is one of the largest Shiva temple in the world (about 40 acres). It is one of the Athara sthalam representing "Adnya" chakra. It is also the Pancha Bhoota sthala temple representing the element “Aakash” as well as one of the 275 Shiva temples revered by Shaivaites Nayanmars. It is situated at Chidambaram in Kadalur district of Tamil Nadu. 

It is one of the places where Lord Shiva performed the cosmic dance (Pon ambalam i.e. Golden Sabai).  Chidambaram is also referred as THILLAI (a type of mangrove), as this place was abundant with these type of plants. The temple is also known as Chidambaram Nataraja temple and it is about 2000 years old. 

Mulavar: Thirumulanadar, Koothanadar, 
Devi (Consort): Umayambika, Shivagamsundari
Kshetra Vruksha: Thillai plant
Sacred Teertha: Shivaganga, Vyaghrapada Tirtha, Anant Tirtha, Bramha Tirtha and about a number of others totaling about 10.

The preceding deity is Thirumulanadar which is a swayambhu linga. The ruling deity is Lord Nataraja. On the Western side of Thirumulanadar Shrine, there is a tree made of stone. The shrine of Lord Vishnu (Govindraj Perumal) and the shrine of Thillai-Kali are close by. From the mandap, in front of Lord Nataraja shrine, we can have darshan of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva at the same time. This temple is also known as Chittrambalam (which is a combination of two words Chit + Ambalam) which eventually became Chidambaram.

At this temple we can have darshan of Lord Shiva in 3 forms namely in an idol form as Nataraja, formless as Aakash and as a spathika linga. Sage Vyaghrapada and Sage Patanjali did penance here for the darshan of Lord Shiva. Responding to their severe penance, He appeared here along with 3000 munis (sages) and gave darshan to them. This day, Tamil month Thai (Jan-Feb) on Pushya nakshatra is celebrated here. It is stated that for salvation, one should be born at Thiruvarur or live in Kanchi or think of Thiruvannamalai or die at Kashi. Similarly it is stated that if one worships Lord Nataraja or Lord Thirumulanadar, he is definite to get salvation. A Srichakra was installed by Aadi-Shankaracharya in the Ambika shrine. 

Being very old temple, it has gone through many renovations done by empires of Pallava, Chola, Pandya, Viajayanagar and Chera. One of the notable renovation is gold plated gopurams. 

Legends from Puran: 

Sage Vashishta advised one of the sons (Maadyandinar) of his relative to worship the swayambhu lingam at Thillaivanam for getting complete wisdom. He could not pick the flowers before sunrise. They were considered as impure if picked-up after sunrise as honey in the flowers was sucked up by bees. He prayed to Lord Shiva that he was not in a position to pick the flowers in darkness and as he could not climb the tree in darkness. Lord granted him the legs of the tiger so that he could climb trees and gave sight which could see in darkness. Lord blessed him and stated that he would be known henceforth as Sage Vyaghrapada. 

The main legend is that, Lord Shiva appearing in Thillai vanam to teach a lesson to the rishi who felt that they can control God by their rituals and mantras. Lord Shiva appeared there as Bhikshadanar and Lord Vishnu appeared as Mohini (a beautiful lady) as His consort. The wives of rishis were enchanted by the beauty of Bhikshadanar and Mohini. The rishis who got enraged tried various ways to destroy Lord Shiva. They invoked a fierce tiger on Him. He tore the skin of the tiger and tied it around his waist. A fierce elephant which was invoked by the sages, was also killed and hence Lord Shiva is known as Gajasamhar murti. A demon who was invoked by the rishis was immobilized by Lord Shiva’s anand-tandav. Finally the rishis, surrendered to Lord Shiva and realized the truth that he is beyond magic, rituals and mantras. 

The Shrines in the temple:  

Thiruadimulanadar and Umaiyala – The Linga swaroop worshiped by sages Vyaghrapada and Patanjali.

The Shrines of 63 Nayanmars

Shrine of Shivagamsundari

Shrine of Vinayaka

Shrine of Lord Muruga

Besides these there are a number of smaller shrines. 

The halls (sabha, ambalams) – There are 5 halls namely, 

Chittrambalam – This sanctum houses Lord Nataraja and Goddess Shivagamasundari

Ponnambalam or Kanaksabai – The rituals are conducted from here

Nrityasabai – This is the 56 pillar hall near the dhwajastambha. Here Lord Nataraja out danced Kali and established his superiority

Rajasabai – This is a 1000 pillar hall which symbolizes the yogic chakra, sashastraram. This hall is open only during festival days. 

Devasabai- This houses the panchamurtis, Lord Ganesh, Lord Somaskandha, Goddess Shivanandnayaki and Lord Chandikeshwar.

Significance of the temple – 

Of the 5 Pancha Bhuta sthalams, Shrikalahasti, Kanchipuram and Chidambaram stand on a straight line at exactly 79’41” East longitude. Thiruvannaikaval is located around 3’ to the South and 1’ to West of Northern tip of this axis whereas Thiruvannamalai is mid-way between these two.

The nine entrances of the temple signifies the 9 orifices in the human body. 

In the Ponnambalam, the sanctum sanctorum represents the heart which can be reached by the 5 steps, which represents the Panchakshari mantra - SI VA YA NA MA. The entrance to this sabai is from the side and not from the front as in usual manner. The roof of the sabai is supported by 4 pillars representing the 4 vedas. 

Ponnambalam is supported by 28 pillars representing 28 agamas (methods of worship). 64 beams of the roof represents 64 forms of arts. The cross beams represents the blood vessels in the body. 21600 golden tiles of the roof represent 21600 breaths. The tiles are fixed by 72000 golden nails representing the nadis in the human body. The 9 golden kalash represents the nine forms of energy. The artha-mandap has 6 pillars representing the 6 shastras.

The hall next to artha mandap, has 18 pillars representing 18 puranas. 

Festivals: 

There are 6 major festivals performed in a year for Lord Natraja. 

In the Tamil month of Margazi (Dec-Jan) – Thiruvaadhirai 

On the 14th day of the new moon in the Tamil month of Masi (Feb-March) festival is held

In the Tamil month of Chittrai (April-May) – the festival is held on Thiruvonam

In the Tamil month of Aani (June-July) – festival is held on Uttiram nakshatra

In the Tamil month of Aavani (Aug-Sept) – festival is held on Chaturdashi

On Chaturdashi day of the tamil month of Protasi (Oct-Nov) festival is held

The first 2 are considered to be the most important festivals of the year. 

Natyanjali is celebrated in February. Dancers gather to present Bharatnatyam to Lord Natraja as a mark of respect

It is very difficult to enumerate the greatness of these temples which we have been trying in the last few articles. With this article we conclude the summary of Pancha Bhuta Sthalams.

Courtesy: Following sites

1. https://tamilnadu-favtourism.blogspot.com/ and

2. https://temple.dinamalar.com/en/

3. http://www.indAiatemples.in/

Introduction to Athara Sthalam

Athara sthalams are the abodes of Lord Shiva in various manifestations. They are considered to be the guardians of particular chakra.

Athara sthalam indicates the places which are considered to be divine impersonification of Tantric chakras associated with human anatomy. For example Annamalaiyar temple is called the Manipooraga sthalam associated with Manipura, the human anatomical cause for the spiritual ignorance, thirst, jealousy, treachery, shame, fear, disgust, delusion, foolishness and sadness. Athara sthalam are six temples, out of which four temples are located in Tamil Nadu, one in Andhra Pradesh and one at Varanasi.

In upcoming weeks, we will post the information about each of these sthalas.

Tantric Chakra	Description	Temple	Location	Symbol
Anthagam (Sanskrit आज्ञा, ājňā)	Brain directly behind eyebrow	Natarajar Temple	Chidambaram
Visuthi (Sanskrit विशुद्ध, Viśuddha)	Neck region near spine	Sri Kalahastheeswara Swami Temple	Kalahasthi
Anahata (Sanskrit अनाहत, Anāhata)	Central Channel behind spine	Kashi Vishwanath Temple	Varanasi
Manipooragam (Sanskrit मणिपूर, Manipūra)	Spine directly behind navel	Arunachaleshwarar Temple	Thiruvannamalai
Swasthistanam (Sanskrit स्वाधिष्ठान, Svādhişthāna)	One’s own abode	Thiruvanaikaval	Trichy
Moolatharam (Sanskrit मूलाधार Mūlādhāra)	Basal end of the spinal column	Thyagaraja Swamy Temple	Tiruvarur

Sri Thirukutralnadar at Courtrallam

This temple is one of the 276 Padal Petra Sthalams. It is also one of the Pancha Sabhai Sthalam and represents Chitra Sabhai. Thirunavukkuarsar, Sambandhar, Manikavachagar have sung sacred hymns at this place. 

Mulavar: Kutralanadar

Devi: Parashakti, Kuzalvaimozi. They are housed in two separate shrines

Kshetra Vruksha: Wild Jack tree (in Tamil Kurumpala)

Kshetra Tirtha: Shivamadhuganga, River Chitra, Vadaaruvi

Puranik Name: Trikutamalai, Kuttralam

The present temple structure which is more than 1500 years old was constructed by Rajarajar Cholan. Later on renovation and additional structures were carried out by Pandya and Nayakars. According to archeologists there was originally a vishnu temple by the side of mulavar. 

Rajagopuram is three tiered. As we enter, we come across Vasant Mandap which has three kalashas on the top with a lot of sculpture. Next to this mandapam, we have a mandapam with dhwajasthambha, Nandi and Balipeeth. The temple is conch shaped known as sangukonam (conch represents power of Lakshmi). Lord Shiva is in the form of a swayambhu linga. We can observe the fingerprints of Sage Agastya on the Shiva Linga. Parashakti shrine is one of the 64 shakti peethas. Parashakti is on a Shri Chakra. It is also known as Parashakti Peetham. Also known as Dharani Peetham (because of Bhumadevi). Navashakti puja is performed on full moon night in honor of nine Ambikas (as the peetham is supposed to represent grace and power of Ambika). 

Special features: 

There are five entrances to the temple representing four vedas and one for Pilavandhan who came to witness Lord Shiva’s dance in Manakolamnadar shine (wedding posture). 

As Devi is supposed to be in a furious mood, to calm her down, a Shiva linga known as Kamakotishwara is installed in front of her. In front of the Parashakti shrine, we have peethams of Annaavipillai and other deities. On the southern side, we have the shrine of Kailashnadar. And on the northern side we come across Shri Durga shrine and Shri Vallabha Ganapati. Lord Muruga with a bow in his hand is housed in the shrine with his consorts Valli and Deivanai facing each other. We come across Shiva Linga and a shrine of Sage Agastya. Under the feet of Sage Agastya we have the idol of his shishya Shivalayamuni. 

In the prakara, Lord Shiva is in wedding posture. Lord Vishnu and Goddess Mahalakshmi are kanyadaan of Ambika (as Lord Vishnu is the brother of Ambika), Lord Brahma is depicted as priest, Sage Agastya, Sage Bhrungi are the witness to this wedding. We come across the shrines of Lord Vishnu as Nannaagama Perumal and Lord Krishna. The kurumpala (wild jack) fruits are in the form of Shiva Linga. The wild jack fruit tree in the prakara is very old (1000 years) and revered by Lord Shiva himself. Dwarapalakas at the entrance of the shrine are depicted as if they are in conversation. We can have darshan of all five Pancha Bhuta Lingas at this place. Lord Nataraja graces at this sabha in the form of a painting. Arjuna had lost the casket containing his Shiva Linga. He used to worship this Shiva Linga daily and lost it at Kashi. When he reached this place, he found a casket containing Shiva Linga. After performing this puja, he left the same at this place. It is kept in a separate shrine in a prakara. We can observe west facing Vinayaka, Kailash Kutrala Nadar, Trikuta Malai and Kutralam waterfall from a point very close to the shrine. 

Chitra sabhai: This is housed north of the Kutralnadar temple in a separate shrine. Its interior has a large number of murals depicting the epics. The roof of the sabha is made of copper sheet. Lord Nataraja is painted as performing Tripura Tandava. Besides this, we come across paintings depicting Sage Agastya pressing his hand on Lord Vishnu, who becomes a Shiva Linga, miracles performed by Lord Shiva at Madurai and Lord Dakshinamurti in various forms. The paintings were actually painted by colors made from medicinal plants, herbs etc. At the entrance to the Chitra Sabhai, we come across wooden carvings of Shakti Peetham, Goddess Parvati in feeding posture, Lord Krishna playing flute, Lord of south known as Ekapadmurti, Lord Veerabhadra, Lord Ganesha, Goddess Meenakshi, Rishabh Arudhar, Kangalar, Ravana Anugraha Murti and Lord Shiva kicking Lord Yama. At the center of the temple pond, there is a mandap with a gopuram. There are 8 kalashas on the top of a water roof. Carved wooden planks serve as doors, beams and roof structure for the Chitra Sabhai. The festival of Lord Nataraja takes place in the month of Margazhi (Thiruvadurudai) for 10 days, including a chariot festival. At this time a special puja is performed both in the morning and evening in which a lamp is moved up and down depicting the dance of Lord Nataraja. This is known as Pandava Deeparadhana. This Pandava Deeparadhana is also performed during the Brahmostav in the month of Chitrai. Ku stands for the sins committed in the past and present lives. Tralam stands for getting rid of. By praying Shri Kutralanadar we can get rid of our past and present sins. 

Kshetra Puran:

Sages, Munis, Devas and others assembled at Kailash for the marriage of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. Due to this, the north started going down and south started moving up, i.e. there was a tilt. Lord Shiva requested Agastya to move south so that the balance will be maintained. He stated that when you reach Kutralam, you can revive me from the form of Lord Vishnu. When you reach south you will change the idol of Lord Vishnu into Shiva Linga by placing your hand on the head of Lord Vishnu. Then from that point you can witness our marriage. When Sage Agastya reached Kutralam he was not allowed to enter the Vishnu temple by the temple guards (dwarapalakas). He left that place and reached a temple in the nearby village he made a Shiva Linga of white sand and worshiped Lord Shiva. He begged to Lord Shiva to help him gain entry into the Vishnu temple. Lord Muruga appeared before him and advised him to enter the Vishnu temple in the disguise of a Vishnu devotee. Agastya entered Lod Vishnu temple as directed by Lord Muruga. He worshiped at the temple and at that very instance the conch, tulasi garland and other alankars of Lord Vishnu changed into alankars of Lord Shiva like rudraksha mala, crescent moon, serpent, small drum, trishul etc. When Sage Agastya placed his hand on Lord Vishnu’s head the idol became a Shiva Linga. At that very instant the Sage Agastya witnessed the marriage ceremony. Even today we can see fingerprints on Shiva Linga indicating Sage Agastya placing hand on Lod Vishnu’s head. It is believed that even today the Devas worship Lord Shiva during the day and Sage Agastya during the night. 

People first visit the temple where Sage Agastya worshiped Lord Shiva with a Shiva Linga made of white sand and then come to Kailash nadar temple. 

Festivals:

1. Tamil month Chithirai. 10 days Vishnu festival

2. Aippasi vishnu festival for 10 days

3. Aippasi Thirukalyanam (wedding) for 1 day

4. Margazhi (Margashirsha) festival for 10 days and Thiruvarudrai festival

5. 10 days Navratri festival for Parashakti

6. Aippasi Brahmotsavam

7. Panguni Uthiram festival - 1 day

8. Panguni Brahmotsavam 

9. In the month of Aadi - on new moon day, lamp festival is held with 1 lakh lamps. On the same day 1008 lamps are lit all over the temple known as Patradeep festival

10. In the month of Thai, float festival is held on Magha nakshatra and 1 mahadeep puja is also held

11. In the month of Avani on mula nakshatra, a special worship is done. 

Besides this Skanda Shashti, Karthika Deepam and Shiva Ratri are celebrated.

Daily Makut puja is performed 8 times

Address: Shri Kutralnadar Temple, Courtallam, Thirunelveli District, Tamil Nadu 627802

Phone number: 91-4633-283-138/398, 91-9488-37-40-77

Courtesy: Following sites https://tamilnadu-favtourism.blogspot.com/ and https://temple.dinamalar.com/en/