Sapta Matrika - Mahendri - Dharmapureeshwarar Temple

This temple is in the complex of Dharmapura Adhinam at Dharmapuri in Mayiladuthurai. The place is famous for AshtaaDashaBhujaDurgaParameshwari temple. 

At this place, Indrani (also known as Mahendri) worshiped Lord Shiva. She is the shakti of Lord Indra. During the war with the asuras, she manifested from the yoni of Ambika . She has one face, four hands, blue color complexion and has the white elephant as her mount. She wears the crown of Lord Indra and sometimes also has a golden complexion. She has on her hands vajrayudha, a sphear and has abhaya and varada mudra. The temple is associated with Uttarashadha nakshatra parihara sthalam. Hence the temple is also known as Uttarashadha temple. Inside this temple complex, we come across the shrine of Dharmapureeshwarar, Dnyanapureeshwarar and VanadurgaDevi. It is believed that Dharma worshiped Lord Shiva at this place. Yama also worshiped at this place. Chandra got his curse absolved by worshiping Lord Shiva. Indrani also worshiped Lord Shiva at Chandramaulishwarar temple at Thazamangai (see article posted on October 4, 2019) 

Sapta Matrika - Maheshwari - Arulmigu Shaktipureeshwarar Temple

At this Shiva temple, Maheshwari, one of the Sapta Matrikas, worshiped Lord Shiva in order to get rid of doshas that she contracted by killing asuras.

Another Matrika Devi from Sapta Matrikas, Varahi, also worshiped Lord Shiva here.

Description of Maheshwari:

She is the shakti of Lord Shiva. She manifested from the shoulder of Ambika during the war with the asuras. She has three eyes, five faces, ten hands and white complexion. She has Rishabha as her mount. She has weapons like a noose, ankush, a bell, trishul and battle ax etc. Her hands show abhaya and varada mudra. She has Rishabha as a symbol in her flag. She wears a necklace of serpent and has Jata Mukut (crown). She, in a seated posture, bestows to her devotees, wealth, prosperity as well as destroys their anger. She is also addressed as Sarvamangala. She is personified as a symbol of Dharma. There is another temple known as Harimukuteshwarar at Ariyamangalam near Ayam Pettai on Kumbakonam-Papanasam-Thanjavur highway where Maheshwari worshiped Lord Shiva during Navaratri along with Parvati.

Mulavar: Shri Shaktipureeshwarar
Devi: Shri Anandavalli
Kshetra Vruksha: Bilva
Sacred Teertha: Karuna Teertha
Puranik Name: Karuna Puram
Present name: Karunkuilnathan Pettai

District: Mayiladuthurai, Tamil Nadu. Temple will be open 6 am to 7 am and 5 pm to 7 pm

Special features:
A Shami tree is worshiped here as Navagraha.
Lord Indra worshiped Lord Shiva in the form of Kuil.

About the temple:

This temple is located on the northern bank of river Kaveri on Mayiladuthurai-Karaikkal highway and it is a very beautiful place. The temple is very small and is east facing. Devi is in a separate shrine facing south and Lord Shiva is facing east. In the outer parikrama, we have idols of Sapta Matrika, Vinayaka, Lord Subramanya with Valli and Devasena, Lord Dakshinamurti, Bhairav, Chandikeshwar. Surya and Shanishwarar idols are found in the same shrine. The temple is under the control of Dharmapuram Adhinam. There are no stone engravings to indicate the history or the other details of the temple. And the temple is presumed to be about 1800 years old. 

Kshetra puran:

A Brahmin born in Kaushika gotra was very learned and highly intelligent. But due to his sins committed in the past birth, he had indulged in the activities prohibited for Brahmins like gambling, drinking and womanizing. Finally, he became a lapor. He was ashamed of meeting others because of this disease. One saint advised him to go to Karunapuram and advised to take a bath in the Karuna teertha and worship Lord Shiva. He did as per the direction of the saint and got cured of the leprosy disease, hence people come here to get rid of the skin disease.

The yadnya conducted by Daksha at Pariyalur was attended by Lord Indra and other devas though Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati were not invited. In spite of Lord Shiva’s advise not to go for the yadnya, Goddess Parvati went there. She was insulted by her father who also insulted Lord Shiva by using abusive words. Unable to bear the insult of her husband, she jumped into the fire. When Lord Shiva came to know about this, he came to the place and destroyed the yadnya. Hearing Lord Shiva’s anger, Lord Indra ran away by becoming a black colored kokila (Kuil in Tamil). Later on, he felt sad for his deed as he had to become a bird and lose his status of Devendra. In order to get back his original form and status Devaguru Brihaspati advised him to do penance at this place (Karuna Puram) where one of the Sapta Matrikas (Maheshwari) had worshiped Lord Shiva. Lord Indra came here, took bath in the Karuna Teertha and worshiped Lord Shiva as per the directions of Brihaspati. Lord Shiva gave him darshan and restored him to his original form and status. As Indra did penance in the form of black colored kokila, the place got the name KarunKuilNathan Pettai.

Special features:

There are no Navagrahas in this temple, but a Shami tree is worshiped here as Navagraha. 

About benefits of Kumbhabhishek:

According to the Shaiva saint Sambandhar, those who perform, are responsible for, or witness, or help in performing the Kumbhabhishekam of a temple, get immense Shiva punya i.e. grace of Lord Shiva. Besides this, they will get spiritual and earthly pleasures. 

Benefits of worshiping at this temple:

One gets shaap vimochan and gets cured of the leprosy disease by performing abhishek and offering new clothes to Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati.

Courtesy: Following sites 

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

Sapta Matrika - Vaishnavi - Arulmigu Paramakalyani Samedh Arulmigu Pashupatishwarar Kovil

This is the temple where Narayani (Vaishnavi) worshiped Lord Shiva as per his directive. 

About Narayani:

She is the Shakti of Vishnu. She manifested from the hand of Ambika. She has 1 face, 4 or 6 hands, yellow and blue color complexion. She has Garud as her mount. She wears a Tulasi garland. She has Garud as her emblem on her flag. She has broad lotus-like eyes. She is very powerful and strong. Carries conch, chakra, and shows abhaya and varada mudra.

About Vaishnavi:

She is a Shakti of Vishnu. She manifested from Mahalakshmi. Has 1 face, 2 eyes, 4 hands (bottom hands exhibit abhaya and varada mudra, in her top right hand she bears chakra, top left hand conch). 

About the temple:

Mulavar: Shri Pashupatishwarar

Devi: Shri Paramakalyani

Kshetra Vruksha: Bilva

Location: Pashupatishwaram

Senthangudi-Vallalakaram Poompuhar road, Mayiladuthurai District, Tamil Nadu

This temple has one parikrama and it's a very small temple. In this temple, there is a specialty about the idols placed on shrines. The Rajagopuram is three tiered. In the gopuram of the main temple, i.e. mulavar temple, we have idols of Ashtadikpals, Guruvayur Appan, Anjaneya, Lord Vishnu, Lakshmi Narasimha and Kalabhairav facing East. On the Gopuram of Devi’s shrine, the legends of Ambika associated with the temple are sculptured. On the Gopuram of Vaishnavi, we have the idols of Sapta Matrika. On the Gopuram of Lord Shanmukha, the main six temples associated with Lord Shanmukha are depicted. On the Bhairav shrine gopuram, we find Ashta Bhairava. Chandikeshwar idol is present in parikrama. At the main entrance of the temple on the left side we have Lord Ganesha, with 5 faces, seated on a lion (known as Herambha Ganapati). On the right hand side, instead of the usual Lord Subramanya, we have Lord Hanuman as Lord Shiva’s son. We don’t find a Dhwajastambha in this temple but instead we find the idols of Lord Maheshwar Ganapati, Lord Brahma Ganapati and Lord Vishnu Ganapati. Then we come across the Balipeeth. Balipeeth is also known as Bhadralinga or Balinadar or Mayachakra. Then we have a huge Nandi facing the Shiva Linga. Then we have koshta murti, Ganapati facing south. Lord Medha Dakshinamurti facing south, Koshta Ardhanareeswarar, Lingodbhavar facing west, north facing Brahma, Vishnu-Durga facing north. We come across DwaparaYuga Ganapati. According to Vinayaka Puran, the mount of Ganapati is different in each yuga. During Kali-yuga, he has the Horse as mount. In Krita-yuga, he sits on a Lion, in Treta-yuga he sits on a Peacock and in Dwapara-yuga he has Mushika as his mount. In a separate shrine, we have Lord Arunachaleshwarar. It is beneficial to worship him on full moon days. In a separate shrine, we find Lord Subramanya with his consorts. The special feature of this shrine is that, his consorts face Lord Subramanya instead of standing by his side. In a separate shrine, we have the idol of Vaishnavi. She manifested from the hands of Ambika. She is Shakti of Vishnu. She is blue in complexion. The special naivedya for her is lemon rice. She is the shakti of KrodhanBhairava. Her mount is Garud. Worshiping her with Tulasi garland on Wednesday and Friday is highly beneficial. 

Swarna-Akarshana-Bhairava shrine:

He has Surya as his Navagraha. People worship him to get the same benefit as that of worshiping Surya. He has Bhairavi as his consort. According to the Purana, he is the reflection of Lord Shiva. The meaning of Swarna-Akarshana-Bhairava is that he can captivate (attract) anyone easily. He has a red complexion, a face that is like a full flowered lotus, golden matted hair (jata), and has a crescent moon on his head. He has in his hands - a lotus flower, amrut kalash, conch studded with beads, then abhaya and varada mudra, has a pot in his hands from which gold is pouring down and holds Adishakti by another hand. He bestows boons with Ambika by his side, and she is known as MahaSwarnaAkarshanaBhairavi. She has a pot of gold on her hands and abhaya and varada mudra on her other hands. It is beneficial to worship SwarnaAkarshanaBhairav by facing north. By worshiping him on Ardra nakshatra, we get the grace of Lord Shiva. Worshiping him with the Lotus flower and Bilva garland is the most beneficial. Navivedya: Kheer prepared with jaggery, udid wada, milk, honey and fruits. 

Method of worship of SwarnaAkarshanaBhairav:

One should sit facing the west while worshiping SwarnaAkarshanaBhairav. On Krishna Ashtami, he should be worshiped by dressing him in red color cloth, lighting a ghee lamp, garlanding with a udid wada garland and performing archana with red color flowers. Also it will be more beneficial to worship him by lighting a ghee lamp on white pumpkin. He can also be worshiped on Sundays during Rahu Kaal by lighting 11 ghee lamps or by performing Rudrabhishek and garlanding him with garland of udid wada garland and performing sahasranama archana. It is believed that by worshiping him in this manner, obstacles in marriage are removed. By worshiping with devotion and intense faith, one can get rid of enemies, and can attain ashta-maha-aishwaryas, wealth, improvement in business, and get resolutions for problems at the workplace. People have benefited by worshiping him with Bhairava Gayatri and Bhairavi Gayatri and got immense wealth. 

1. On Monday and Friday, it is better to recite Bhairav Ashtakam and Bhairavi Ashtakam during sunset

2. People worship him for nine full moon days around 7 pm by lighting a ghee lamp and reciting the Bhairava Ashtakam 18 times helps in getting rid of poverty. On the ninth day, one has to offer the Naivedya of Kheer made of rice (in marathi Poha). 

3. Krishnashtami in the Tamil month of Karthik is celebrated as his janmashtami. 

4. People also worship every month a krishnashtami as Bhairav Ashtami.

5. It is stated that that by worshiping him for 30 days with belief and sincerity, one’s just demands are fulfilled by him.

Shri Krodhana Bhairav Shrine:

He is fourth of the Ashta Bhairavas. He has Saturn as his Navagraha. And Vaishnavi as his shakti. His mount is Garud and he faces the southwest direction. By worshiping him, we can reduce the suffering due to Saturn.

Method of worshiping Krodhana Bhairav:

On a banyan leaf, spread uncooked rice. Place broken parts of coconuts by the side and light a lamp with ghee in them. People who have consumed non-vegetarian food and alcohol are not allowed to take darshan of this Bhairava. By reciting Gayatri for this Bhairav, in multiples of 9, one can get rid of his difficulties and he can get prosperity.

Special information:

These two Bhairavas namely SwarnaAkarshana Bhairava and Krodhana Bhairava who have Surya and Shanishwar as Navagraha at this place, also have the Navagraha with the respective mount in the Eshanya direction is considered to be a very special feature. By worshiping the Navagrahas at this place, one can get rid of problems arising out of Navagraha.

Kshetra Puran:

A staunch devotee of Lord Shiva at Thiruchenkattakudi namely Shiruthondar cooked his only son and gave it as Naivedya to Lord Shiva as per his command. After that, he felt that he is the only person to serve his son as food to Lord Shiva, hence he attained unbound ego. When Shiruthondar reached Kailash, Nandi did not allow him inside as he wanted to remove the ego of Shiruthondar. Later Nandi informed Lord Shiva about this. Lord Shiva appeared at Shaktipuri (Karunkuil Nadan Pettai) as a Shiva Saint to teach a lesson to Shiruthondar. A devotee of Lord Shiva, Sheelavati Ammaiyar, who was staying at Kazukkanimuttam, used to work at seven places in a day. With the amount obtained in this manner she used to feed to Shaiva saint (Lord Shiva in the guise of Shaiva saint). Her only son used to graze the cows and take care of them in the village. In order to show the devotion of Sheelavathi and her son and at the same time to teach a lesson for Shiruthondar, Lord Shiva, on a Bharani nakshatra day in the month of Chitrai, went to the place where the son was grazing the cow. He made the son very hungry and asked him to go home for his food. He told him he will take care of him in his absence. But the boy refused. At that time Lord Vishnu from the nearby temple (he was known as Parimala Ranganathar) came in the disguise of a person known to the boy. He convinced the boy to go home. Since Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu came together at this place, the place got the name Senthankudi. In the afternoon, Lord Vishnu left the place. Since Lord Shiva took care of the cows he came to be known as Pashupatishwarar. The boy on returning home took his food without informing his mother as he did not see her. On hearing the sound of the vessels, Sheelavati, who felt that somebody was taking the food before the Shaiva Saint is served, took a wooden pestle and hit the son. She hid the body of her son and waited for Shaiva Saint. After arriving, Shaiva Saint informed her that he will take his food only along with her son. She informed him that her son would not come for taking food. The Shaiva Saint asked her to call her son three times. She did so and the son appeared and took food along with the Shaiva Saint. Then in place of the Shaiva Saint, Lord Shiva appeared and showed the devotion of Sheelavathi to the world and thereby reduced the ego of Shiruthondar. At the request of Sheelavathi, Lord Shiva along with Parvati stayed at nearby AnandaTandav puram as Shri KailashNathar. 

Festivals:

• Chitrai pournima - Abhishek of Lord Shiva
• Aavani - Thiruvonam (Shravan nakshatra in Marathi)- Abhishek of Lord Shiva
• Aippasi - Annabhishek 
• Karthigai - Krishnashtami - Abhishek of Bhairav
• Maragali - Abhishek of Lord Shiva and Parvati
• Hanuman Jayanti - Abhishek of Hanuman known at this place as RudraveeraSamudhan
• Vaikuntha Ekadashi
• In the month Thai on Fridays, abhishek of Arunachaleshwarar, Ardhanareeswarar, Durga, Lakshmi, Vaishnavi
• In the month of Masi - Magha nakshatra festival is held,  as well as Mahashivaratri
• Panguni - Abhishek of Paramakalyani
• Pradosha puja during pradosha kaal
• Sankatahara Chaturthi - 5 pm special puja
• Abhishek of Bhairava on every Krishnashtami
• On new moon day abhishek of Ardhanareeshwarar
• Every Friday abhishek of Vishnu Durga.

Special Information:

There is another place named Kazhukannimuttam where Shri Vaishnavi worshiped Lord Shiva.

She also worshiped Lord Shiva along with Parvati during Navaratri at Jambukeshwarar temple at Papanasham-Ayyampettai road which is also known as Nandimangai (refer to Nandi Mangai article on October 2, 2019)

Courtesy: Following sites 

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

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

Sapta Matrika - Shri Brahmi - Shri Thantondreeshwarar Temple

This temple is on Mayiladuthurai-Needur road

According to Puran, this is the place where Brahmi, one of the Sapta Matrikas, worshiped Lord Shiva.

Description: Brahmi is Shakti Rupa of Lord Brahma. According to Puran, she manifested from the face of Ambika. She has broad shoulder, wide eyes, sparkling (gold color) complexion, has four faces, four hands. She has a Kamandalu, Akshamala in two hands and in the other two hands she bears Varada and Abhaya mudra. She wears a Jata Mukut. Has Swan on her flag as her emblem and she is seated in Padmasan. 

As she is shakti of Lord Brahma, she is responsible for creation. She wears a sphatika garland and a white dress and has white Swan as her mount. She is a goddess of all art and knowledge, hence she bestows arts, knowledge and child boon for those who worship her. 

About the temple:

Mulavar: Shri Thantondreeeshwarar (than - on its own, tondree - manifested, eshwarar - Lord Shiva) meaning Lord who manifested on his own.

Devi: Shri Oppilanayaki

Location: Thiruindalur, Pallavarayan Pettai, Mayiladuthurai District, TamilNadu

Temple is open between 6 to 8 am in the morning, and 6 to 8 pm the evening.

This is one of the 70 mada-kovil (temples where elephant cannot enter) built by Chola king Chenkannottayan in the seventh century. He is one of the 63 Nayanmars. 

The temple is very old and is in rundown condition. It is under litigation. Only daily pujas are performed by a priest. This is a west facing temple. At the entrance, we have an idol of Lord Shiva seated on Rishabha along with Parvati. The Shiva Linga is a Swayambhu Linga. In the temple prakaram, we come across idols of 63 Nayanmars, Varuna Linga, Vayu Linga, idol of Mahavishnu and Samadhi of Chidambaram.

A divine couple Nada Sharma and his wife Anambika travelled from the North visiting various Shiva temples and reached the south. Nada Sharma was praying to Lord Shiva to have darshan. When he reached there he got a Shiva Linga from Lord Shiva. We come across a Shiva Linga at this place which is covered by vastra presumed to be that of wife of Nada Sharma. There is an idol of Balatripurasundari. No other details were available to us as there was no one present when reached the temple. 

Brahmi worshiped Lord Shiva along with Goddess Parvati at Chakramangai in Chakravageeshwarar temple.