16th April 2019.
It
was planned to visit some of the old temples around Villupuram on 16th April
2019, during our visit to Koovagam Koothandavar temple Thiruvizha. After
reaching Villupuram, First we had been this Shiva Temple at Elavanasur Kottai.
The temple is on a rocky place / hill called Thirumalai. Since the temple was
built like a fort with Guarding deities on all 4 sides, the place is called as
Elavanasur Kottai and moolavar is called in different names.
Many
people spells Shiva of this temple's name as Ardhanareeswarar, which is wrong.
The correct name is Sri Ardhanatheeswarar, since Shiva
was called in the inscription as ..ஊர் பாகம் கொண்டருளிய மகாதேவர் /
நாயனார்.
Moolavar : Sri
Arthanatheeswarar, Sri Grama Arthanatheeswarar,
Sri Oor
Bhagam Kondaruliya Nayanar,
Consort : Sri Brahan
Nayaki, Sri Periyanayagi.
Some of the salient features of this
temple are….
The temple faces west with a 6-tier
Rajagopuram built during Vijayanagara period. There is a 3-tier Rajagopuram on
2nd level. Ambal Sri Periyanayagi is in a separate temple facing east
immediately after the Rajagopuram.
Balipeedam, Dwajasthambam and Rishabam
are before the second level Rajagopuram. The Rishabam and the Prakara rishabam
are facing west in the same direction like Moolavar.
In the koshtam Vinayagar, and
Dakshinamurthy. In Praharam sannidhi for Saniswaran, Nagar, Brahma sastha
(wrongly written as Govinda Raja Perumal), Suryan, Bairavar, Navagrahas,
Naalvar, 3 idols of Saptamatrikas Group, Vinayaki, Valli Devasena Subramaniar
and west facing Rishabam.
Brahma Sastha
Vinayagar & Vinayagi
ARCHITECTURE
The temple consists of a raised level as a Mada Temple sanctum sanctorum, antarala and
artha mandapam. The adhistanam is a simple pada bandha adhistanam with Jagathy,
three patta Kumudam. Kumbha Panjaras and Vishnu Kantha pilasters are on the
Sanctum Sanctorum wall. The vesara vimanam is on the sanctum Sanctorum.
The terrace of the raised level of the corridor may be used for
circumambulation. The temple tank and a urchava vavval nethi 100 pillar
mandapam is on the left.
Ambal Sannadhi
INSCRIPTIONS:
From
the inscriptions Lord Shiva was called as Oor-Bhagam-Kondaruliya Nayanar /
Mahadevar, Oorudaiya Paramesvarman etc. The place was called as Iraiyanaraiyur
& Iraivasanallur. The same has got corrupted to the present name
of Elavanasur. As per the inscriptions this place was also called
as Sri Chozha Kerala Chaturvedi mangalam in Palur Kottam of Miladu
Jananatha Valanadu. The second level 3 tier Rajagopuram was built during
Chozha's period and inscriptions are found with title.
The
temple has inscriptions from 900 CE to 1500 CE. The inscriptions belongs to
Rajaraja-I, Rajendra –I, Uthama Chozha, the son of Sembiyan Mahadevi,
Kulothunga –I, Vikrama Chozha, Rajaraja-II & III, Rajadhiraja-II,
Kulothunga-II, Pallava King Koperunsingan, and Vijayanagara dynasty.
One
inscription records the gift of 132 Cows to burn a perpetual lamp for killing
a person by an another person by mistake in the process of hunting a
boar.
Vikrama
Chozha’s inscription mentions a gift of land for reciting Thiruchalal from
Thiruvasagam composed by Manickavasagar.
The
other inscriptions records the donations of lands and money towards functioning
of daily poojas and burning perpetual lamps.
Ref:
1.
South Indian Inscriptions Volume 12 - 234 - 235.
2.
Select Inscriptions (Social life) Page 164.
LEGENDS
As
per the legend “Deiveegan, a Malayaman Chief Killed an asura Karundan, who was
Brahmin in his previous birth. So Deiveegan got the Brahmahathi dosha. To get
rid from the dosha he performed sacrifice and gifted 4
neighbouring Villages to 400 Brahmins and found 400 more are left
out. He got confused and do not know what to do. Lord Shiva in the form a Brahmin
appeared before him, asked to gift half of this Village to the 400 Brahmins and
rest of the half to him. Deiveegan does so. On receiving the half village the
Brahmin disappeared and reveals himself as Lord Shiva. From this incident Lord
Shiva was called as Oor Bhagam Kondaruliya Nayanar ( ஊர் பாகம் கொண்டருளிய நாயனார் ) and the sanskritised version is
Grama Arthanatheeswarar.
POOJAS
AND CELEBRATIONS
Apart
from regular poojas, special poojas are conducted on Pradosham, Maha
Shivaratri, etc.
TEMPLE TIMINGS:
The temple will be kept opened between 07.00 hrs to
11.00 hrs and 16.00 hrs to 20.00 hrs.
HOW TO REACH:
The place Elavanasur is on the Junction
of Salem to Ulundurpet Highway and Thirukoilure to Asanur ( Vellore
to Tuticorin).
59 KM from Villupuram, 15 KM from Ulundurpet, 25.5
KM from Kallakurichi.
LOCATION OF THE TEMPLE: CLICK HERE
---OM SHIVAYA NAMA---
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