Pancha Natarajar Kshethram
After King Singavarman abdicated his throne for sainthood, he shared his vision of Lord Shiva’s tandavam with Vyaghrpadar and Patanajali in the Thillai forest.
Guided by them he commissioned Sculptor Namasivaya Muthu to create two murtis of Lord Shiva, one each in gold and copper.
As the Lord Shiva did not want His murti in gold, it was then changed to copper and was taken to Chepparai (Cheppu, Seppu or Sembu refers to copper), and installed at the temple there.
Two Pandya kings Veerapandyan and Ramapandyan, stumbled upon the murti and requested the sculptor to have two more created for Kattarimangalam and Tirunelveli Nellaiappar temples.
Charmed by its beauty and workmanship and fear of being surpassed by subsequent creations by the Sculptor, his hands were chopped off by the King
One of the Murti was installed at Kattarimangalam. As Tamarabarani was flooded, People proceeding to Tirunelveli could not do so as and left them on the banks of the river, which was recovered and taken to their temple by the local villagers.
King Ramapandyan was directed by the Lord in his dreams about the location of the murti and to build a temple. The place was Karisoozhnthamangalam and the king constructed the temple.
Sculptor Namachivaya Muthu by the grace of God, with wooden appendages for his cut hands, made a final murti, now in Soundara Pandeeswarar temple Karivelankulam. Thereby the sculptor of Chidambaram Natarajar idol, thus created five idols of Lord Sri Nataraja’s ‘Ananda Dance’ including those at Kattarimangalam, Karisulnthamangalam, Mela Karuvelankulam and Chepparai.
NatarajarTemple, Karisoozhnthamangalam / Karisulndamangalam
Temple Timings : 7.00 a.m. to 11.00 a.m. 5.00 p.m. to 7.00 p.m
Phone : 9940363956, 99435 55866
Location : 21 kms from Karuvenkulam
Nearest town : 22 Kms from Tirunelveli
Important days : Prathosham Sivarathri
Important for : Sarpa Dosham
Moolavar is Sundareswarar and Ambal is Sundarambigai
Since the old Amman was slightly damaged, She appeared in the dream of the Priest and showed him the place of new idol which was recovered along with a Vinayagar idol after digging the place pointed to by Amman. The Amman now in the temple is the new Amman and after that Kumbhabishekam was done.
When King Rama Pandiyan came to know of stapathy’s loss of hand he got enraged and fought against Veera Pandiyan, defeated him and had his hands chopped off. When Rama Pandiyan wanted to take it to his own place and he could move the idol, the Lord appeared in his dream and expressed his desire to stay in that fertile village full of black clouds and a temple be built there. The king built a temple there and installed the Vigraha in Karisulndamangalam.
Azhagiya Koothar temple, Kattarimangalam
Temple Timings : 7.00 a.m. to 11.00 a.m. 4.30 p.m. to 7.00 p.m
Phone : 9486381956/9442054034
Location : 50 kms from Karuvenkulam
Nearest town : 40 Kms from Tirunelveli
Important days : Sankatahara Chathurthi, Sivarathri, Karthigai, Pournami, Margazhi Thiruvathiai AIpasi Kalyanam
Important for : Pithru Dosha, Navagraha Dosha, Obstacles in Marriage, Health problems. Marriage boon
Moolavar is Veera Pandiswarar and Ambal is Nalla Thavam Nachiyar
This temple with two entrances from east and south(opened during festival days) has Pomegranate as sthala vriksham. Balipeedam and Nandhi in Mandapam are facing the Sanctum located outside the eastern entrance. Sangili Boothathar shrine is at the right side after entering through eastern gate.
Vinayaga and Murugan offer darshan at the entrance of the sanctum. Somaskanda, Piriyavidaiyaal Ambal,Manikavasagar utsava murtis are at the left side of the sanctum. Dhakshinamoorthy has a shrine.
Kanni Vinayagar, Lord Murugan with his consorts Valli and Deivanai, Chandikeswarar, Durga, Saneeswarar and Bhairavar are in the Temple premises. The Navagrahas grace with their consorts.
The tunnel from the pond located outside the temple to the well situated near Saneeswarar shrine shows the ancient water harvesting technique.
This temple has a history of about 1000 years.
Sri Natarajar temple, Karuvelankulam
Temple Timings : 7.00 a.m. to 10.00 a.m. 5.00 p.m. to 7.00 p.m
Phone : Narayanan 9003285994 ,94472 05704 ; Nambi Krishnan : 94864 83033 ; Thavamani Bhattar : 99447 35288 Nellainayagam : 99437 58928
Location : 50 kms from Kattarimangalam
Nearest town : 21 Kms from karisulndamangalam
Important days : Arudhra darisanam
Important for : Cure from mental diseases
Moolavar is Soundara Pandiswarar and is in the form of Lingam and Ambal is Gomathi with a separate shrine.
Goddess Parama Kalyani is in the pillars of the Temple and is prayed for child birth and safe delivery.
When Jatavarman Sundara Chola Pandyan, the son of Rajendra Chola was the viceroy of Madurai, his daughter was afflicted with a chronic mental ailment. Since Physicians could not cure her, The prince, a staunch devotee of Lord Shiva, sought his blessings for a solution
A visiting Nampoothiri asked his daughter to be taken around the Pandya Kingdom and take a holy dip in a tank where elephants would be found circumambulating it. When the Prince reached Karuvelan kulam, he found the tank and got His daughter bathe in its waters. She was immediately cured of her ailment.
Out of gratitude, he built this temple named the Lord as his grace helped the young girl regain her beauty (Soundaryam) he is called Soundara Pandiswarar. A tower was built by Sundara Pandyan in the temple tank where the young girl bathed and got rid of her disease.
The place came to be known as Kari Valam Kulam (the pond that was circumambulated by elephants) and pver time as Karuvelam Kulam. Lord Soundara Pandiswarar is worshipped by people suffering from mental ailments and offer their gratitude once they are cured of their ailments.
One should observe the beautiful wooden Mandapa in the Temple. Natarajar is placed in wooden carrier and is taken out on procession on the Arudhra darshan day. Images of Pathanjali, Vyakrapada, Gnanasambandhar and Karaikkal Ammaiyar are near the pillars of this wooden structure.
Musical Pillars in the Mandapams here are an architectural wonder to look for.
Sri Natarajar temple, Chepparai
Temple Timings : 6.00 a.m. to 11.00 a.m. 4.00 p.m. to 87.00 p.m
Phone : Rajamani Bhattar 8870720217 , 97504 83640 , 9842980551 Viswanathan; 97504 83640.
Location : 50 kms from Kattarimangalam
Nearest town : 14 Kms from Tirunelveli
Important days : Arudhra Darsanam
Important for : Child Birth Safe delivery
Moolavar is Nellaiappar and is in the form of Lingam and Swayambu and Ambal faces south
Sri Chepparai Natarajar Temple, situated near thamirabharani river, is more than 1000 years old and famous for Arudra Dharshan, carrying equally important history as Chidambaram and hence bears the name “Then Thillai”. It is believed that the first Copper Statue prepared for Chidambaram Temple is in “Chepparai”Temple and is considered the first Nataraja statue of the world.
The Azhagiya Koothar temple Chepparai is east-facing with a single Prakaram and entry through a large Mandapam followed by a gateway in the east. In the Mahamandapam inside entrances to the sanctum and the shrines of goddess and Natarajar are present. Karaikkal Ammaiyar Mandapam is also present.
The Nataraja Idol is housed in a copper roofed Sabhai along with his consort Sivakami and is the first of the five such Nataraja idols created by the same sculptor for the Pancha Natarajar sthalams,.
Natarajar as Azhagiya Koothar, Sivakami, Adhikara Nandi, Suryan, Chandran, Bhairavar, Meikandar, Vinayakar, Viswanathar, Visalakshi, Muruga with consorts, Mahalakshmi, Saneeswaran, Dakshinamurthy and Chandikeswarar are other deities found in the temple.
The tyrant King Singavarman after having a change of heart was asked by the sages to build Lord Nataraja temple in Chidambaram. Accordingly the Sculptors created a Natarajar statue made of Copper which was beyond words that the king imagined a similar statue of Natarajar in Gold and ordered the head sculptor Namasivaya Muthu to create one. When the statue was made in Gold but seems every night it would turn into copper. The shocked king ordered the head sculptors to be jailed when their pleas went in vain.
When Lord Shiva as Natarajar appeared in Dream to the king and stated that he wanted to be in copper, the King released the sculptor. He further directed that the copper Nataraja was to be carried by the sculptor and the place where the copper statue weighs too much that he is unable to go further, that place will be the kshethram for the residence of the Copper Nataraja and a Temple must be built there. Accordinlgy when the sculptor Namasivaya came towards south, the Nataraja statue became so heavy when he reached the banks of river Thamirabarani that he could not move ahead and it was placed there.
Copper in Tamil is “Cheppu” and the lord got the name “Chepparai Natarajar”. King Ramapandian built the temple there and installed Nellaiyappar with Mother Gandhimadhi and along with a shrine for Lord Natarajar.
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