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adding basic location initial version

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{{Short description|Shiva temple in Tamil Nadu, India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox temple
| name = Erumbeeswarar Temple
| image = Siva Temple (Erumbisvara Temple).jpg
| alt = A view of the temple from north east
| caption = View from the foothills
| map_type = India Tamil Nadu
| map_caption = Location in Tamil Nadu
| coordinates = {{coord|10|47|34|N|78|46|3|E|type:landmark_region:IN|display=inline,title}}
| country = [[India]]
| state = [[Tamil Nadu]]
| district = [[Trichy]]
| location = [[Thiruverumbur]]
| elevation_m =
| deity = Erumbeeswarar([[Shiva]])
Narun Kuzhal Nayagi ([[Parvathi]])

| Direction_posture =
| Pushakarani =
| Vimanam =
| Poets =
| Prathyaksham =
| festivals=
| architecture = [[Dravidian architecture]]
| temple_quantity =
| monument_quantity=
| inscriptions =
| year_completed =
| creator =
| website = http://erumbeeswararkovil.in
}}
'''Erumbeeswarar Temple''' in [[Thiruverumbur]], Tamil Nadu, India, is a [[Hindu temple]] dedicated to the deity [[Shiva]]. Built on a {{convert|60|ft|m|adj=on}} tall hill, it is accessible via a flight of steps. The temple's main shrines and its two ''[[prakaram]]s'' (outer courtyards) are on top of the hill, while a hall and the [[temple tank]] are located at the foothills. Shiva is believed to have transformed himself into an ant hill and tilted his head at this place to enable ants to climb up and worship him. Erumbeeswarar is revered in the canonical 7th-century Tamil Saiva work the ''[[Tevaram]]'', written by Tamil saint poets known as [[nayanmars]] and classified as ''[[Paadal Petra Sthalam]]''.

The temple is one in a series built by [[Aditya I|Aditya Chola]] (871-907 CE) along the banks of river [[Cauvery]], to commemorate his victory in the Tirupurambiyam Battle. It has several inscriptions from the [[Chola Empire]] dating back to the 10th century.<ref name="Orr"/> The temple has been declared a protected monument by the [[Archaeological Survey of India]] and is locally referred as "Kailash of South India".<ref name="Singh"/> The temple has six daily rituals at various times from 5:30 am to 8:00 pm, and three yearly festivals in its calendar. The annual ''[[Brahmotsavam]]'' (prime festival) is attended by thousands of devotees from far and near.<ref name="Hindu"/> Every full moon, tens of thousands of pilgrims worship Erumbeeswarar by circumambulating the hill barefoot in a practice called ''girivalam''. The temple is maintained and administered by the Hindu Religious and Endowment Board of the Government of Tamil Nadu.

== Etymology ==
[[File:tiruverumbur6.jpg|The shrine of Narunguzhal Nayagi Amman inside the temple complex|alt=a precinct inside a temple with shrine at the end|200px|left|thumb]]
According to Hindu legend, there lived a demon (''[[asura]]'') Tharukasuran, who conquered ''[[Prithvi]]'' (earth) and ''[[Svarga]]'' (heaven). [[Indra]], the leader of celestial deities and other [[Deva (Hinduism)|gods]] suffered at the hands of Tharukasuran and sought the help of the creator-god [[Brahma]], who asked them to worship [[Shiva]] in [[Thiruverumbur]]. In order to deceive Tharukasuran, the devas transformed into ants and reached the temple. Since the surface of the [[lingam]] (aniconic form of Shiva) was slippery, the ants found it difficult to climb up and worship. Shiva transformed himself into an ant hill and slid his head, which enabled the ants to climb and worship. Hence the name ''Erumbeeswarar'' is derived from ''Erumbu'' meaning ant and ''Easwaran'' referring to Shiva.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ayyar |first=P. V. Jagadisa |title=South Indian shrines: illustrated |year=1991 |publisher=Asian Educational Services |location=New Delhi |isbn=81-206-0151-3|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NLSGFW1uZboC&q=tiruverumbur+temple&pg=PA248|page=248}}</ref> This is one of the three places where Shiva slid his head for his worshippers, the other two being the temples at Virinjipuram and [[Thiruppanandal]]. The temple is also referred as Rathinakoodam, Thirverumbipuram, Erumbeesam, Brahmapuram, Laskhmipuram, Madhuvanam, Rathnakoodapuram, Manikoodapuram and Kumarapuram in various religious literature.<ref name="temple">{{cite journal|title=Thirukoyil |publisher=Hindu Religious And Endowment Board Tamil Nadu |volume=15 |series=1 |date=January 2013 |url=http://www.tnhrce.org/thirukoil.html |pages=42–43 }}{{dead link|date=December 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The temple is locally called as [[Kailash]] (the abode of Shiva) of [[South India]].<ref name="Singh"/>

==History==
Erumbeeswarar temple in its current form was built by the [[Chola]] king [[Aditya I]] (871-907 CE). Aditya won a battle in Tirupurambiyam and to commemorate the victory, he built a series of temples along the banks of the river [[Cauvery]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Hindu spirituality: Postclassical and modern|last=Sundararajan|first=K. R.|author2=Bithika Mukerji|publisher=Cross Road Publishing Company|location=Delhi|year=2003|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UUWIEfAY-mMC&q=tiruverumbur+temple&pg=PA427|isbn=81-208-1937-3|pages=426–427}}
</ref> The temple has 49 inscriptions from the Chola period (850-1280 CE). The inscriptions numbered 101, 104, 105, 127, 130 and 133 of 1914 are believed to be inscribed during the 5th to 7th year of the reign of Aditya and hence believed to be between 882 and 885 CE.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Pallavas|last=Jouveau-Dubreuil|first=Gabriel |publisher=Asian Educational Services|location=New Delhi|year=1995|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6o9XCT3XiaMC&q=101&pg=PA66|isbn=81-206-0574-8|page=66}}</ref> Another set of inscriptions from the [[Sundara Chola]] (957-970 CE) period indicate gift of land to maintain four signs of ''Tirupadigam''.<ref>{{cite book | title=A history of Indian literature, 500-1399: from courtly to the popular| last=Das| first=Sisir Kumar|author2=Sāhitya Akādemī| year=2005| publisher=Sāhitya Akādemī|location=Chennai|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BC3l1AbPM8sC&q=tiruverumbur+temple&pg=PA240|isbn = 81-260-2171-3|page=240}}</ref> One another inscription indicates the donation of ten {{Transliteration|ta|''kalanchu''}} (a measure) of gold to the deity by a temple woman in the year 875 CE.<ref name="Orr">[[#Orr|Orr]] 2004, p. 65</ref><ref>[[#Orr|Orr]] 2004, p. 144</ref>
A king by name Siruthavur Sembian Veithi Velan from Kiliyurnadu is believed to have constructed the [[Vimana (architectural feature)|vimana]] (structure over the sanctum).<ref name="temple"/> The temple was the only temple that [[Malik Kafur]] (1296-1316 CE) could not conquer in 1311 CE, during his South Indian expedition.<ref name="Singh">{{cite book|title=Yatra2Yatra|last=Singh|first=Sanjay|publisher=Yatra2Yatra|page=159|year=2009|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kWqPwWpkhg0C&q=thiruverambur+temple&pg=PA159|isbn=978-81-908569-0-4}}</ref> The temple is a declared monument of the Archaeological Survey of India on account of the inscriptions in the temple.<ref name="ASI">{{cite web |url=http://asi.nic.in/asi_monu_alphalist_tamilnadu.asp|title=List of Ancient Monument and Archeological Sites and Remains of Chennai and Tiruchur Circle|access-date= 2012-01-09 |work= ASI |publisher= Archaeological Survey of India}}</ref> During the war between [[British Raj|British]] and [[France|French]] during 1752, the temple acted as an infantry for the French troops.<ref name="temple"/><ref name="sindianrailwayp">{{cite book|title=Illustrated guide to the South Indian Railway: including the Mayavaram-Mutupet, and Peralam-Karaikkal railways|year=1900|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SzWvq8EYBwUC&q=tiruverumbur&pg=PA77|page=77|publisher=[[Higginbotham's]]|isbn=9788120618893}}</ref> In modern times, the temple is maintained and administered by the Hindu Religious and Endowment Board of the Government of Tamil Nadu.<ref name="official">{{cite web|title=Arulmigu Erumbeeswar Kovil|url=http://erumbeeswararkovil.in/Erumbeeswarar_home.htm|publisher=Hindu Religious and Endowment Board, Government of Tamil Nadu|access-date=2013-02-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121004034042/http://www.erumbeeswararkovil.in/Erumbeeswarar_home.htm|archive-date=2012-10-04|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Architecture==
[[File:Arulmigu Erumbeeswarar Temple.jpg|thumb|Left side view from the hill-top entrance of Erumbeeswarar Temple located in Thiruverumbur, Trichy.]]
[[File:tiruverumbur1.jpg|The temple tank in the foothills of the temple|alt=square temple tank as seen from top of the hill|200px|left|thumb]]
Erumbeeswarar temple is located atop a {{convert|60|ft|m}} hill with a flight of granite steps to the top. Since the temple is atop a hill, it is locally called "Malai Kovil" (meaning hill temple). The temple complex has two ''[[prakaram]]s'' (outer courtyard) and a two-tiered ''raja[[gopuram]]'' (gateway tower).<ref name="Hindu"/> The central shrine faces east and holds the image of Erumbeeswarar (Shiva) in the form of ''lingam'' made of mud mound. The granite images [[Ganesha]] (son of Shiva and god of wisdom), [[Murugan]] (son of Shiva and god of war), [[Nandi (bull)|Nandi]] (the bull and vehicle of Shiva) and [[Navagraha]] (nine planetary deities) are in the hall leading to the sanctum. As in other Shiva temples of Tamil Nadu, the first precinct or the walls around the sanctum of Erumbeeswarar has images of [[Dakshinamurthy]] (god of knowledge), [[Durga]] (warrior-goddess) and [[Chandeshvara Nayanar|Chandikeswarar]] (a saint and devotee of Shiva). The central image of Erumbeeswarar is made of mud mound and is referred by other names like Erumbeesar, Mathuvaneswarar, Manikoodalachapathi, Piplikesvarar and Manickanathar. The inscriptions in the temple refer Erumbeeswarar as Thirumalai Alwar, Thiruverumbur Alwar and Thiruverumburudaya Nayanar. The shrine of the consort-goddess Narunguzhal Nayagi Amman, facing south, is in the second precinct of the temple. The second precinct is surrounded by granite walls. Narunguzhal Nayagi Amman is referred by other names like Sugantha Kuzhalal, Soundra Nayagi, Madhuvaneswari and Rathnambal.<ref name="temple"/>

The path around the foothills, called Girivalam Path, is {{convert|20|ft|m|abbr=on}} wide and {{convert|900|m|ft|abbr=on}} long. The construction and beautification of the path was carried out by the Tourism department of the government of Tamil Nadu in 2011.<ref name="Hindu">{{cite web |url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Tiruchirapalli/article2129111.ece|title=Encroachments around Sri Erumbeeswarar Temple removed|access-date= 2011-06-23 |year=2011 |work= The Hindu }}</ref> The temple has a garden maintained by Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL, Trichy).<ref name="bhel">{{cite web |url=http://www.tn.gov.in/trichytourism/other.htm|title=Trichy Tourism - A land of tradition|access-date= 2011-06-23 |year=2012 |work= Tamil Nadu Government |publisher= Tamil Nadu Government}}</ref>

==Worship and festivals==
[[File:Erumbiswara Aalayam.JPG|The ''Rajagopuram'' - the gateway tower of the temple|alt=The temple tower of the temple|200x200px|right|thumb]]
The temple priests perform the ''[[Puja (Hinduism)|puja]]'' (rituals) during festivals and on a daily basis. Like other Shiva temples of Tamil Nadu, the priests belong to the [[Shaiva]] community, a Brahmin sub-caste. The temple rituals are performed six times a day; Ushathkalam at 5:30 a.m., Kalasanthi at 8:00 a.m., Uchikalam at 10:00 a.m., Sayarakshai at 5:00 p.m., Irandamkalam at 7:00 p.m. and Ardha Jamam at 8:00 p.m. Each ritual comprises four steps: ''[[abhisheka]]'' (sacred bath), ''alangaram'' (decoration), ''[[Naivedhya|naivethanam]]'' (food offering) and ''deepa aradanai'' (waving of lamps) for both Erumbeeswarar and Narunguzhal Nayagi Amman. The worship is held amidst music with ''[[nagaswaram]]'' (pipe instrument) and ''[[tavil]]'' (percussion instrument), religious instructions in the [[Vedas]] (sacred texts) read by priests and prostration by worshippers in front of the temple mast. There are weekly rituals like ''{{lang|te-Latn|somavaram}}'' (Monday) and ''{{lang|te-Latn|sukravaram}}'' (Friday), fortnightly rituals like ''[[pradosha]]m'' and monthly festivals like ''[[amavasya|amavasai]]'' (new moon day), ''kiruthigai'', ''[[pournami (festival)|pournami]]'' (full moon day) and ''sathurthi''. The major festival of the temple, the ''Brahmotsavam'', is celebrated during the [[Tamil calendar|Tamil month]] of Vaikasi (May -June). Other festivals include Annabishekam during the Tamil month of Aipasi (October -November), [[Mahashivaratri]] and Pournami Girivalam. Every full moon, tens of thousands of pilgrims worship Erumbeeswarar by circumambulating the hill barefoot. The circumambulation covers the circumference of the hill, and is referred as ''girivalam''.<ref name="Hindu"/><ref name="temple"/><ref name="Melton">{{Cite book|last=Melton |first= J. Gordon |title=The Encyclopedia of Religious Phenomena|year=2008 |publisher=Visible Ink Press |location=MI |isbn=978-1-57859-209-8}}</ref>

== Literary mention ==
The temple is counted as one of the temples built on the banks of [[River Kaveri]].<ref name=Ka>{{cite book|title=River cauvery the most battl(r)ed|last=Ka. Vi.|first=Kannan|page=30|publisher=Notion Press|year=2019|isbn=9781684666041|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4CGFDwAAQBAJ&q=thiruvavaduthurai}}</ref> [[Appar]], a 7th-century [[Tamil language|Tamil]] [[Saivite]] saint poet and ''[[nayanmar]]'', has revered Erumbeeswarar and the temple in his verses in ''[[Tevaram]]'', compiled as the ''Fifth Tirumurai''. As the temple is revered in ''Tevaram'', it is classified as ''[[Paadal Petra Sthalam]]'', one of the 276 temples that find mention in the Saiva canon. The temple is counted as the seventh in the list of temples in the southern banks of river [[Cauvery]].<ref name="bhel"/><ref name="appar">{{cite web |url=http://projectmadurai.org/pm_etexts/pdf/pm0188.pdf|title=Tevaram Of Tirunavukkaracu Cuvamikal Tirumurai 5 part - 2 Poems(510-516)|access-date=2011-12-13 |last=Swamigal |first=Tirunavukkarasu |publisher=projectmadurai.org|pages=33–34}}</ref> Appar has glorified the temple in nine poems referring the place as "Erumbiyur" and the deity as "Erubmiyur Eesan", meaning god of Erumbiyur.<ref name="appar"/> [[Manickavasagar]], a 9th-century Tamil saint and poet has revered Erumbeeswarar in his work, ''[[Thiruvasakam]]''. ''Tiruverumbiyur Puranam'' is a religious work that describes the religious history of the temple. [[Ramalinga Swamigal]] (1823-74 CE) has revered Erumbeeswarar and the temple in his religious work, ''Thiruvarutpa''.<ref name="temple"/>

==Gallery==
<gallery mode="packed-hover" heights="180">
Malaikovil Full View.JPG|Malaikovil Front View
Rajagopuram at Erumbeeshwarar Temple.JPG|Rajagopuram at Erumbeeshwarar Temple
Narungulal Nayagi Amman Gopuram.JPG|Narungulal Nayagi Amman Gopuram
Teppakkulam Top View.JPG|Teppakkulam Top View
Tamil Sculptures in Erumbeeswarar Temple.JPG|Tamil Sculptures in Erumbeeswarar Temple
Erumbeeswarar Temple Corridor.JPG|Erumbeeswarar Temple Corridor
Ruined Area of Erumbeeswarar Temple.JPG|Ruined Area of Erumbeeswarar Temple
</gallery>

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book|title=Donors, devotees, and daughters of God: temple women in medieval Tamilnadu|last=Orr|first=Leslie C.|publisher=Oxfort University Press|year=2000|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F___xKcP8lMC&q=tiruverumbur+temple&pg=PA65|isbn=0-19-509962-1|ref=Orr}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20121004034042/http://www.erumbeeswararkovil.in/Erumbeeswarar_home.htm Official website of Erumbeeswarar temple]
{{commons category|Erumbeeswarar Temple}}
{{Tiruchirappalli}}
{{Temples_around_Tiruchirappalli}}
{{Famous Shiva temples}}

[[Category:Padal Petra Stalam]]
[[Category:Historic sites in Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Shiva temples in Tiruchirappalli district]]
[[Category:Chola architecture]]
[[Category:Dravidian architecture]]
[[Category:Hindu temples in Tiruchirappalli]]

Erumbeeswarar Temple - Revision history

ShantaeBpy: adding basic location initial version