ClintCarswell72: made new place

2025-01-14T01:05:01Z

made new place

New page

{{Short description|Shiva temple in Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu, India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2020}}
{{Infobox Hindu temple
| name = Thirukandiyur
| image = Brahma Kandeeswarar temple (11).jpg
| alt =
| caption =
| map_type = India Tamil Nadu
| map_caption = Location in Tamil Nadu
| coordinates = {{coord|10|51|36|N|79|6|30|E|type:landmark_region:IN|display=inline,title}}
| native_name = Brahma Sira Kandeeswarar Temple
| country = [[India]]
| state = [[Tamil Nadu]]
| district = [[Thanjavur district|Thanjavur]]
| locale = Kandiyur
| deity = Brahma Sira Kandeeswarar<br>([[Shiva]])
| architecture = [[Dravidian architecture]]
| temple_quantity =
| monument_quantity=
| inscriptions =
| year_completed =
| creator =
| website =
}}

'''Kandeeswarar Temple''' (also called '''Brahmakandeeswarar temple''', '''Brahmasirakandeeswarar temple''' and '''Veerataneeswarar temple''') is a [[Hindu temple]] dedicated to the god [[Shiva]] located in [[Kandiyur]] also known as Thirukkandiyur or Tirukkandiyur, near [[Tiruvaiyaru]], [[Tamil Nadu]], [[India]]. Shiva is worshiped as Kandeeswarar, and is represented by the ''[[lingam]]'' and his consort [[Parvati]] is depicted as Mangalanayagi. The presiding deity is revered in the 7th-century-CE Tamil Saiva canonical work, the ''[[Tevaram]]'', written by Tamil poet saints known as the [[nayanars]] and classified as ''[[Paadal Petra Sthalam]]''. As per legends, Shiva is believed to have destroyed eight different demons and the eight [[Ashta Veeratta Stalam|Ashta Veeratanam temples]] are built signifying each of his victories in the war. The temple is one of the eight where Shiva is believed to have removed one of the five heads of [[Brahma]].

There are many inscriptions associated with the temple indicating contributions from: [[Cholas]], [[Thanjavur Nayaks]] and [[Thanjavur Maratha kingdom]]. The temple has numerous shrines. The shrines of Kandeeswarar and Mangalanayagi are the most prominent. The temple-complex houses many halls and three precincts. The temple has six daily rituals at various times from 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., and many yearly festivals on its calendar. The temple is one of the Sapthastanams of [[Aiyarappar temple]] and the Sapthastanam festival celebrated during the month of January is the most prominent festival in the temple, and the region. The temple is maintained and administered by [[Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department]] of the [[Government of Tamil Nadu]]. Many temples have same name, [[Kandeshwarar Temple]] is also in Thamarankottai, a village in Pattukottai taluk of Thanjavur district.

==Legend==
[[File:Bhairava Brahma.jpg|200px|left|thumb|Brahma praying to Shiva]]
As per Hindu legend, [[Brahma]], the Hindu god of creation and [[Shiva]], the Hindu god of destruction, had originally five heads. [[Parvati]], the wife of Shiva, once got confused and performed ''patha pooja'' (ablution of feet, considered an act of respect) to Brahma, instead of Shiva. Shiva got enraged and cut off one of Brahma's heads; the cut head got stuck in his hand due to Brahma's curse. To get rid off the sin, Shiva worshipped Vishnu at [[Uthamar Kovil|Thirukarambanur]] as [[Bhikshatana]], where a part of his sin was relieved. He got his curse fully relieved after visiting Vishnu at Thirukandiyur and taking a holy dip in the temple tank, Kamala Pushkarani. Since Vishnu relieved (''vimochana'') the sin (''saabha'') of Shiva (also called Hara), the temple is called [[Hara Saabha Vimocchana Perumal Temple|Hara Sabha Vimochana temple]]. After the incident, the tank came to be known as Kapala Theertham (''kapala'' indicates skull). Shiva was pleased and he built the Hara Sabha Vimochana temple and also built a temple for himself near it.

As per another legend, [[Lakshmi]], the consort of Vishnu requested Shiva to cut off one of the heads of Brahma as she felt that Vishnu would ignore her and show all his affection towards Brahma. Sage Bhrigu, King Mahabali and Chandra (Moon) all got their sins relieved worshipping Vishnu here in the temple. Sage Bhrigu, once wanted to test the superior of Vishnu, Brahma and Shiva. He kicked Vishnu in his chest in anger and got relieved of the sin here. Chandra, who sinned by seducing the preceptor's wife, got partially relieved of it by worshipping Hara Saabha Vimochana Perumal.<ref name="hindu">{{cite news|title=Temple for the Great Trinity |url=http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/fr/2003/03/21/stories/2003032101220600.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031013112053/http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/fr/2003/03/21/stories/2003032101220600.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 October 2003|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=21 March 2003|last=T.A.|first=Srinivasan|access-date=2013-09-09}}</ref>

==Architecture==
{{multiple image
|align=right
|direction=
| total_width = 350
|height=200
|image1=Brahma Kandeeswarar temple (5).jpg
|width1=3210
|height1=2253
|image2=Brahma Kandeeswarar temple (6).jpg
|footer=Images of Shiva and Brahma on the walls around the sanctum
|width2=2186
|height2=3174
}}

The temple is located 21 km away from [[Kumbakonam]] on the [[Kumbakonam]]- [[Tiruvaiyaru]]- [[Tanjore]] road. The temple is 2 km away from [[Tiruvaiyaru]] and located in the heart of Thirukandiyur.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Top Ten Temple Towns of India|page=81|publisher=Mark Age Publication|first=S.C.|last=Karkar|location=Kolkota|isbn=978-81-87952-12-1|year=2009}}</ref> Kandeeswarar has a five-tiered ''[[gopuram|rajagopuram]]'' and a west-facing sanctum. The sanctum lies axil to the temple gateway and the flag staff, which is located after the gopuram in the second precinct. The shrine of Ambal ([[Parvati]]) is south facing and she is sported in standing posture. There are shrines of Vinayagar ([[Ganesha]]), Murugan ([[Kartikeya]]) with [[Valli]] & [[Deivanai]], [[Lakshmi|Mahalakshmi]] and [[Vishnudurga|Vishnu Durga]]. The images of [[Brahma]], [[Lingodbhava]] and [[Dakshinamurti|Dakshinamurthy]] are located in the planks around the sanctum. The sanctum is guarded by [[Dvarapalas]] and the image of sage Sathapatha is depicted in the nearby wall. In the halls in the first precinct, there are images of Sapthastana lingas and Panchabhoota lingas. There are small images of [[Brahma]] and [[Saraswathi]] near the sanctum.<ref name=Saiva4>{{cite book|title=Saiva Encyclopaedia volume 4 - Thirumurai Thalangal|editor-last=Dr. R.|editor-first=Selvaganapathy|publisher=Saint Sekkizhaar Human Resource Development Charitable Trust|location=Chennai, India|year=2013|pages=133–4}}</ref> The temple is one of few places where there is a separate shrine for [[Brahma]].<ref>{{cite book|title=River cauvery the most battl(r)ed|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4CGFDwAAQBAJ&q=thirukandiyur&pg=PT31|page=31|last=Ka Vi.|first=Kannan|publisher=Notion Press|year=2019|isbn=9781684666041}}</ref>

==Religious significance==
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> This temple is one of the 7 shrines associated with ''[[Saptamartrikas]]'' (seven female deities in [[Shiva|Siva]] temple). The temple is one of the [[Ashta Veeratta Stalam|Ashta Veeratanam]] temples that commemorate Shiva's eight acts of valour and fury where he became victorious over demons, heroes or divinities.<ref>{{cite book|title=History of Medical and Spiritual Sciences of Siddhas of Tamil Nadu|last=P.|first=Karthigayan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Q4HDDAAAQBAJ&q=veerattam&pg=PT388|page=388|publisher=Notion Press|year=2016|isbn=9789352065523}}</ref> and also as places where he is believed to have performed with fury.<ref name=C137>{{cite book|title=Vishnu temples of South India volume 4|last=Madhavan|first=Chithra|isbn=978-81-908445-3-6|publisher=Alpha Land Books Pvt. Ltd.|year=2014|location=Chennai|page=145}}</ref><ref name=R>{{cite book|title=An introduction to religion and Philosophy - Tévarám and Tivviyappirapantam|url=https://archive.org/details/dli.jZY9lup2kZl6TuXGlZQdjZY2lZpy.TVA_BOK_0006115|last=R.|first=Dr. Vijayalakshmy|publisher=International Institute of Tamil Studies| location=Chennai|year=2001|edition=1st|pages=458–9}}</ref>
[[File:Brahma Kandeeswarar temple (12).jpg|600px|thumb|center|Panorma of the temple]]

==Saptha Stanam==
{{main|Saptha Stana Temples}}
[[File:Brahma Kandeeswarar temple (3).jpg|thumb|200px|left|The decorated palanquin used during the festival]]
{| class="toccolours" style="clear:right; float:right; background:#ffffff; margin: 0 0 0.5em 1em; width:275"
|-
!style="background:#A8BDEC;text-align:center;" colspan="2"|[[File:Hinduism symbol.png|25px|Om symbol|left]] '''Sapthastanam''' [[File:Hinduism symbol.png|25px|Om symbol|right]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2" | The seven important temples in and around [[Thiruvaiyaru]]
|-
|style="text-align:center;background:#A8BDEC"|'''Temple'''||style="text-align:center;background:#A8BDEC"|'''Location'''
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Aiyarappar temple]]||[[Thiruvaiyaru]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Apathsahayar Temple, Thirupazhanam|Apathsahayar Temple]] ||Thirupazhanam
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Odhanavaneswarar Temple, Tiruchotruturai|Odhanavaneswarar Temple]]||[[Tiruchotruturai]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Vedapuriswarar Temple, Thiruvedhikudi|Vedapuriswarar Temple]] ||[[Thiruvedhikudi]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | Kandeeswarar Temple ||[[Kandiyur|Thirukkandiyur]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Pushpavananathar Temple, Tiruppoonturutti|Puvananathar Temple]] ||Thirupanturuthi
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Neyyadiappar Temple, Tillaistanam|Neyyadiappar Temple]] ||[[Tillaistanam]]
|-
|}
The ''sapthasthanam'' festival is conducted at [[Tiruvaiyaru]] during April every year. As per Hindu legend, it is the wedding festival of [[Nandi (bull)|Nandikeswara]], the sacred bull of Shiva on the Punarpoosa Star during the [[Tamil calendar|Tamil month]] of ''Panguni''.<ref>{{cite book|title=Madras District Gazetteers: Tiruchirappalli (pt. 1-2)|page=1601|publisher=Government Press|volume=10|issue=2|year=1999|editor-last=B. S. |editor-first=Baliga}}</ref> The festival deity of Aiyarappar temple of Thiruvaiyaru is carried in a decorated glass palanquin along with the images of Nandikeswara and Suyasayambikai to the temples in Thirupazhanam, Thiruchottruthurai, Thiruvedhikudi, Thirukandiyur and Thirupoonthurthi. Each of the festival deities of the respective temples mounted in glass-palanquins, accompany Aiyarppar on the way to the "final destiny", Thillaistanam. There is a grand display of fireworks in the Cauvery Riverbed outside Thillaistanam Temple. The seven palanquins are carried to the Aiyarappar Temple in Thiruvaiyyaru. Hundreds of people witness the convergence of seven glass-palanquins carrying principal deities of respective temples from seven places at Tiruvaiyaru. The devotees perform ''Poochorithal'' (flower festival) in which a doll offers flowers to the principal deities in the palanquins. After the ''Poochorithal'', the palanquins leave for their respective temples.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Tiruchirapalli/sapthasthanam-festival-begins/article26904458.ece|title='Sapthasthanam' festival begins|date=21 April 2019|work=The Hindu|access-date=19 April 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Temples of Forgotten Glory: A Wide Angle Exposition|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ItClDwAAQBAJ&q=aiyarappar+temple&pg=PT172|page=182|first=Sekar|last=Venkatraman|isbn=9781645876250|publisher=Notion Press|year=2019|ref=Venkatraman}}</ref>

==Worship and festivals==
The temple priests perform the ''[[puja (Hinduism)|pooja]]'' (rituals) during festivals and on a daily basis. Like other Shiva temples of Tamil Nadu, the priests belong to the [[Shaivism|Shaivaite]] community, a Brahmin sub-caste. The temple rituals are performed four times a day; Ushathkalam at Kalasanthi at 8:00 a.m., Uchikalam at 10:00 a.m., Sayarakshai at 6:00 p.m., and Ardha Jamam at 8:30 p.m. Each ritual comprises four steps: ''abhisheka'' (sacred bath), ''alangaram'' (decoration), ''neivethanam'' (food offering) and ''deepa aradanai'' (waving of lamps) for both Kandeeswarar and Mangalanayagi. The worship is held amidst music with ''[[nagaswaram]]'' (pipe instrument) and ''[[tavil]]'' (percussion instrument), religious instructions in the [[Vedas]] read by priests and prostration by worshippers in front of the temple mast. There are weekly rituals like ''{{lang|te-Latn|somavaram}}'' and ''{{lang|te-Latn|sukravaram}}'', fortnightly rituals like ''[[pradosha]]m'' and monthly festivals like ''[[amavasya|amavasai]]'' (new moon day), ''kiruthigai'', ''[[pournami (festival)|pournami]]'' (full moon day) and ''sathurthi''. While Sapthastanam is the major festival in the temple, [[Shivratri]] celebrated during the [[Tamil calendar|Tamil month]] of ''Masi'' (February - March) and Thiruvadhirai during the Tamil month of ''Margazhi'' (December - January) are the other festivals in the temple.<ref name="dinamalar">{{cite web|title=Sri Brahma Sirakanteeswarar temple|url=https://temple.dinamalar.com/en/new_en.php?id=885|publisher=Dinamalar|access-date=4 January 2017}}</ref>
[[File:Brahma Kandeeswarar temple (1).jpg|600px|thumb|center|Panoramic view of the temple]]

== References ==
{{reflist|20em}}

==External links==
{{commonscat|Thirukkandiyur}}
{{Famous Shiva temples|state=collapsed}}
{{Saptha Stana Temples}}
[[Category:Padal Petra Stalam| ]]
[[Category:Shiva temples in Thanjavur district]]
[[category:Ashta Veeratta Stalam]]

Kandeeswarar Temple, Kandiyur - Revision history

ClintCarswell72: made new place