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2021-10-11T13:44:10Z

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{{Unreferenced|date=October 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}
{{Infobox temple
| name = Karaikandeswarar Temple
| image = File:Karikandeswarar temple.jpg
| caption = View of the temple towers
| map_type = India Tamil Nadu
| map_caption = Location within Tamil Nadu
| coordinates = {{coord|12|23|20.5|N|78|58|02.4|E|type:landmark_region:IN|display=inline,title}}
|country = {{flag|India}}
| state = [[Tamil Nadu]]
| district = [[Tiruvannamalai district]]
| locale = Kanji Village Panjayat
| elevation_m =
| deity = Karaikandeswarar (Shiva)
Periyanayagi Amman (Parvati)
| Direction_posture =
| Pushakarani =
| Vimanam =
| Poets =
| Prathyaksham =
| festivals= [[Panguni Uthiram]]
| architecture = [[Tamil architecture|Tamil]]
| temple_quantity =
| monument_quantity=
| inscriptions =
| year_completed =
| creator =
}}
'''Karaikandeswarar Temple, Kanji''' is a Tamil [[Hindu temple]] dedicated to the deity [[Shiva]], located in [[Kanji, Tamil Nadu|Kanji]] village near the town of [[Thiruvannamalai]] in [[Tamil Nadu]], India. Karaikandeswarar Temple, is the first [[Karaikandeswarar]] ([[shiva]]) temple among seven (saptha) temples all these temples are located on the banks of [[Cheyyar River]] in different places. The temple was Constructed in the Dravidian style of [[architecture]]. In this temple [[Shiva]] is worshiped as Karaikandeswarar, and is represented by the [[lingam]]. His consort [[Parvati]] is depicted as Periyanayagi Amman. The temple has four daily [[ritual]]s at various times from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. The [[Panguni Uthiram|Panguni uthiram]] festival is celebrated during month of [[Tamil calendar|Panguni]] on the day the moon transits in the asterism or nakshatram of Uttara-phalguni or Uthiram in the twelfth month of the Tamil solar calendar i.e. [[Panguni]] (March–April). It is the full moon of the month of Panguni ([[Tamil calendar|Tamil month]]).The present masonry structure was built by Se.Ve.Venketaraman chettiyar.

==Religious Practices==
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. a Brahmin sub-caste. The temple rituals are performed four times a day; Ushathkalam at 5:30 a.m., Kalasanthi at 8:00 a.m., Uchikalam at 10:00 a.m., Sayarakshai at 6:00 p.m., and Ardha Jamam at 10:00 p.m. Each ritual comprises four steps: abhisheka (sacred bath), alangaram (decoration), neivethanam (food offering) and deepa aradanai (waving of lamps) for both Karaikandeswarar and Periyanayagi Amman. 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''.

==Festivals==
The temple celebrates dozens of festivals throughout the year. The most important of these is the [[Panguni Uthiram|Panguni uthiram]] (or Phalguni in devanagari) Brahmotsavam that lasts ten days during the Tamil month of Panguni, between March and April, concluding with the celebration of Kalyanotsavam. In Brahmotsavam, the idols of Karaikandeswarar and Periyanagi are decorated with clothes and jewels, are mounted on a vahana, and then taken around the maadha veeti (streets) in a pradakshinam (a clockwise path when seen from above). This is repeated with different vahanas over the next nine days. The more important of the individual pradakshinams are the Athigara Nandhi on the first day, the Rishaba Vahanam on the midnight of the fifth day, and the ''Natarajar'' festival on the Ninth day.

Tiruvoodal is another festival celebrated during the first week of the Tamil month ''Thai'' at mid-January of every year. On the morning of ''Maatu Pongal'', between 15 and 16 January, [[Nandi (bull)|Nandi]] is decorated with garlands made of fruits, vegetables and sweets. The festival deities of Karaikandeswarar and Periyanayagi Amman are taken out of the temple to Tiruoodal street to enact the ''oodal'' (or love tiff) between the two in the evening.

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Hindu temples in Tiruvannamalai district]]

{{TamilNadu-hindu-temple-stub}}

Karaikandeswarar temple, Kanji - Revision history

->Venkat TL: Added {{Unreferenced}} tag