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{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox temple
| name = Kasi Viswanathar Temple
| image = Kasi Viswanathar, Sivakasi1.jpg
| alt =
| caption =
| map_type = India Tamil Nadu
| map_caption = Kasi Viswanathar Temple, [[Sivakasi]], [[Virudhunagar district|Virudhunagar]], [[Tamil Nadu]]
| coordinates = {{coord|9|27|01|N|77|47|44|E|type:landmark_region:IN|display=inline,title}}
| other_names =
| proper_name =
| country = {{flag|India}}
| state = [[Tamil Nadu]]
| district = [[Virudhunagar district|Virudhunagar]]
| location = [[Sivakasi]]
| elevation_m =
| deity = Kasi Viswanathar ([[Shiva]])
Visalakshi ([[Parvathi]])
| Direction_posture =
| Pushakarani =
| Vimanam =
| Poets =
| Prathyaksham =
| festivals=
| architecture = [[South Indian architecture]]
| temple_quantity =
| monument_quantity=
| inscriptions =
| year_completed =
| creator =
| website =
}}

'''Kasi Viswanathar Temple''' in [[Sivakasi]], a town in [[Virudhunagar district]] in the South Indian state of [[Tamil Nadu]], is dedicated to the Hindu god [[Shiva]]. Constructed in the [[south Indian architecture|South Indian style of architecture]], the temple is believed to have been built by Pandyan ruler Harikesari Parakkirama Pandian during the 16th century, with later additions from [[Madurai Nayaks]]. Shiva is worshipped as Kasi Viswanathar and his consort [[Parvathi]] as Visalakshi. The temple was the scene of temple entry movement in 1899, followed by [[Sivakasi riots of 1899|Sivakasi riots]] when 22 people were killed.

A granite wall surrounds the temple, enclosing all its shrines. The temple is open from 6 am - 12 pm and 4 - 8:30 pm on all days except during new moon days when it is open the full day. Four daily rituals and three yearly festivals are held at the temple, of which the Brahmostavam festival during the [[Tamil calendar|Tamil]] month of ''Vaiakasi'' (May - June) being the most prominent. The temple is maintained and administered by the Hindu Religious and Endowment Board of the [[Government of Tamil Nadu]].

==Legend==
[[File:Kasi Viswanathar, Sivakasi2.jpg|250px|thumb|left|The first precinct]]
As per Hindu legend, a [[Pandya kingdom|Pandya]] king Harikesari Parakkirama Pandian wanted to construct a temple for Hindu god [[Shiva]] at [[Tenkasi]] and went to [[Varanasi|Kasi]] to bring a [[lingam]], the most common iconic representation of Shiva in South India. While returning to his palace with the prized lingam, he rested under the grove of a [[Aegle marmelos|vilva]] tree, the favourite tree of Shiva. When a cow carrying the lingam refused to move from the spot, the king realised that it was a divine wish of Shiva, and he placed the lingam in the place where the cow halted. The place where the "shivalingam brought from Kasi" was installed came to be known as Sivakasi. Since he brought the lingam from Kasi, it came to be known as Kasi Viswanathar temple.<ref name="history">{{cite web|title=Sivakasi History|publisher=Sivakasi Municipality|url=http://municipality.tn.gov.in/sivakasi/abt_Historical%20moments.htm|year=2011|access-date=2012-12-29|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130108081250/http://municipality.tn.gov.in/sivakasi/abt_Historical%20moments.htm|archive-date=2013-01-08}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Om Namah Shivaya|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TQAJ2NOx0EoC&dq=sivakasi+temple&pg=PA33|last= Subramaniam|first= Neela|publisher=Young Kids Press|location=Chennai|page=4|isbn=81-7478-510-8}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Kasi Viswanathar, Sivakasi3.jpg|250px|thumb|Pillared hall leading to the sanctum]]
Sivakasi was established during the early 15th century CE. Between 1428 and 1460, a [[Pandya kingdom|Pandya]] king Harikesari Parakkirama Pandian ruled the southern part of Madurai region, comprising the modern day Sivakasi and it surroundings. Sivakasi was a part of Madurai region during the 16th century. Madurai became independent from [[Vijayanagar Empire]] in 1559 under the [[Madurai Nayak Dynasty|Nayaks]] and the temple started receiving gifts from the rulers of the dynasty.<ref>{{Citation|last=V.|first=Vriddhagirisan|page=[https://archive.org/details/nayaksoftanjore0000vrid/page/115 115]|title=Nayaks of Tanjore|year=1995|orig-year=1942|publisher=Asian Educational Services|location=New Delhi|isbn=81-206-0996-4|url=https://archive.org/details/nayaksoftanjore0000vrid/page/115}}</ref> There are no indication of history of the temple after the Nayak rule ended in 1736 and [[Madurai]] was repeatedly captured several times by [[Chanda Sahib]] (1740 – 1754), [[Nawab of the Carnatic|Arcot Nawab]] and [[Muhammed Yusuf Khan]] (1725 – 1764) in the middle of 18th century.<ref>{{cite book|last=Harman|first=William. P|title=The sacred marriage of a Hindu goddess|year=1992|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn=978-81-208-0810-2|pages=30–36|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F_siW9T3ev4C&pg=PA36}}</ref> In 1801, [[Madurai]] came under the direct control of the [[British East India Company]] and was annexed to the [[Madras Presidency]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Markovits|first=Claude |title=A History of Modern India, 1480–1950|year=2004 |publisher=Wimbledon Publishing Company|page=253 |location=London |isbn=1-84331-152-6|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uzOmy2y0Zh4C&pg=PA253}}</ref>

During the 1800s, [[Nadars]], then aspiring business community, established their commercial base in the town. By the end of the 19th century, the Nadars’ rapid rise as a business community lead to confrontation with the Maravars. The Nadars were denied entry to the temple and when they tried to enter in 1899, it led to a series of riots which became known as the [[Sivakasi riots of 1899|Sivakasi riots]]. A total of 22 people were killed, as many as 800 houses and Big chariot in center of the city (used by temple during festival) were burnt during the riots. Eventually the riots came to an end after the intervention of the military in mid-July 1899.<ref>{{cite book | title=The Nadars of Tamil Nadu| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KZ9mqiLgkdEC&dq=sivakasi+riots&pg=PA118| first=Robert|last= Hardgrave| page=118| publisher=University of California Press| year=1969}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=TS18990801.2.67|title=Current Topics|date=1 August 1899|work=Star|location= Christchurch, New Zealand|page=4|access-date=2009-11-08}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Ritualizing on the Boundaries: Continuity And Innovation in the Tamil Diaspora|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uRxAOJWnyEwC&dq=sivakasi+riots&pg=PA89|pages=89–90|last= Clothey|first=Fred W.|publisher=University of South California|year=2006|isbn=9781570036477}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Converting Women: Gender and Protestant Christianity in Colonial South India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HzlkWtM9IJYC&dq=sivakasi+riots&pg=PA299|last= Kent|first=Eliza F.|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2004|page=299|isbn=0-19-516507-1|location=New York}}</ref> The temple is maintained and administered by the Hindu Religious and Endowment Board of the [[Government of Tamil Nadu]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Property of the temple|url=http://property.tnhrce.org/Arulmigu_Viswanatha_Swami%20_%20Sivakasi/VIRFT005.pdf|publisher=Hindu Religious and Endowment Board, [[Government of Tamil Nadu]]|access-date=2 November 2015|year=1949|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304132927/http://property.tnhrce.org/Arulmigu_Viswanatha_Swami%20_%20Sivakasi/VIRFT005.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Architecture==
The temple is located in the Bazaar street, a busy business locality in Sivakasi. The temple has a three-tiered [[gopuram]] (temple tower). The temple has a pillared hall from the entrance leading to the flagstaff hall. The sanctum is located axial to the entrance facing east. The image of Kasi Viswanathar in the form of lingam is housed in the sanctum. The images of [[Vinayaka]] and [[Murugan|Subramanya]] are located on either side of the hall leading to the sanctum. The shrine of Sivakami is located parallel to the sanctum facing East. There is a second flagstaff located axial to the Sivakami shrine and perpendicular to the flagstaff facing Viswanathar shrine. The right of the main entrance facing the Sivakami shrine is the temple water tank. There are smaller shrines of [[Ayyappa]], [[Dakshinamurthy]], Arumugar, [[Durga]], [[Navagraha]]s and [[Nataraja]] in the precinct around the shrines of Kasi Viswanatha and Visalakshi.<ref name="dinamalar"/>

==Festival==
[[File:Kasi Viswanathar, Sivakasi4.jpg|250px|thumb|The [[Pushkarni|temple tank]]]]
The temple follows Saivite tradition. The temple priests perform the ''[[puja (Hinduism)|pooja]]'' (rituals) during festivals and on a daily basis. The temple rituals are performed four times a day: ''Kalasanthi'' at 8:30 a.m., ''Uchikalam'' at 11:30 p.m., ''Sayarakshai'' at 5:30 p.m., and ''Aravanai Pooja'' between 8:00  - 8:00 p.m. There are weekly, monthly and fortnightly rituals performed in the temple. The temple is open from 6am - 12 pm and 4-8:30 pm on all days except during festival days when it is open the full day. There are various festivals celebrated in the temple. The Brahmostavam festival during the [[Tamil calendar|Tamil]] month of ''Vaiakasi'' (May - June) is the most prominent festival celebrated in the temple. Nataraja Thirumanjana during ''Aani'' (June - July), Visalakshi Tapas festival during ''Aadi'' (July - August), Moola festival during ''Aavani'' (August - September), [[Navarathri]], Soorasamharam during ''Aipassi'' (October - November), Karthikai festival, Thiruvathirai, Thaipoosam, Sivarathri, Panguni Uthiram are the other festival celebrated in the temple.<ref name="dinamalar">{{cite web|title=Sri Kasi Viswanathar temple|url=https://temple.dinamalar.com/new.php?id=1309|access-date=2 November 2015|year=2014}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Famous Shiva temples}}

[[Category:Hindu temples in Virudhunagar district]]
[[Category:Shiva temples in Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Shiva temples in Virudhunagar district]]

Kasi Viswanathar Temple, Sivakasi - Revision history

Gurupratap Rajan: done