Kalyanasundaresar Temple, Nallur

According to the Hindu legend, the god Shiva sent the sage Agastya to this place to balance the weight of the deities attending his marriage with Parvati. At the spot where the temple now stands, Agastya witnessed the marriage of Shiva and Parvati. The sage installed a lingam (symbol of Shiva) behind the main lingam to worship Shiva.

As per another legend, one of the 63 Nayanars, Amaraneedi Nayanar, spent his life supplying loincloths to the worshipers of Shiva. Shiva wanted to test his devotion and came to him, disguised as a Brahmin. The Brahmin deposited his loin-cloth in the custody of Amaraneethi, which was lost by a divine trick. The Brahmin demanded equal weight in gold as a replacement for his loincloth. The Brahmin placed another loincloth on one side of a scale pan, and Amaraneedi deposited all his wealth on the other side, but it did not balance. Finally, he submitted himself and his wife on the scale pan. Shiva was pleased by the devotion of the Nayanar and bestowed him with all his wishes.^[2][3]

History

The 7th-century

The temple is constructed in Dravidian style of architecture. It is classified as Perunkoil (also called Madakkoil): a big temple built on a higher platform of a natural or man-made mounds. Literary evidence is found in the works of Tirugnanasambandhar, who refers the temple as Madakkoil.^[6]

The temple has a five-tiered

.

The temple has a large tank called Saptasagaram, located outside the main entrance. The temple complex is enclosed by granite walls, built around the third precinct.[2]^[3]

Worship and religious practices

The temple priests perform the

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 somavaram (Monday) and sukravaram (Friday), fortnightly rituals like

Shivrathri in February–March and Margazhi Tiruvadhirai in December–January are the major yearly festivals celebrated in the temple. Masi Magam celebrated during the Tamil month of Masi is considered the most prominent festival of the temple.^[7]

During Masi Magam festival, the Somaskanda Murthy is taken in procession around the temple.

Pregnant women conduct bangle ceremony in the temple, praying to the central deity of the temple and Kali for smooth delivery. Tonsure ceremony for getting children shaved for the first time to promote proper growth is a very common worship practice. Shiva is believed to have shown his feet to saint Thirunavukkarasar and hence the practice of blessing with Sadari, which is otherwise practiced in Vishnu temples, is followed in the temple.[3]

Religious significance

Cauvery

that are recorded in the canon.

Tamil பெண்ணமருந் திருமேனி யுடையீர் பிறங்குசடைதாழப் பண்ணமரும் நான்மறையே பாடியாடல் பயில்கின்றீர் திண்ணமரும் பைம்பொழிலும் வயலுஞ்சூழ்ந்த திருநல்லூர் மண்ணமருங் கோயிலே கோயிலாக மகிழ்ந்தீரே.	IPA pɛ̝˞ɳɳʌmʌɾɨn̺ t̪ɪɾɨme:n̺ɪ· ɪ̯ɨ˞ɽʌjɪ̯i:r pɪɾʌŋgɨsʌ˞ɽʌɪ̯ðɑ˞:ɻʌp pʌ˞ɳɳʌmʌɾɨm n̺ɑ:n̺mʌɾʌjɪ̯e· pɑ˞:ɽɪɪ̯ɑ˞:ɽʌl pʌɪ̯ɪlgʲɪn̺d̺ʳi:r t̪ɪ˞ɳɳʌmʌɾɨm pʌɪ̯mbo̞˞ɻɪlɨm ʋʌɪ̯ʌlɨɲʤu˞:ɻn̪d̪ə t̪ɪɾɨn̺ʌllu:r mʌ˞ɳɳʌmʌɾɨŋ ko:ɪ̯ɪle· ko:ɪ̯ɪlɑ:xə mʌçɪ˞ɻn̪d̪i:ɾe· .
you have a holy body in which a lady stays. when the glittering caṭai is hanging low, you are practising dance singing the four Vēdas in which there are melody-types. in tirunallūr which is surrounded by fields and verdant gardens of great strength. you are rejoicing in dwelling in the temple which is desired by the people of this world.[8][11]

The temple tank, Sapthasagaram, is considered sacred.

Mahabaratha

period, is believed to have taken a holy dip in the tank, worshiping Kalyanasundaresar. This incident is recorded in some of the inscriptions in the temple, but this story is not even mentioned in Mahabharatha.

The lingam in the temple is believed to change colours five times during the day. It takes the colour of copper from 6:00–8:24, light red from 8:25–10:48, molten gold from 10:49–15:12, unknown colour from 13:13–15:36, and emerald green from 15:37–18:00. The vilwa tree in the temple is believed to be the first of its kind in the planet and hence called "Aadhi tree". Gananatha, a form of Shiva, in the form of balipeeta (platform for offering), is located in the temple. It is the only other place outside Varanasi, where Gananatha is found in the form.^[2][3]

References

1. ^ ta:திருநல்லூர் பஞ்சவர்ணேசுவரர் கோயில்
2. ^
   ISBN 9788120601512
   .
3. ^ ^{a b c d} "Sri Kalyanasundaresar temple". Dinamalar. Retrieved 4 July 2013.
4. ^ "List of Padalpetra stalam maintained by Thiruvaduthurai Adheenam". Thiruvaduthurai Adheenam. Retrieved 4 July 2013.
5. ^ "History of Thiruvaduthurai Adheenam". Thiruvaduthurai Adheenam. Retrieved 4 July 2013.
6. ISBN 978-81-7823-542-4
   .
7. ^ V., Meena (1974). Temples in South India (1st ed.). Kanniyakumari: Harikumar Arts. p. 28.
8. ^ ^{a b} Thirugnanasambandar (2004). Irandam Thirumurai (PDF). Online: Project Madurai. pp. 81–82. Retrieved 4 July 2013.
9. ^ Thirunavukkarasar (2004). Aaram Thirumurai (PDF). Online: Project Madurai. pp. 33–35. Retrieved 4 July 2013.
10. ISBN 9781684666041
    .
11. ^ "Irandam Thirumurai Translation". Thevaaram.org. 2012. Retrieved 4 July 2013.

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