Palaivananathar Temple

Coordinates: 10°56′N 79°17′E / 10.933°N 79.283°E / 10.933; 79.283
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Palaivananathar Temple
Tirupalathurai
Tanjore
DeityPalaivananathar
(Shiva) Dhavala Vennakaimangai
(Parvati)
Location
LocationPapanasam
StateTamil Nadu
CountryIndia
Palaivananathar Temple is located in Tamil Nadu
Palaivananathar Temple
Location in Tamil Nadu
Geographic coordinates10°56′N 79°17′E / 10.933°N 79.283°E / 10.933; 79.283
Architecture
TypeDravidian architecture

Palaivananathar Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the deity Shiva, located in Papanasam, in Thanjavur district in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Shiva is worshiped as Papanasanathar, and is represented by the lingam. His consort Parvati is depicted as Thavalavennayagal. The presiding deity is revered in the 7th century Tamil Saiva canonical work, the Tevaram, written by Tamil saint poets known as the Nayanars and classified as Paadal Petra Sthalam.

The temple complex covers around one acre and can be entered through a five-tiered gopuram, the main gateway. The temple has a number of shrines, with those of Papanasanathar and Thavalavennayagal, being the most prominent. All the shrines of the temple are enclosed in large concentric rectangular granite walls. The temple has a granary made of brick from the Vijayanagar Empire, which is maintained as a monument of the state Archeological Department.

The temple has four daily rituals at various times from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., and four yearly festivals on its calendar. Chitra Pournami and Aani Thirumanjanam during the Tamil month of Aaani (June–July) are the most prominent festivals celebrated in the temple.

The original complex is believed to have been built by

Cholas, while the present masonry structure was built by Vijayanagar kings during the 16th century. In modern times, the temple is maintained and administered by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu
.

Legend

As per Hindu legend,

Vashista, Lakshmana, other celestial deities and hence got the name Papanasanathar, the one who absolves sins.[1]

Architecture

legend of Thiruvilaiyadal depicted on the walls of the gateway tower

Papanasam (Tirunelvli) (Tamil: பாபநாசம், literally means Destruction of Sins) is a panchayat town in Thanjavur district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located 14 km (8.7 mi) from Kumbakonam and 28 km (17 mi) from Thanjavur on the Kumbakonam - Thanjavur highway.[2] There are three rivers named Kaveri, Thirumalairajan and Kudamurutti in the town, with the temple located on the bank of Kudamuruti river. The walls on the temple tower has inscriptions depicting Thiruvilaiyadal, the 64 divine plays of Shiva to test his devotees. Thirupalaithurai temple with two prakarams (outer courtyard) occupies an area of 3 acres (12,000 m2), and its entrance is crowned with a five tiered Rajagopuram. The first precinct houses the images of various supporting deities of Shiva namely, Vinayagar, Dakshninamurthy, Durga, Chandesa and also the images of the 63 nayamars.[1]

There is also a world-famous granary[3] (Store House of paddy) Breadth: 86 feet (26 m), Height: 36 feet (11 m) capacity of 3,000 Kalam (measure) constructed by Raghunatha Nayak in 1600 - 1634. The granary is circular in shape and conical at the top. The State Archaeological Department maintains as a monument of state importance.[4]

History

The original complex is believed to have been built by

Chola period. In the inscriptions, the presiding deity of the temple is referred as Thirupalaithurai Makarathevar. The region is a part of Nittavinoda valanattu Nallur and the inscriptions indicate the survey of land done by the kings. The inscriptions also indicate generous contributions of land for the temple in the form of gardens and arable lands for the maintenance of the temple.[5] In modern times, the temple is administered by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu.[6][7]

Festivals and religious importance

The inner shrine of the temple

It is one of the shrines of the 275

River Kaveri. It is located on the banks of Kudamurutti, a tributary of river Kaveri.[9]

The temple priests perform the

pournami (full moon day) and sathurthi. Chitra Pournami and Aaani Thirumanjanam during the Tamil month of Aaani (June–July) are the most important festivals of the temple.[10][1]

References

  1. ^ a b c R., Dr. Vijayalakshmy (2001). An introduction to religion and Philosophy - Tévarám and Tivviyappirapantam (1st ed.). Chennai: International Institute of Tamil Studies. pp. 174–5.
  2. ISBN 978-81-87952-12-1
    .
  3. ^ "A comprehensive list of Chola inscriptions, Archaeological Survey of India". whatisindia.com. Retrieved 16 July 2011.
  4. ^ "Granary - Thirupalaithurai". Department of Archaeology, Government of Tamil Nadu. 1 January 2018. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
  5. ^ "What to see - Thanjavur district attractions". Thanjavur District Administration. Archived from the original on 18 May 2013. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
  6. ^ "Thirukoil - Temple list of Tamil Nadu" (PDF). Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments Department, Government of Tamil Nadu. p. 169. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 October 2020. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
  7. ^ S. R. Balasubrahmanyam; B. Natarajan; Balasubrahmanyan Ramachandran. Later Chola Temples: Kulottunga I to Rajendra III (A.D. 1070-1280), Parts 1070-1280. Mudgala Trust. p. 127.
  8. ^ "Thirupalaithurai". Thevaaram.org. 2011. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
  9. ISBN 9781684666041
    .
  10. ^ "Papanasanathar temple". Dinamalar. 2014. Retrieved 19 October 2018.

External links

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