Thayumanaswami Temple, Rockfort
Thayumanaswami Temple | |
---|---|
Religion | |
Affiliation | Hinduism |
Deity | Thayumanavar Mattuvar Kuzhalammai |
Location | |
Location | Trichi |
State | Tamil Nadu |
Country | India |
Location in Tamil Nadu | |
Geographic coordinates | 10°49′43″N 78°41′49″E / 10.82861°N 78.69694°E |
Architecture | |
Type | Dravidian architecture |
The Thayumanavar Temple is a temple situated in the
According to Hindu legend, a pregnant woman named Rathnavathi was an ardent devotee of Shiva and he arrived in the form of her mother to attend to her delivery. The presiding deity is thus named Thayumanaswamy, the one who acted as mother. The Rockfort is a fortress which stands atop a 273-foot-high rock, consisting of a set of monolithic rocks accommodating many rock-cut cave temples. Originally built by the Pallavas, it was later reconstructed by the Madurai Nayaks and Vijayanagara rulers. The major complex in the temple is believed to be built during the 8th century by the
The temple has six daily rituals at various times from 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., and twelve yearly festivals on its calendar. The Chittirai festival during the Tamil month of Chittirai (April - May) is celebrated for fifteen days, portraying the various incidents associated with the temple legend. The temple is maintained and administered by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu.
Legend
According to Hindu legend, a pregnant woman named Rathnavathi was an ardent devotee of Shiva. While nearing labour, she requested her mother to come over. Her mom could not reach on account of heavy floods in river Cauvery. As the delivery time came closer, Rathnavathi prayed to Shiva. Shiva, moved by the devotion of Rathnavathi, took the form of Rathnavathi's mother and helped with her smooth delivery. After the delivery, Shiva vanished and Rathnavathi's mother arrived later. The family learned that it was Shiva who attended to the delivery. Henceforth, Shiva in the temple came to be known as Thayumanaswamy, meaning the Lord who acted like a Mother. The temple obtained the name from the presiding deity, Thayumanaswamy.[1][2] Shiva disguised himself as a mother for a pregnant lady, leading to the name Thayumanavar, meaning the one who became a mother.[3]
According to
As per another legend, due to a fight between
History
Tiruchirapalli was the capital of the
The Rockfort is a fortress which stands atop a 273-foot-high rock.
Architecture
The temple complex has three shrines, two of which are dedicated to
The temple is located halfway up the
Worship and festivals
The temple priests perform the
The temple celebrates dozens of festivals throughout the year. The Chittirai festival during the Tamil month of Chittirai (April - May) is celebrated for fifteen days, portraying the various incidents associated with the temple legend. The car festival is held on the ninth day, when the processional deities of Thayumanswamy and Mattuvar Kuzhalammai are taken out in separate chariots around the temple in NSB Road, Nandikovil Street, North and East Andar Streets and the Malaivasal.
Every full moon, tens of thousands of pilgrims worship Thayumanaswami by circumambulating the Tiruchirappalli hill barefoot. The circumambulation covers the circumference around the hill, and is referred to as Girivalam. On the day of yearly Chitra Pournami, the full moon of the Tamil calendar, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims come from across the world to worship Thayumanaswami.[17]
Saints and literary mention
Notes
- ^ a b "The Temple on the Rock". Arulmigu Thayumanaver Swamy Thirukovil, Hindu Religious and Endowment Board of the Government of Tamil Nadu. Archived from the original on 13 January 2014. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
- ^ M.K.V. 2007, p. 73
- ^ V., Meena (1974). Temples in South India (1st ed.). Kanniyakumari: Harikumar Arts. p. 21.
- ^ a b c Hemingway 1907, p. 2.
- ^ Yule & Burnell 1903, p. 938.
- ISBN 978-93-83440-34-4.
- ^ "Poetry in stone". The Hindu. 22 April 2001. Archived from the original on 16 October 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2011.
- ^ Untracht 1997, p. 389.
- ^ "Alphabetical List of Monuments – Tamil Nadu". Archaeological Survey of India. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
- ^ Sundararaj 1981, p. 119.
- ^ a b Rajendran, Nuvena (14 November 2013). "Trichy, rich in heritage and history". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
- ^ a b Knapp, p. 359
- ^ Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Act, 1959
- ^ de Bruyn, Venkatraman & Bain 2006, p. 243.
- ^ Ganesan, S. (10 March 2005). "Crocodile in Rockfort temple tank keeps visitors away". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 6 April 2005. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
- ^ Press Trust of India (27 October 2010). "Study uncovers interesting details of cave temple architecture". The Hindu. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
- ^ a b c "Sri Thayumanava Swami temple". Dinamalar. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
- ^ "Devotees throng Rockfort Temple". The Hindu. Tiruchi. 11 May 2007. Archived from the original on 13 September 2007. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
- ^ "Thousands witness Karthigai deepam at Rockfort temple". The Hindu. Tiruchi. 18 November 2013. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
- ^ "Muthalam Thirumurai Translation". Thevaaram.org. 2012. Retrieved 6 September 2012.
- ^ Tirugnanasambadar (2004). Muthal Thirumurai (PDF). Online: Project Madurai. pp. 110–111.
- ^ "Aintham Thirumurai Translation". Thevaaram.org. 2012. Retrieved 6 September 2012.
- ^ Thirunavukkarasar (2004). Aintham Thirumurai (PDF). Online: Project Madurai. pp. 46–47.
- ^ Lal 1992, p. 4326
- ^ Pillai 1904, p. 172
- ^ Pillai 1994, p. 306
References
- de Bruyn, Pippa de; Venkatraman, Niloufer; Bain, Keith (2006). Frommer's India. John Wiley & Sons. p. 243. ISBN 978-0-471-79434-9.
- Hemingway, Frederick Ricketts (1907). Madras District Gazetteers: Trichinopoly. Vol. 1. Government Press.
- Knapp, Stephen (2009). Spiritual India Handbook. Jaico Publishing House. ISBN 9788184950243.
- Lal, Mohan (1992). Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature: sasay to zorgot. Sahitya Akademi. ISBN 9788126012213.
- M.K.V., Narayan (2007). Flipside of Hindu Symbolism: Sociological and Scientific Linkages in Hinduism. Fultus Corporation. ISBN 9781596821170.
- Pillai, M. S. Purnalingam (1904). A Primer of Tamil Literature. Madras: Ananda Press.
- Pillai, M. S. Purnalingam (1994). Tamil Literature. Asian Educational Services. p. 115. ISBN 978-81-206-0955-6.
- Sundararaj, T. (1981). "A Historical Sketch of Trichinopoly Rock Fort". Journal of Indian History. 59. Dept. of Modern Indian History.
- Tourist Guide to Tamil Nadu. Sura Books. 2010. pp. 89–90. ISBN 978-81-7478-177-2.
- Untracht, Oppi (1997). Traditional Jewelry of India. Harry N. Abrams, Inc. ISBN 978-0-8109-3886-1.
- Yule, Sir Henry; Burnell, Arthur Coke (1903). "Trichinopoly". Hobson-Jobson: A glossary of colloquial Anglo-Indian words and phrases. J. Murray. Archived from the originalon 15 December 2012.