Categories
Hindu Temples of India Shiva Temples of India Temples of TamilNadu

Thirupparaithurai Shiva Temple  in Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu

Spread India's Glorious Cultural & Spiritual Heritage

Thirupparaitturai is a village in the Srirangam taluk of Tiruchirappalli district in Tamil Nadu, India. It is situated on the south bank of the river Cauvery.

Trichy-Karur National Highway, Trichy-Palakkad Railway Line (Railway Station: Elamanur) have been laid through this village. It is 16 kilometers away from Trichy.

History

The ancient Shiva Temple is at the bosom of this village. There were a lot of Parai trees in ancient days. As Parai trees had grown in abundance in this village in olden days this village is called Thiru “Parai” Thurai.

This village is also a home to Shri Rajagopalan Swami. The 150-year-old temple is adjacent to the Shiva temple.

Legends

Sri Ramakrishna Tapovanam founded by Swami Chidbhavananda and Ramakrishna Kudil founded by Bramhachari Ramaswamy are the famous institutions doing commendably Yeoman and meritorious services in the academic domain and in the spiritual sphere from this village.

The Temple

This place is a Padal petra sthalam. The great Nayanars and ArunagiriNathar have sung in praise of the presiding deity of Thirupparaitturai temple.

History of the temple

This is the place then known as Tharugavanam where Lord Shiva as Pitchardanar destroyed the pride of Tharugavana Hermits.

Long long ago Tharugavana Hermits became oblivious (unmindful) Lord Shiva and thought that they could be omnipotent through their own spiritual powers.

They chanted numberless prayers and performed numberless Poojas and sacrifices. They slighted and forgot Lord Shiva completely.

Knowing all those things, Lord Shiva sent Lord Vishnu in Mohini Avatar (a beautiful woman) to set right the hermits who had gone astray.

All Tharugavana Hermits felt drawn towards Mohini by the silken bonds of love. They felt irresistibly attracted towards the infinite charm and exquisite beauty of Mohini. They all forgot their prayers, Poojas and everything.

Lord Shiva himself went as Pitchadanar (a handsome youth) to the ladies of Tharugavana hermits. They also fell in love with Pitchadanar and lost their purity.

At this the Tharugavana Hermits felt enraged and performed Homas and Yagas. They brought forth a Tiger by the strength of their Tapas and sent it to kill Shiva.

But Lord Shiva slaughtered the tiger and wore the skin as his typical dress. Lord Shiva took their thrisul as his weapon. Their baby deer was placed on his left hand. Their snakes were worn as ornaments by Lord Shiva.

Lord Shiva, otherwise, piously called Tharugavaneshwarar, ParaithuraiNathar, ParaithuraiSelvar is being worshipped by the large number of people since 7th century A.D.

The Total area of the land which the holy Temple is situated is more than 5 acres (20,000 m2). The temple is surrounded by a gigantic boundary wall.

When we enter through the main gate, an ornamented arch, the seven-tiered RajaGopuram, a holy tank, and a hundred pillar mandapam (The present Vivekandha Primary School). These things enable and enhance the sanctity of the ambience there.

As we enter the RajaGopuram, there we see a NandhiMandapam. Nandhi, a flag pillar(Dhwajasthambam) and a sacrificing altar(Balipeedam).

When we pass through this area the Inner Temple with prakaram(closed precincts of a temple) starts. There is another Gopuram in front of the inner temple. Mulavar Sannithi, Ambal Sannithi, Ancient sculptures, Vaganams, a holy well and other deities are seen inside the temple.

SthalaVirutcham(Tree of the Temple) is behind the inner Temple.

The Root (old temple) belongs to “Early Chola period” of 7th century. The temple was then renovated by V.V.R. Nagappa Chettiar of KanaduKathan.

Gods & Goddness

God : Tharugavaneswarar (Paraithurai Nather, Paraithruai Selvar)

Goddess : Pasumpon Mayeelambikai (Hema Varnambikai)

Lingam : Suyambu Lingam (Natural)

Temple Tree : Parai Tree.

Side Gods :

1. Valamburi Vinayagar 2. Saptha Kanniyar (Seven Sisters) 3. 63 Nayanmars 4. Somas Kandhar 5. Pancha Pootha Lingams 6. Murugan, Shanmugan with Valli Deivanai 7. MahaLakshmi 8. Durga Lakshmi 9. Pitchadanar 10. Brahmma 11. Durgai 12. Shandeshwarar 13. Pannirukai(12 hand) Shanmugar 14. Suriyan, Chandran 15. Selva Vinayagar 16. Azhagia Natarajar 17. Saneeshwarar riding on crow 18. Other Navagrahas 19. Kala Bairavar 20. Dhakshnamoorthi (equal to famous Alangudi Dhakshnamoorthi)


Spread India's Glorious Cultural & Spiritual Heritage

By Mala Chandrashekhar

Introducing Blogger Mala Chandrashekhar - a specialist academically trained in modern Western sciences, yet deeply enamored with India's timeless ethnic arts, crafts, and textiles. Her heart beats for the rich and glorious cultural and spiritual heritage of India, and she has dedicated her entire blog to spreading the immortal glories of ancient India worldwide. Through her simple yet impactful blog posts, Mala aims to reach every nook and corner of the globe, sharing India's beauty and wisdom with the world.

But Mala doesn't stop at just sharing her own thoughts and ideas. She welcomes constructive criticisms and suggestions to improve her blog and make it even more impactful. And if you share her passion for India's culture and heritage, she extends a warm invitation for high-quality guest blog posts.

Ready to dive into the world of India's ageless beauty? Follow Mala on LinkedIn and join her in spreading the magic of ancient India to the world.

LinkedIn Profile : https://in.linkedin.com/in/mala-chandrashekhar-04095917a

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *