NAGANATH SWAMY TEMPLE, NAGAPATTINAM, TAMILNADU-COMPILED Dear friends,
Today my posting is about the Naganathaswamy Temple at NagaPattinam in Tamilnadu. It is believed that if those suffering from Naga Doshacome and worship at the Naganatha Temple in Nagore, Nagapattinam, the doshawill be cured. The place Nagapattinam got it’s name from the Naganatha swamytemple. From Naga pattinam port recently vessels started operating to Ceylon. Hope a divine reading. Gopalakrishnan 19-05-2025 Introduction This is one of the seven Sapta Sthana temples ofNagapattinam. It is at a distance of about 6 KMfrom Nagapattinam on Nagapattinam-Karaikkal route. This is one of the Rahu-Ketuparihar sthala. There is no dhwajasthambam – only abali peetham and Nandi – which means that from the entrance, once can have aclear sight of the moolavar. Here some of theprominent mythological stories associated with the Naganathaswamy Temple: 1.The Serpent King and HisDevotion: According to legend, Nagapattinam was once ruled by a mighty serpent king named Naga.He was a devoted devotee of Lord Shiva and performed intense penance to seekhis blessings. Pleased with Naga’s devotion, Lord Shiva appeared before him andgranted him his wishes. Inhonor of this divine encounter, the Naganathaswamy Temple was established inNagapattinam. 2. Sage Valmiki’sConnection: Another popular mythological story linked to the templeinvolves the sage Valmiki, the author of the epic Ramayana. It is believed that Valmiki, duringhis pilgrimage, visited Nagapattinam and was deeply enchanted by the divineambiance of the place. He installed a Shivalinga and offered prayers to LordShiva, contributing to the temple’s significance. 3.Defeat of the DemonKesi: In Hindu mythology, the demon Kesi, a loyal servant of thedemon king Ravana, sought to conquer the world. He undertook intense penance togain extraordinary power from Lord Shiva. However, Lord Shiva, aware of Kesi’smalicious intentions, appeared before him and engaged in a fierce battle. Lord Shiva emerged victorious, andthe Naganathaswamy Temple is believed to be the site of this significant event. 4.Divine Marriage of LordShiva and Parvati: The Naganathaswamy Temple is renowned for its annualcelestial wedding ceremony of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. It is believed to be the place whereLord Shiva and Parvati united in holy matrimony. The templecelebrates this divine union through a grand festival, drawing devotees fromfar and wide to witness and participate in the joyous occasion. 5 At one time, this placewas a forest of Punnai trees. As a result, the land here got very heavy and also powerful – the Punnaibeing associated with Lord Siva. Adiseshan was unable to bear the weight of the land. To getmore strength, he installed a Lingam here and worshipped Siva. Pleased with thedevotion shown, Lord Siva appeared in front of Adiseshan and blessed him. Inturn, Adiseshan asked Lord Siva to stay here forever. The Punnai is also thesthala vriksham of this temple. 6 According to the purana,on the full moon day ofthe Tamil month Aani, ShriChandra worshiped Shri Shiva. Shri Indra on the full moon day, in Tamil monthof Aani performed Brahmotsava for 10 days. They hoisted a flag helda chariot procession of Shri Shiva. Similarly on the new moon day, in the Tamilmonth of Masi, ShriNagaraja also held Brahmotsava for 10 days. On the ninth day he heldchariot procession for Shri Shiva and it happened to be Mahashivaratri day. 7 One day in the forest a five year old son of a Brahmin named Sambandhan wasplaying in the forest. The boy happened to witness the union of Nagaraja andhis wife at that time. When the Nagaraja noticed that the boy has witnessed theunion he beat the boy. The boy died of snake poison. By his divine vision theBrahmin came to know the cause of death of his son. He cursed the Nagaraja tolose all his powers, knowledge, position and roam alone on the earth. The Nagaraja begged for pardon andfor relief of the curse. The brahmin stated that when the Nagaraja meets his fatherSage Kashyap after 1000 years and when he worships Shri Shiva on theMahashivaratri day in the month of Masi at the following places during the fourparts of the night, he will be relieved of a curse. The four places where Nagaraja worshiped during the fourparts of the night are - 1. In the first part of night at Naganatha swamytemple at Vilvavanam in Kumbhakonam, 2. In the second part of the night atNaganathar temple at Shenbaga Vanam (Champa Forest, known as Sonachafa inMarathi) at Thirunagheshwaram, 3. On the third part of the night ShriNaganathar temple in Shami forest (Vannivanam in Tamil) at Thirupampuram, 4. Inthe fourth part of the night, Shri Naganathar swamy temple at Punnagavanam inNagore. Since Nagaraja worshipedShri Shiva at this place, he is known as Shri Naganathar and Devi as ShriNagavalli Brief details aboutthe temple Deity: Naganatha Swamy Amman - Nagavalli Ambal Utsava moorthy - Chandrasekhara - Kalyana Sundarar Sthala Theertham - Chandra Theertham Sthala Vriksha - Punnai Maram Pooja method - Kamiya Agamam Mythological name of the temple - Punnakavanam Location: Nagore, Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu Temple Festivals: Festivals like Pradosham, Karthigai Puja, Maha Shivaratri,Ardha Jama Puja, Full moon, new moon are celebrated with great enthusiasm. Festivals: Special Features ofthe Temple: On the full moon day of the month of Vaikasi, Lord Siva appearedas a swayambu lingam under a Punnai tree and gave a vision to Perumal. Thetemple is unique in all three aspects of the idol, temple and theertham. The temple is famousfor; Brahma, Indra, Chandra Bhagavan, Sapta Rishis, Dhruvasar. Aspecial temple worshipped by Rudra Sanman and Anthan. Since Naganatha Swamy removed the Brahmahatti doshathat had befallen Nagaraj, this temple is a Naga Dosha Parikara temple. If you take a dip in the Chandra Theertham in this temple and do charity and alms,you will get the benefits of what you did in Gaya, the pride of Shiva. This temple is a special pilgrimage site where the moon ishoisted for 10 days on the full moon day of the month of Ani and Indra for 10days on the full moon day of the month of Masi, a Tirthavari is conducted, Brahmotsavamis performed, and the Lord Shiva is worshipped. Architecture This is an east facing temple with a five tiered Rajagopuram,and has two prakarams (outer and inner). On the front side of the Gopuram thereare beautiful idols of Shri Gajasamhar murti, Shri Bhikshadanar, Ekapad murti,Ganaga visarjan murti and Shri Sarabheshwarar on the front side of the Gopuram.People visiting Thirunallaru should not miss visiting this sacred Temple. Theentrance to the ardha mandapam is guarded by two dwarapalakas, and above themis a stucco image depicting various celestials worshipping Lord Siva. Past theardha mandapam and antarala – in which vigrahams of Adiseshan, Rahu, Ketu, andother nagas are installed – is the garbhagriham. In the maha mandapam, facingsouth, is the shrine for Soundara Nayaki Amman. Near this is also thesouth-facing shrine of Maha Ganapati. History >From the architecture, this temple appears to be from thelate Chola period, >perhaps the 12th century. Deities The shiva linga is a Swayambhu Linga. Shri Shiva is believedto have manifested as a Linga under the Punnaga tree and gave darshan to Shri Vishnu.There is a majestic idol of Nandi in the Mahamandap. The deity Naganathar isdepicted at a height of 7 feet The utsav murtis (festival idols) are on the right side ofthe sanctum. On the left side of Shri Shiva’s shrine we have the shrine ofShri Parvati Devi, Nayanar, Shri Nataraja and Shri Ayyappa. The temple is fairly large , and well laid out. In thekoshtams are Nardhana Vinayakar, Dakshinamurti, Lingodhbhavar, Brahma andDurga. In the prakaram are Vinayakar, Murugan with his consorts Valli andDeivanai, a rare shrine for Idumban (see sthala puranam above), Saraswati,Gajalakshmi, and Chandikeswarar. There is also a separate Navagraham shrine,and in the eastern corridor are Kasi Bhairavar, Bhairavar, Sani, Suryan andChandran. On the right sideof inner parikrama we come across the idols of Shri Jwareshwarar, ShriDakshinamurti, Shri Nagakannika, Shri Valampuri (trunk on the right उजव्या सोंडेचा गणपती). On the western side, we come across idols of Rahu, Ivelenathar (Shivalinga), Dattapurishwarar Linga, Shri Mahalakshmi and Nalavar inseparate shrines. On the left side, we have the shrines of Shri Brahma, Shri Durga Devi, ShriKashi Vishwanatha, Shri Narthana Vinayaka. Shri Shanishwarar in a separateshrine. Inthe inner parikrama, we have a separate shrine for Rahu with his consorts Nagavalli and Nagakannika. Theertha and garden On the right side of outer parikrama, we find Chandra Teerthaand on the left side we have a beautiful garden. The holy spring ChandraTheertham is said to have created by planet Moon. Importance of Naganathar Shri Shiva gavedarshan to Shri Vishnu on the full moon day of Vaikasi. Those who worshipedLord Shiva at this place: ShriIndra, Shri Chandra, Shri Vishnu, Shri Brahma, Sage Durvasa, and Rudrasanman. Prayers: 1. As this is the parihar sthala for Nagadosha and Rahudosha,devotees worship at this place for relief from dosha. 2. Devotees believethat if one worships Shri Shiva after performing Shraddha ceremony of pitrus, at thisplace and gives alms and makes a daan, one gets a benefit of Gaya shraddha. This is a parihar sthala for Kalasarpa dosha, Mangala dosha.Hence devotees come in large number for eradication of these doshas. Rahu Kethu Kala SarpaDosha Parihara Sthalam Great SerpentAadiseshan worships Lord Shiva on Maha Shiva Rathri and offered prayers to KudanthaiNageshwarar in the morning,Thirunageshwaram at the noon,ThirupamburamPambureswarar in the evening and Nagoor Nageshwarar at the night. This place onthis account considered as Sarpa Dosha Parihara sthalam. Pithru salvation Any one performing Shrardha for the ancestors, do charitiesetc. here shall reap thebenefits of doing such rituals in the Holy Gaya. Navagraha connection This temple is also connected with the Navagraha deities Rahuand Ketu. According to thesthala puranam here, both these celestials visited this place immediately aftertheir weddings, to seek Lord Siva’s blessings! This temple is a parikaram sthalamfor both Rahu dosham and Ketudosham, as also as a remedy from kala sarpa dosham due to which marriages may bedelayed. The temple’s tank – Naga Teertham – is to the east of the temple. Murugan relation It is regarded that this is the place where, on the day ofPanguni Uthiram, Murugan imparted upadesam of the meaning of the moola mantram,to Idumban. On the day of Panguni Uthiram every year, on the banks of thenearby Kollidam river, devotees perform the Kavadi for Murugan. Other information foryour visit Although the temple faces east, its eastern entrance is oftenclosed. Instead, there is an entrance from the south. The temple priest lives a couple of houses down the streetfrom the temple’s southern entrance. Address : Shri Naganatha Swamy / Nagavalli Ambal temple, ShivanSannidhi, Nagore, Nagapattinam District, Tamil Nadu 611 002 Telephone: 91 98652 69553 Temple Opening Hours: 6.30 am to 12 pm and 4.30 pm to 8.30 pm How To Reach the temple Nagore is a small town in the Nagapattinam District, Tamil Nadu.It is located approximately 12 km south of Karaikal and 6 km north of Nagapattinam.The Nagur shiva temple is on the Nagapattinam - Karikal Road. The devotee hasto get down at the Theradi bus stop and walk a km to reach the temple. (Very close to famous Nagore Dharga) -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/794627059.1356678.1747644667843%40mail.yahoo.com.
