Thiru Aalangadu Siva Temple Siva : Vataraneswaran – The Cosmic Ruler who resides in the banyan tree forest. (Vata – Banyan Tree , Aaranyam – Forest , Iswara – The Cosmic Ruler by whose will all Universes, in orderly cycles are created and Dissolved ).
Sakthi : Bramharalakambal. Sthala Vrisham : Banyan Tree (Vata Vriksham, Aala maram) , Jackfruit tree ( Palaa Maram). Theertham : Mukthi Theertham. View of TiruAalangadu Temple on the banks of Mukthi Theertham. Thiru Aalangadu – The land of Banyan trees. There is a Shiva linga under a Banyan Tree inside the temple. Banyan tree’s shade is said to bring peace of mind. Dakshinamurthy (An Avatar Of Siva) resides under the banyan tree blessing people so that they can discern right from wrong through gnana or Wisdom. A wise person has an equanimous nature and faces the challenges of life without fear. Nataraja – The Cosmic Lord of Dance (Natyam – Dance , Raja – ruler). The Upper right hand of Nataraja has the hour glass shaped Damaru Symbolising Creation. The Upper left hand of Nataraja has Agni or fire Symbolising destruction Of Evil. The other right hand has the Abhaya Hastha symbolising the Blessing the lord bestows on people so that they can discern good from evil. The other left hand is lifted above to symbolise Upliftment or salvation. The Lord dances on the Demon Apasmara symbolising the victory over ignorance and evil nature. As the Lord of Dance, Nataraja, Shiva performs the tandava, the dance in which the universe is created, maintained, and resolved. Shiva’s long, matted tresses, usually piled up in a knot, loosen during the dance and crash into the heavenly bodies, knocking them off course or destroying them utterly. The surrounding flames represent the manifest Universe. The snake swirling around his waist is Kundalini-Cosmic Energy inherent in all matter. The stoic face of Shiva represents his neutrality, thus being in balance. Pancha Sabhas – The Five Halls Of Dance Five siva temples house the five different halls of Dance. The Cosmic Lord dances uniquely in each place.They are as follows. Kanaka Sabha ( The hall Of Gold ) : Chidambaram temple. Velli Sabha ( The Hall Of Silver ) : Madurai Meenakshi Temple. Ratna Sabha ( The Hall Of Gems And Stones) : Thiru Aalangadu Temple. Thamira Sabha ( The Hall Of Copper ) : Tirunelveli Temple. Chitra Sabha (The Hall Of Artwork ) : Kutralam Kutralanathar Temple. The ratna sabha gopuram in thiru aalangadu temple.Shiva dances Uurdva thandavam here.Kaaraikal Ammaiyar – (one of 64 nayanmars) was a great devotee of the Lord. She walked using her head as her foot and entered this shrine. She watches the Uurdva Thandava Of Lord Shiva here.Once there was a competition between Lord Siva and kali devi. Shiva raises his foot above his head and dances, thus outwitting kali devi. Siva is flanked by dwara palakas on either side. Kali is seen on the left corner of the picture.Kaaraikal Ammaiyar is seen seated next to kali and sings in praise of Siva. Munchikesa maharishi is seen on the right side. There is a separate shrine for him in the street surrounding the Siva Temple. Karkoodakan(The person with the snake hood behind him) is seen worshipping the lord. Sivagami is also seen on the right most side. Sunandha maharshi has worshipped here.Inside The Temple premises there is a Sahasra Linga – A 1000 lingas integrated into a single form.There is a nandikeswara whose performs the Gayatri japa of the sahasra linga in front of it. Any kind of worship performed in front of the sahasra linga multiplies itself a 1000 times. There are the pancha bhoota lingas near it. KR IRS 26525 On Mon, 26 May 2025 at 16:43, 'gopala krishnan' via Thatha_Patty < [email protected]> wrote: > *SRI VADARANYESWARAR TEMPLE,THIRUVALANGADU, * > > *TIRUVALLUR DISTRICT, TAMIL NADU. -COMPILED* > > Dear friends, > > Today my posting is about Sri Vadaranyeswarar Temple in Thiruvalangadu, in > Tiruvallur district of Tamil Nadu. It was built by the Cholas during the > 12th century CE. It is one of the shrines of the 275 Paadal Petra Sthalams. > > The Sri Vadaranyeswarar Temple in Thiruvalangadu, also known as the Gem > Sabha. It's one of the five cosmic dance halls (Pancha Sabhai) and a > significant Shaivaite shrine. The temple is also a Paadal Petra Sthalam, > one of the 275 sacred sites in Tamil Nadu. > > Hope a divine reading > > *Gopalakrishnan 26-05-2025* > > *Key Features of the temple* > > Name: Sri Vadaranyeswarar Temple. > > Location: Thiruvalangadu, Tiruvallur district, Tamil Nadu. > > Deity: Vadaranyeswarar (Lord Shiva). > > Architectural Significance: One of the five cosmic dance halls (Pancha > Sabhai) and known as Ratna Sabha (Gem Sabha). > > Religious Importance: A Paadal Petra Sthalam, a revered Shaivaite site. > > History: Built by the Cholas during the 12th century CE, with inscriptions > suggesting the temple's existence as early as the 5th century CE. > > Nearby: Located a few kilometers from Tiruvallur town and close to the > Vanabadrakali Amman temple. > > Temple Opening Hours: The temple is typically open from 6:00 AM 12 NOON and > 4 PM to 9:00 PM. > > Puja and Special Pujas: Specific Puja timings, especially for special > pujas like Mandhi Puja on Saturdays, can be inquired about by calling the > temple. > > Nearby Transportation: An auto stand is available near the Thiruvalangadu > railway station. > > Legend > > Lord Siva as Vataranyeswarar (vata=banyan, aranyam=forest) is a swayambhu > murti here, found in the banyan forests (ala=banyan, kadu=forest) in the > region. > > Once there were two demons – Sumban and Nisumban – who undertook penance > and received boons from Lord Siva, that *every drop of blood from their > body that fell on the ground would become a Lingam. Having received the > boon, the demons started terrorizing the Devas, who complained to the Lord.* > > *Lord Siva asked Parvathi to create Bhadra Kail to kill the demons*. > Bhadra Kali fought with the demons and killed them by *sucking out all > their blood. Due to this, she started behaving like the demons, terrorizing > one and all.* > > Again the Devas complained to Lord Siva, who came here with Parvati, and Kali > started fighting with the Lord himself. At this Lord Vishnu, Brahma and > Sage Narada intervened and told Kali to compete with Siva in dance to > decide the winner. To further calm her, Siva also promised to show her the > Raksha Natanam in Tiruvirkolam. Witnessed by Parvati, Naradar and others, > and with music by Lords Vishnu and Brahma, Lord Siva danced 17 different > varieties which were matched by Kali. Finally the Lord took up the Urdhva > Tandavam, and standing on his right leg, he picked an earring which had > fallen on the ground and wore it again – all with his left foot. > > Kali could not repeat this and accepted defeat. Lord Siva however > pardoned her and ordained that devotees who come to this temple should *first > pay their respects to Kali and the come to him*. The Bhadra Kali temple > is located about a kilometer away from this temple. > > As Parvati was watching the Urdhva Tandavam, she is called Arukilirundu > Viyantha Nayaki and the Lord is called Andamura Nimirntharuliya Nayakar. > The Natarajar here is seen with the left leg almost touching the left ear. > The temple also has a sculpture of Parvati watching the Urdhva Tandavam in > awe, her index finger on her chin, in an expression of surprise and > pleasure! > > History > > Sri Vadaranyeswarar Temple is a Hindu temple in Thiruvalangadu, in > Tiruvallur district of Tamil Nadu. It was built by the Cholas during the > 12th century CE. It is one of the shrines of the 275 Paadal Petra Sthalams. > > The Temple construction is believed to have been started during the tenure > of King Paranthaka Cholan I. At the entry point of the Temple there are two > Sub Shrines on either sides for *Vallaba Ganapathi and Valli Devasena > Samedha Shanmugar as though they are welcoming*. > > The temple was originally built by Parantaka Chola and subsequently added > on by the Pallavas. > > Likewise a distant Shrine for Goddess Kaali is seen and it is believed > that She came and settled here after being defeated in the dance performance > . > > Architecture > > *The Temple has three concentric massive compound walls* or 3 corridors > and between each of the compound wall there is a four pillared Maha > Mandapam. The Rajagopuram is of 5 tiers and East facing. > > To begin with there is a 16 pillared Mandapam close to which a paid car > parking is available. The Temple's Chariot has been enclosed and kept under > a massive concrete structure and they have built around 20 steps to reach > it. This Temple is construed as one of the 276 Paadal Petra Sthalam and the > 15th Shiva Sthalam of its kind in Thondai Naadu. > > Presiding deity > > The presiding deity of the temple is Vadaranyeswarar. His consort is known > as Vandarkuzhali. This is one of the Pancha Sabhai. > > There are a pair of Dwarabalakas at the threshold of the Moolasthanam. The > Presiding Deity who is East facing is in the form of a Swayambhumoorthy > Shiva LIngam known as Vadaranyeswarar. > > His Consort is known as Vandarkuzhali Ambal who has a few aliases viz. Sri > Brahmarambal or Alavanayagi. > > Sub-deities > > There are Sub Shrines for different Gods such as Vinayagar, Murugan, > Vijaya Raghava Perumal, Kasi Viswanathar, Ahora Veera Badrar, Kaaraikal > Ammaiyar, Pancha Boodha Lingams, Sahasra Lingam, Aiyappan, Dakshinamoorthy, > Chandikeshwarar, Brahmma, Durgai, Durga Parameshwarar, Saint Munjikesar, > Sooryan, Chandran, Naalvar, Bhadra Kaali Amman, Sapthamathas, Bhairavar and > Kaarkodagar. > > Speciality > > This temple is known as Gem Sabha, the Rathna Sabha. *In this temple Siva > addressed His devotee Karaikkal Ammaiyar as "amma", the mother*. She > enjoyed the Siva and Parvati dance here. She reached the temple by head as > she thought walking by feet in this shrine was a sin. > > Those worshipped > > Karkkodagan, Sunanda rishi, Gnanasambandar, Appar, Sundarar, Karaikkal > Ammaiyar, Paranadeva Nayanar, Pattinatthu Pillaiyar, and Sekkizhar > worshipped the presiding deity of the temple. > > All the three Tamil Saints Appar, Sundarar, Sammandhar had sung in Praise > of this Temple and so is Kaaraikal Ammaiyar. > > The Temple is also Vada Aranyeswarar Temple and Tiruvalangadu is a few > Kilometers away from Tiruvallur Town. > > Prominence of the temple > > This Temple gains prominence since Natarajar competed fiercely with > Goddess Kaali in a dance and the Hall or the Mandapam where the dance was > held is called as Rathina Sabhai or Rathna Sabhai. *The eventual winner > was obviously Lord Natarajar and hence He is praised here as Rathina > Sabapathi Easwarar*. His Consort Sivagama Sundari was praised as > Sameesenambikai. > > Poojas > > The Temple Priests perform Abhishekam for Natarajar in a 100 pillared hall > where two Shiva Lingams, one made of Sapadigam or Crystal and the other > made of Maragadham or Emerald is kept. > > Festivals > > The temple also sports a Large tank as well. Shivraathri (during Makara) > and Thiruvadirai (during Dhanur) festivals are celebrated in a grand manner > in this temple. > > Devotees approach the temple for > > This place is very well known since Maantheeswar installed a Lingam and > worshipped and hence it is widely believed that those coming here and > praying before Lord Vadaranyeshwarar would get rid of all their Marriage > obstacles. > > Mandi, the son of Sani, was relived of the dosham caused when a lizard > fell on him, by praying to Lord Siva here.Since Maantheeswar happens to be > the son of Sani Bhagwan, *Poojas and Parihaarams related to Sani Dhosham > can be done.* > > Devotees afflicted with Bharani Nakshatram come here for their betterment. > > *In modern days those aspiring to reach greater heights in fine arts such > as singing, dancing etc make it a point to come and Pray to Lord > Vadaraneswarar.* > > Temple Pond , tree and Goshala > > The Sthala Viruksham of this Temple is said to be a Banyan Tree and the > Sacred Tank or Theertham are known as *Mukthi Theertham, Sivakara > Theertham and Sendradu Theertham*. > > *The Temple has a Ghoshala with several cattles* and all the haystack > meant for them are pilled up in a nearby pillared Mandapam. > > Karaikkal Ammaiyar > > Karaikkal Ammaiyar, who witnessed Siva dancing in competition against > Kali, has sung the Mootha Tirupatigam in the praise of Lord Siva. She had > undertaken a trip to Kailasam, walking on her head and hands as respect and > reverence to Lord Siva. It was in fact Lord Siva who called her “Ammaiyar” > or mother. *She again walked on her head and hands to this temple as > Lingams kept sprouting wherever she put her foot on the ground*. She > lived in the temple till her salvation, blissfully playing the cymbals for > the divine dance of Natarajar. She is part of the Natarajar shrine with a > pair of cymbals, keeping tune to the Lord’s dance. > > Administration > > This Temple comes under the care and control of Thiruthani Murugan > Temple. > > Contact phone numbers > > Contact Details: 044 - 27885247, 044 - 27872074, 99522 30906, 99407 > 36579 and 98940 57457 > > Temple Timing: > > 6 AM to 12 Noon and 4 PM to 8 PM > > Location > > Distance from Tiruvallur to Tiruvalangadu is 20 Kms > > Distance from Kancheepuram to Thiruvalangadu is 43 Kms > > Nearest Railway Station is Thiruvalangadu R.S > > > > > > -- > 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/1934141197.1040338.1748258028775%40mail.yahoo.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/1934141197.1040338.1748258028775%40mail.yahoo.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. 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