SURYANARKOVIL SUN TEMPLE- THANJAVURDISTRICT- TAMILNADU
Suryanar kovil is a prominent and functioning Sun temple inTamil Nadu. The temple is also called as Sri Suryanarayana Temple). It is anactive place of worship and a key part of the Navagraha (nine planetarydeities) temple circuit in the state. The temple is located in near a small town Aduthurai, Thanjavur Districtin Tamil Nadu, India. The presiding deity is Suriyanar, the Sun and hisconsorts Ushadevi and Pratyusha Devi. The temple also has separate shrines for the other eightplanetary deities. The temple is considered one of the nineNavagraha temples in Tamil Nadu. The temple is one of the few historic templesdedicated to Sun god and is also the only temple in Tamil Nadu which has shrines for all theplanetary deities. I have visited thistemple along with temple visits. Brief details of SuryanarKovil temple Location: The temple is located in the village of SuryanarKovil near the town of Kumbakonam in the Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu. Presiding Deity: The main deity is Suryanar (Surya, the SunGod) and his consorts, Ushadeviand Pratyusha Devi. Functioning Status: Unlike some ancient sun temples in otherparts of India (like the Konark Sun Temple in Odisha or the Martand Sun Templewhich are ruins), the Suryanar Kovil is a fully functioning temple with daily rituals andannual festivals. Significance: It is unique among Navagraha temples in that ithas separate shrines for all nine planetary deities, with Surya as the primarydeity. Devotees visit this temple to mitigate negative astrological influences(Surya Dosha) and seek blessings for health and prosperity. Visiting: Sundaysare considered especially auspicious for worship and attract largercrowds. The temple has specific opening hours in the morning and evening. Legend It is believed that theplanetary deities were cursed by Brahma to dwell in Vellurukku Vanam, the whitewild flower jungle and were blessed by Shiva to make it their abode to devotees. Detail-SageKalava was suffering from serious ailments along with leprosy. He prayed to the Navagrahas, thenine planet deities. The planets were pleased by his devotion and offered cureto the sage. Brahma, the Hindu god of creation, wasangered as he felt that the planets have no powers to provide boons to humans. He cursed the nine planets to suffer from leprosy and weresent down to earth in Vellurukku Vanam, the white wild flower jungle. The planets prayed toShiva to relieve them off the curse. Shiva appeared to them and said that the place belonged tothem and they would have to grace the devotees worshipping them from the place. History The present masonry structure was built during the reign ofKulottunga Choladeva (1060–1118CE) in the 11th century with later additions from the Vijayanagarperiod. Suryanar Temple was known as Kulottungachola-Marttandalaya in thosetimes. The King has had a good relationship with the Gahadwal dynasty of Kanaujwhose rulers were ardent devotees of Son God. Hence, Suryanar Kovil is deemedto be a manifestation of their influence in South India. Later, the temple wasextensively renovated by the Vijayanagara Empire. Architecture Constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture, thetemple has a five-tieredrajagopuram, the gateway tower and a granite wall enclosing all theshrines of the temple. Suryanar Kovil is an architectural splendour thatmajestically stands with the prestige of its antiquity, architectural, andspiritual glory.It is one of the most appealing and well-constructed worshipplaces in India. About the temple The central shrine is of Surya, the Sun God, is built on anelevated structure. The central shrine houses the image of Surya and his consorts Usha and Chhaya. Sub deities- The hall leading to the centralshrine has images of Viswanathar, Visalakshi, Nataraja, Sivakami, Vinayagar andMurugan. Semi deities-On the axial line in front of thecentral shrine, there is an image of Guru (Jupiter), one of the planetarydeities. There are separate shrines for all the other seven planet deitiesnamely Budha (Mercury), Shani (Saturn), Sukran (Venus), Soma (Moon), Angaragan(Mars), Rahu and Ketu. All the other eight shrines of theNavagrahas are arranged facing the shrine of Suryanar. Guru isdepicted performing pooja to Shiva. This is the only temple where there areseparate shrines for each of the planet deities. It is also the only temple among the nineplanetary temples where Shiva is not the chief deity. Poojas The temple has six daily rituals at various times from 5:30a.m. to 9 p.m., and two yearly festivals on its calendar. The temple priestsperform the pooja (rituals) during festivals and on a daily basis. Like otherShiva temples of Tamil Nadu, the priests belong to the Shaivaite community, aBrahmin sub-caste. The temple rituals are performed six times a day; Ushathkalamat 5:30 a.m., Kalasanthi at 8:00 a.m., Uchikalam at 10:00 a.m., Sayarakshai at6:00 p.m., Irandamkalam at 8:00 p.m. and Ardha Jamam at 10:00 p.m. Each ritual comprisesfour steps: abhisheka (sacred bath), alangaram (decoration), neivethanam (foodoffering) and deepa aradanai (waving of lamps) for Surya, Usha and Chhaya. There are weekly rituals like somavaram and sukravaram,fortnightly rituals like pradosham and monthly festivals like amavasai (newmoon day), kiruthigai, pournami (full moon day) and sathurthi. Way of worship Kol vinay theerthaVinayagar is an important deity inside the temple and should be worshiped firstbefore worshiping Lord Suriyan and other planets. Religious importance The temple is one of the nine Navagraha temples of Tamil Naduand is a part of the popular Navagraha pilgrimage in the state - it houses theimage of Surya (Sun). The planets are believed to influence the horoscopecomputed based on time of one's birth and subsequently influence the course oflife. Each of the planets is believed to move from a star to another during apredefined period and thus sway over an individual's fortunes. Offerings As in other Navagrahatemples, the common worship practises of the devotees include offering of cloth, grains, flowersand jewels specific to the planet deity. Lighting a set of lamps isalso commonly followed in the temple. As per contemporary Saivite belief, theenergies distributed cyclically by Navagrahas can be channelled based onremedial measures. As per local legends, Shiva, the overlordof the nine planetary deities, allowed them to freely grant wishes based ondevotion of the devotees. Grand Festivals: 10-day Ratha Saptami isthe major festival celebrated at Suryanar Kovil. It is observed every year in the Thai monththat often falls between January and February. Ratha Saptami marks the changeof season to spring and the start of the harvest season. It is said that theSun God turns his Ratha (Chariot) drawn by seven horses towards the northernhemisphere in a north-easterly direction with Aruna as the charioteer. This dayis celebrated as Ratha Saptami. Special pujas andAbhishekam are performedto the Sun God on the first day of each Tamil month, as He heads the zodiacfamily. The Temple also celebratesPongal with great pompand fervour as a thanksgiving to the Sun God, Lord Suryan. Specialty The temple is mentioned in the songs of Muthuswami Dikshitar,who has composed a song starting with "Suryamurthe" in Saurashatraragam. Administration The temple is maintained and administered by the HinduReligious and Charitable Endowments Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu. Location Suriyanar Temple is located at the distance of 15 km fromKumbakonam in west, 22 km fromMayiladuthurai in east, 2 km from Aduthurai. The temple can be accessed by road through Aduthurai inKumbakonam–Mayiladuthurai road and Thiruppanandal in Kumbakonam–Chennai road. About Sun God The concept of worshipping the Sun is one nearly as old asmankind itself. Being one of the most conspicuous and powerful entities in thephysical world, the Sun has naturally drawn the attention and gained theadmiration of many races, who have incarnated and worshipped it as a god.Hence, Sun became the dominant figure among all ancient civilizations, fromBabylon to India, China, South America, Africa, Greece, Rome, Mexico, Egypt,and Europe. The Sun God, Surya or Aditya occupies an illustrious place inHinduism. He is regarded as the supreme soul and source of all life who bringslight and warmth to the world. Sun has been revered since Vedic age with manyhymns describing it as the source and sustainer of all life on earth. There arereferences to sun worship found in the Puranas too. The Sun even had a vitalrole in the epic Mahabharata as the father of Karna. Having been recognized in various scriptures across time, theSun and the Sun God is greatly admired in India. It is believed that the SunGod is the bestower of good health, success, and prosperity. And worshippingHim cures ailments like leprosy, blindness, skin diseases, etc; and assurebenefits in eliminating evil effects of the planets in one's life. Quite a fewtemples are there in India constructed with Sun as the chief deity. SuryanarKovil near Kumbakonam in Tamilnadu is one of the few historic temples in Indiadedicated to Sun God. Special WorshipBenefits: Old yet very powerful, Suryanar Kovil is a famous 'PariharaStalam'. Devotees throng the Suryanar Kovil to submit their prayers to the SunGod and the Navagrahas to protect them from the adverse planetary effects intheir life. The temple isrevered for its pujas which are believed can cure malefic effects of Saturn(Shani), helps in good education and career goals, reduces hurdlesin marriage, and removes Putra Dosha etc. Lighting ghee lamps and taking bath in the temple tank for 12Sundays is believed to ward off evils and provide relief from Navagraha doshasincluding Pitru Dosha, Putra Dosha, Kaalasarpa Dosha, Problems with eyesightand heart, and also the delays and obstacles in marriages. Red lotus, wheat,red cloth, erukku (Madar Plant) and sweet Pongal are some of the offerings ofthe Lord at Suryanar Kovil. The devotees regularly perform Nadi Pariharam,Navagraha Homas and Surya Archana at this temple. Devotees also performThulabharam by offering wheat, jaggery and harvested grains to the Lord,equivalent to their weight to perform. Suryanar Kovil is a boon for childlesscouples where devotees believe that childless couples will be blessed withchildren by offering prayers and tying up cradles at the temple. Sun clock-Addition Kingdoms and kings are history, but certain devicesbequeathed by them tell the story of their times. One such historicalinstrument is the 1,400-year-old sun clock mounted on the 35-feet-high innerwall of Sivayoginathartemple at Thiruvisainallur, some 12 km from Kumbakonam in Thanjavur district.It is the only 'wall clock' in Tamil Nadu in the real sense of the term. The temple authorities have decided to refurbish the historiclegacy which stands testimony to the infinite wisdom and scientific temper ofthe Chola kings. The wall clock built during Parantaka Cholan's rule does not require battery orelectricity. Carved out of granite and shaped like a semi-circle,all it has is a three inch-long brass needle permanently fixed at the centre ofa horizontal line. As the sun casts its rays on the needle,the shadow of the needle indicates the right time. The people, mostlythe devotees coming to the temple, deciphered the time of the day by watchingthe silhouette cast by the needle of the sun clock from six am to six pm, andperhaps planned their day accordingly. Expectedly, time has taken its toll on the sun clock at thesixth-century temple. Theclock will work as long as the sun shines because of its unique workingprinciple. But due to brass discoloration, the needle is getting blurredon the granite surface. The clock will get isfacelift when the temple managed by the Thanjavur Palace Devasthanam undergoesrenovation at an estimated cost of Rs 46 lakh. "The time that the sun clock shows may not beexpedient today, but its history is," said Aru Ramanathan, the grandson ofDevakottai ARM ALA Arunachala Chettiyar who did the first renovation after along gap in time in 1931. Interestingly, the temple has many a religious significance.The presiding deity Sivayoginathar does not sit with his consortSoundaryanayaki in the sanctum sanctorum as is the case in many temples. TheAmbal's Sannidhi (shrine) is separately situated facing the South where the SunClock is mounted. The legend has it that eight Siva Yogis merged with thelingam here after attaining salvation. Hence the name Sivayoginathar for LordSiva. As Siva is in deepmeditation inside, Ambal waits outside for him looking at the Sun Clock. Prior to the entry of HR&CE to regularize the templeoperations and conduct of poojas, the temple had been manage by ARM ALA Trustin which Aru Ramanathan is one of the seven members, and his elder brother A RLakhsmanan, a retire Supreme Court judge, the chairman. According to AruRamanathan, Nattukottai Chettiyars are known as "Mannar Pinnor" (Secondonly to the Kings), and the member-brothers served under the Senior PrinceBabaji Raja Bhonsle of the Thanjavur Palace Devasthanam. My note- Google and AIsearch confirms the clock is not renovated other than during British period Englishnumerals were provided for easy reading. Compiled and posted by R.Gopalakrishnan 5-11-2025 -- 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/2008327782.2750994.1762324372307%40mail.yahoo.com.
