THEPASUPATHEESWARAR TEMPLE AVOOR, NEAR KUMBAKONAM - THANJAVUR DISTRICT -TAMILNADU
Introduction The Pasupatheeswarar Temple in Avoor, near Kumbakonam inThanjavur District, is an ancient Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, famousas one of the "Madakovil" (hill-top temples) built by King KochengatChola, known for its self-manifested lingam (Swayambhu Murti), Panjakavyamuthra(five Bhairava murtis), Kamadhenu Theertham (holy tank), and being praised inTevaram hymns, holding significance as "Then Kailayam" (SouthKailash). The temple is located in thevillage Avoor, located 12 km south of South Indian town, Kumbakonam. The templewhich occupies an area of about an acre. Key Features &Significance Deities: Presiding deity is Lord Pasupatheeswarar (Shiva),with Consort Mangalambiga. Architecture: A classic Madakovil structure with concentricgranite walls, a five-tiered Raja gopuram (entrance tower), and three prakarams(precincts). Unique Aspects: Pancha Bairavar: Five forms of Bhairava, a rare sight. Swayambhu Lingam: The white Shiva Lingam has a cow's hoofmark and is never anointed with water. "Then Kailayam": Considered as holy as MountKailash. Kamadhenu Theertham: The main temple tank. History: Built by King Kochengat Chola (7th Century) andrevered in Tevaram by Saint Thirugnana Sambandar. Location Village: Avoor. Near: Kumbakonam, Thanjavur District, TamilNadu. Worship & Legends Lord Muruga appears with a bow, and legends say variouscelestial beings and figures like Emperor Dasaratha worshipped here. It's a Paadal Petra Sthalam (praised in Thevaram) on thesouthern bank of the Cauvery. Legends Pasupatheeswarar indicates God of cows. Shiva is believed tohave descended for the holy cow Kamadhenu that prayed to him by ablution withtheir milk on the Shivalingam to get relief from the curse of sage Vashista. A sculptureindicating the legend is present in the walls of the second precinct of thetemple. Sage Vasishtha cursed the sacred cow Kamadhenu. To relieveoff the curse, Kamadhenu sought the advice of Brahma who asked her to performpenance at this place. It is also believed that the presiding deity is believedto have been worshipped by the Devas, Saptarishi, Indra, Surya and Navagrahas,the nine planetary deities. Another legend associates the temple with the Saivite saintTirumular (6th century CE). Tirumularsaw a herd of cows lamenting the death of their herdsmen. Being asiddha, he entered into the body of dead herdsman, came back alive to serve asthe herdsman and sung 3000 verses in praise of Shiva. The legend is closelyassociated with Gomukteswarar temple at Tiruvadurai, but is also associated with othertemples like Thenupuriswarar Temple at Patteswaram and Tirukogarnamnear Pudukkottai. As per a local legend, Vayu, the god of wind, in a contestwith Adisesha, brought two hillocks, one of which was installed here and otherat Nallur. Parvati came to earth and stayed undertaking prayers to theLord. All the rishis and devas became trees and vines and stayed here prayingto the Goddess. Pleased with the prayers and penance undertaken by the goddess,Lord Siva appeared with his jatamudi, and blessed her. For this reason, LordSiva here is also known as Kapardeeswarar. King Dasaratha saw the Lord alone and installed the murti ofParvati. The goddess is called Pankajavalli. When the murti was beinginstalled, a voice told the king to look for five Bhairava murtis buried underthe ground. The king unearthed them and installed them opposite the goddess,and can be worshipped even today. Dasaratha praying to Lord Siva is seen in thesculptures here. History There are various inscriptions associated with the templeindicating contributions from Pandya kings. The present masonry structure wasbuilt during the Chola dynasty in the 9th century, while later expansions areattributed to Thanjavur Nayaks during the 16th century. Avur was a fort during the 2nd century rule of Cholas.Kochengat Chola was a Chola king and one of the 63 nayanmars (Saivite saints)of Saivism. He is believed to have attained spiritual rebirth of a spider thatfought with an elephant in its previous birth over the worship of the Hindu godShiva. He had red eyes during birth as he remained in his mother's womb alittle longer. He was with red eyes andhence he was named Kochengat Cholan. After becoming a king, he followed Saivismand built 70 Maadakovils, temples with elevated structure where elephantscannot reach the sanctum, in the Chola empire. Architecture The temple is built in Dravidian architecture with a five storiedRajagopuram, the gateway tower. The temple has numerous shrines, with those ofPasupathinathar and Soundaranayagi being the most prominent. The temple complexhouses many halls and two precincts. The temple is a Maadakoil, a series of 70temples which were built by Kochengat Chola with the major shrines of thetemple located in the elevated structure. The temple faces east with a 5-tier Rajagopuram. Balipeetam,Rishabam, and Dwajasthambam are after the Rajagopuram. Moolavar is ofswayambhu. In koshtam Narthana Vinayagar, Dakshinamurthy, Lingothbavar, Brahma,and Vishnu Durgai. In praharam, Niruthi Vinayagar, Danush Subramaniar (holdingbow and arrow), Sri Mukthi Kandar, Sri Sastha, and Bhadrakali. Five Bhairavas –Guru Bhairavar, Sanda Bhairavar, Kaala Bhairavar, Unmatha Bhairavar, andAsithanga Bhairavar are also in the prakaram. Somaskandar is in a separate Sannidhi,one step below the main sanctum sanctorum. There are two Ambal sannidhis, Mangalambigai and SriPankajavalli. It was said that Mangalambigai was found in the Temple tank.Pankajavalli is the older one and is praised by Saint Thirugnanasambandar. ButMangalambigai is much celebrated in this temple. Deities The images of the presiding deity, Pasupatheeswarar, in theform of Shiva lingam occupies the main sanctum. The consort ofPasupatheeswarar, Mangalanayagi and Pangajavalli occupy twin sanctums facingwest. The images of Panchabairavar, the five Bairavar statues arefound in the corner facing the main sanctum. The second prakaram downstairs has a separate shrine for theHindu God Murugan in the form Dhanush Subramaniyar. Muruga sports a dhanush(bow) instead of his regular weapon, the vel. Poojas The temple priests perform the puja (rituals) duringfestivals and on a daily basis. Like other Shiva temples of Tamil Nadu, thepriests belong to the Shaiva community, a Brahmin sub-caste. The temple has four dailyrituals at various times from 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. The temple rituals are performed four times a day; Kalasanthiat 8:00 a.m., Uchikalam at 10:00 a.m., Sayarakshai at 5:00 p.m., and ArdhaJamam at 8:00 p.m. Each ritual comprises four steps: abhisheka (sacred bath),alangaram (decoration), naivethanam (food offering) and deepa aradanai (wavingof lamps) for both Pasupatheeswarar and Mangalambikai. There are weeklyrituals like somavaram (Monday) and sukravaram (Friday), fortnightly ritualslike pradosham and monthly festivals like amavasai (new moon day), kiruthigai,pournami (full moon day) and chathurthi. Festivals The temple has three main yearly festivals on its calendar. The major festivals celebrated in the temple are Shivratriduring the Tamil month of Vaikaasi (May - June), Annabhishekam during Aippasi(October - November) and Thiruvadhirai in Margazhi (December - January). Theertham The temple has a small tank called Braham Tirtham locatedoutside the main entrance. The image of Mangalanayagi was found in the templetank. The temple is counted as one of the temples built on the banks of RiverKaveri. It is located on the banks of Kudamurutti, a tributary of river Kaveri. Offerings At the Pasupatheeswarar Temple in Avoor, devotees offerprayers and perform Abishek (sacred bathing of the deity) with milk and othermaterials, offer new clothes (Vastras) to the deities, and provide food(Annadhanam) as acts of thanksgiving for fulfilled wishes, particularly relatedto cattle and prosperity Literary mention It is one of the shrines of the 275 Paadal Petra Sthalams.The temple is revered in the verses of Tevaram, the 7th century Saivitecanonical work by the three saint poets namely, Appar, Sambandar and Sundarar. Parihara sthalam This temple is considered as a parihara sthalam for pitrudosham. Specialty This temple is considered more auspicious, similar toKailash, and called “South Kailash”. The temple is very famous for the 5Bhairavas, hence this temple is called “Pancha Bhairava Kshethra”. It isbelieved that it will be auspicious to worship Bhairavar on Ashtami day. Administration The temple is maintained and administered by the HinduReligious and Charitable Endowments Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu. Location The temple is located 10 km away from Kumbakonam, 6 km eastof Tirukarugavoor and 30 km south of Thanjavur. Temple timings The temple will be kept open from 06.30 hrs to 11.30 hrs, andfrom 16.00 hrs to 20.30 hrs. Contact details : The mobile number is +91 94863 03484, and Pichai Gurukkal'smobile number is +91 94448 61548, and may be contacted for further details. How to reach : The town bus is available from Kumbakonam. The temple is onthe bus route from Kumbakonam to Mannargudi via Govindakudi. The temple is 4.2 km from Patteeswaram, 11 km fromKumbakonam, 35 km from Thanjavur. The nearest Railway Junction is Kumbakonam Postal Address: Sri Pasupatheeswarar Temple, Avur Post, Via Kumbakonam,Valangaiman Taluk, Thanjavur district – 612 701 Compiled and posted by R. Gopalakrishnanfrom different internet sources about the temple. 27-12-2025. -- 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/97204188.2383136.1766808004103%40mail.yahoo.com.
