In and Around

 

Brahadeeswara Temple
The Brahadeeswara Temple was built by the Chola King, Raja Raja I in the 10th century AD. The temple has a gigantic Mahalingam and the second largest monolithic Nandi in India. Besides this, it has a gigantic 14-tiered pyramid-shaped tower over the temple sanctum, 64.8m tall with a square base topped by huge monolithic granite cupolas .Its unique construction ensures that the shadow of the cupola never falls on the ground.


 
 

 
Gangaikondacholapuram
The beautiful town of Gangaikondacholapuram was constructed on the banks of the river Ganges by the Chola King Rajendra I to commemorate his victory over the kingdoms bordering it. The rock carvings here are bold and make an impact with their keen sense of detailing and style. There is a huge rock carving of a temple elephant with the valiant guardians of the city. A huge Nandi, a dancing Ganesha and a lion-headed well are other attractions.
 

Rameshwaram Rameshwaram is 255 kms from Thanjavur and one of the most important pilgrimage spots for Hindus. This is the spot that Sri Rama worshipped Lord Shiva on his return from Srilanka. The great temple of Sri Ramanatha was built by Sri Rama himself and therefore held in great reverence. It is a huge temple measuring 264m East to West and 200m North to South , with 3 Prakaras, 2 big Gopuras and 2 unfinished ones. It contains two lingas, many small shrines and 22 ‘Tirthas’ or sacred bathing ghats.

The legend is that after killing Ravana, Sri Rama

 
returned to India and worshipped Lord Shiva at Rameshwaram to atone for his sin, He decided to set up a linga and instructed Hanuman to bring one within a stipulated time. However, as this was delayed and the auspicious time approached, Sita quickly fashioned one out of sand and offered worship.This is the Ramalinga at the temple. When Hanuman returned, he was angry to find a linga there and attempted to uproot it. However, Sri Rama resolved this by asking him to set up the linga that he had brought and directing that this ’Visvalinga’ should be worshipped first.

Lakhs of Hindus make a pilgrimage to Rameshwaram every year as it is one of the important injunctions laid on Hindus.
 

 
Darasuram Temple
 The Darasuram temple is a fine testimony to the skill and craftsmanship of 12th century Chola architects. The temple is covered with exquisite sculptures of Lord Siva in all his magnificence. He dazzles the viewer with his myriad poses besides enthralling the wives of sages who also form part of these wall friezes. The temple front is a treat with fine columns interspersed with miniature sculptures.
 

Tirumanancheri
 Tirumanancheri is located near Thanjavur . The Tirumanancheri temple is a famous pilgrimage centre. The legend is that Goddess Parvati had expressed her desire to Lord Shiva to have an earthly wedding. She was reborn to Bharata Muni. When it was time for her to be married, Lord Shiva emerged from the lingam.Bharata Muni, then approached Lord Shiva and asked for his hand in marriage to his daughter. Thus, he fulfilled Parvathi’s wish and a ceremonial marriage was performed. A moat surrounds the temple and it is said that the waters gathered to witness this spectacle.

 


The temple has beautiful images of Lord Nataraja, Lord Kalyanasundarar and Aadi Sesha. The bronzes of Lord Kalyanasundarar date back to the 10th Century. Images of Ganapathi, Nataraja, Dakshinamurthy, Lingobhavar, Bhramma and Durga adorn the niches of the sanctum here. Lord Varadarajar with his consorts Sri Devi and Bhu Devi are also worshipped here.
 

 
 

Velankanni
 Velankanni is considered the “Mecca of South Asian Christianity" and 89 kms from Thanjavur. The shrine is dedicated to Our Lady of Health, as the Madonna of Velankanni is popularly called and this 'Sacred Arockia Madha Church' is visited by people of all faiths and religions. Velankanni is renowned to cure sicknesses and maladies, thus also known as the 'Lourdes of the East'.

The history of the church goes back to the early centuries. On 8th September 1869, a Portuguese ship sailing from Macao to Goa was trapped in a

 

huge storm in the Indian Ocean. The sailors fervently prayed to the Virgin Mary begging her to rescue them and promised to build her a magnificent church if she did so. Soon their wrecked ship reached the shores of Velankanni. The sailors kept their promise and built a Basilica in Velankanni. They also regularly visited the place bringing exquisite items to decorate the church.

The awe-inspiring church is majestic with an imposing façade. It has tall spires and wings worked in the shape of a cross. The altar enshrines the statue of Our Lady of Health. A unique tradition is to offer a candle in the shape of the respective ailment- a red heart in case of cardiac complications and so on. On receiving a cure, devotees offer thanksgiving in the form of small gold and silver replicas of parts of the body cured. There is a small church museum which has a display of the offerings made by those whose prayers were answered. The Church Festival celebrated from 29th August to 8th September attracts devotees from all over the world.

 

 
Thirukadaiyur
 Tirukadaiyur is located near Thanjavur . The Thirukadaiyur Temple is also known as Tirukkadavur and is one of the 8 Virastalams or places of valour dedicated to Sri Parameswara. It is known as the place where the Lord of Death was sighted. It is one among the 274 temples praised by the Saivite saints.

The presiding deity is a self-originated linga believed to have been created out of ambrosia brought by celestials. The Mrtunjaya deity is a copper image majesticand ferociousseen with a trident projecting downward on the Lord of Death
who is shown falling flat with palms joined together. Close by, stands the immortal Markandeya.

The legend is that Markandeya who was the exceptionally brilliant son of sage Mrkandu was given only a short span of 16 years to live. As the days to his death drew closer, he stayed at this temple worshipping Lord Amrtagesvara. Onseeing the Lord of Death, he embraced the linga. Enraged at this attitude, the Lord of Death threw a rope over Markandeya which went over the linga too. An angry Lord Amrtagatesvara materialised from the Linga and reprimanded him saying, “How dare you snatch me with a rope?’ A large figure hit the Lord of Death with a trident and destroyed him. The deity granted Markandeya the boon of being ever 16 and immortal. Therefore, the deity is also known as Mrtunjaya, the Destroyer of the Lord of Death.
 

Nagore Dargah
 The Nagore Dargah of Meeran Sahib Badshah is one of the most popular pilgrimage centers for Muslims in Tamil Nadu and has beautiful domed arches and minarets. It lies just 78 kms form Thanjavur.

The Nagore Dargah shrines are at Nagore, Vanjur and Silladi. The main campus at Nagore consists of five acres with four impressive entrances . Just outside is a large 131 ft tall tower - 'Periya Minara' built by Tanjore King Pratap Singh around 1760 AD.

 
The Nagore campus has a golden dome with three tombs containing the remains of Meeran Sahib, his son Syed Mohammed Yusuf and daughter-in-law Saeeda Sultana Biwi. Next to Meeran Sahib’s tomb is a golden box with his pair of wooden slippers, a gift from a grateful carpenter cured of illness by him. The 'Peer Mandap' is where the Peer fasts for three days during the festive season of the Dargah. The yearly festival is called 'Kandhuri Urs'. It begins at Meera Pally mosque in Nagapattinam with a Rath containing the flags of the Dargah proceeding to Nagore.

 
 

 

Garbharakshambigai Temple
 This is an ancient Siva temple about 20 kms East of Thanjavur dedicated to Sri Mullaivananathar and Sri Karparakshambigai. It is a huge temple spread over a wide expanse with imposing Gopurams and a tank in front of it. It is believed that childless people who worship here with devotion and faith are blessed with pregnancy and pregnant women with safe deliveries. Unmarried women also pray here for their marriages.

Its origin speaks of the story of Sage Nidhruva and his wife Vedhika who conceived after many
prayers. Once while the sage was away, thepregnant Vedika was deep asleep when Sage Urdhvapada came to her door asking for alms. Therefore ,she did not hear him and failed to respond. He cursed her and the foetus slipped out of her womb. She prayed to the Goddess who appeared and protected it , keeping it in a pot till it developed into a male child Naidhruvan.

The Linga here is self-manifested and made of ant-hill mud.Therefore there is no water abhisekam worship is only offered with ‘Punuhu’. This Punuhu Chattam is offered by devotees who want to be cured from diseases.
 

Enkann
 Enkann is located near Thanjavur and houses the Subramaniyaswamy Temple . The deity is seen on his 'vahana' the peacock, flanked by his wives Valli and Deivane. Devotees visit the temple seeking prosperity and health.

The legend is that once while Lord Brahma visited Lord Shiva at Kailash, he ignored Lord Vinayaka and Lord Murugan who were at the entrance. Angered at this, Lord Murugan asked him to explain the Pranava Mantra. Lord Brahma was unable to give the correct explanation and so Lord Murugan deprived him of his creative power. At

  

this,Brahma undertook severe penance and offered pooja to Lord Shiva with all his eight eyes.Since this was done at this spot the temple is also known as ‘Ashtanethrapuram’. Following this, Lord Murugan expounded the Pranava mantra to him and restored his powers.

The Kandashasti festival and Thaipoosam Festival are celebrated at this temple in a big way attracting crowds of devotees.
 

 
Sikkal
 Sikkal which is near Thanjavur is a famous Siva temple with Lord Siva as Sri Navaneetheswara. The main deity is Lord Subrahmanya called Singaravelavar. He is in the form of utsavamurti with his consorts Valli and Devayanai, showering his divine grace. The temple was built by Muchukunda Cholan. It has three holy tanks Ksheera or milk, Gaya and Lakshmi Tanks.
It has a seven-tiered rajagopuram that adorns the entrance to this temple and is an astounding 80 feet in height. The temple walls are covered with inscriptions from the imperial Chola period and Vijayanagar period. The Kartikai Mandapam has
paintings depicting legends related to Subramanya. The legend goes that Sage Vasishta prayed to Lord Shiva to rescue his cow, Kamadhenu, whose milk had flowed and frozen to form butter. He made a lingam out of this butter – Venneippiran, and tried to move it. However , it had gotten stuck giving it the name Sikkal or ‘being in a fix’.

Festival
 

The Annual Festival
 The Annual Festival of 9 days is celebrated in the month of Visaka, during which a play on Raja Rajeswara is also enacted. The deity is bathed on these days with fragrant water in which the buds of big Champaka flowers have been soaked. Ghee is used instead of oil to keep the temple lamps burning. Special offerings prepared for the occasion consist of eight varieties of cooked rice mixed with ingredients like tamarind, coconut, lime, juice, jaggery, gingelly and curd.

  
 

 
The Karthika Festival
 King Raja Raja's birth was an occasion for great rejoicing in his kingdom and the celebrations continue till today. The Karthika Festival is celebrated every month on the day when the ruling star is Satabhishag, since the same star appeared during his birth.
                                              
 

Maha Maham Festival
Once in twelve years, millions throng Kumbakonam to attend the famous Maha Maham festival. It is believed that during this occasion all the twelve Punya Theerthas will merge at the tank. Kumbakonam, 36 Kms from Tanjore, boasts of important temples including Sarangapani, Kumbeswarar, Nageswara and Ramaswamy temples.

 
 

 
Kartigai Somavara Festival
 This Festival is celebrated at the Tirukkadaiyur Temple and its highlight is that Sri Armagateshwara is anointed with 1008 conches. Conches curling to the right are spread at the centre and those curling to the left at the sides. The sacred waters of the Markandeya Kasi Tirtham are filled and anointing done according to Vedic religious observances.
                     
 

Church Festival
The Church Festival at the Sacred Arokia Matha Church or Velankanni is celebrated from 29th August to 8th September and attracts devotes from India and all over the world. Devotees bathe and the sea, shave their heads and offer their hair. Then, they move towards the church on their knees or roll up to it.
                   

 
 

 
Kandhuri Urs
The yearly festival at Nagore is called 'Kandhuri Urs'. It begins at Meera Pally mosque in Nagapattinam with a Rath containing the flags of the Dargah proceeding to Nagore. On reaching , the flags are hoisted to inaugurate Kandhuri Urs. On the 10th day, a grand procession again starts at Nagapattinam from 'Koottadi', an open ground carrying Koodu - a pot containing Sandalwood paste. It ends at Meeran Sahib’s tomb after the sandal paste is spread over it reverently. The flags are pulled down on the 14th day.
 

Kandha Sasthi Festival
This Festival is celebrated to commemorate the victory Of Lord Murugan over Surapadman. It is also the day when Brahma, Tirumal, Indiran and others offered puja to Him and were granted the boons they wished for. The 8-day Festival has processions everyday where the deity is taken out in different vahanas like the Peacock, Horse , Elephant and Flower Vahanas.