Mayuranatha
Swami Shiva Temple – Mayavaram
The
town of Mayiladuthurai also known by different names like Mayavaram or mayuram
is home to a large Shiva temple called the Mayuranatha Swami temple. The name
of the deity gave birth to this town’s name. The temple is located to the south
of this town near the banks of Cauvery River. This town is one of the very
ancient towns in the banks of the Cauvery. Mayuram is mentioned in an old
saying “Aayiram aanaalum mayuram aahaathu (ஆயிரம்
ஆனாலும் மாயூரம்
ஆகாது)”, meaning even
a combination of 1000 special places cannot be compared to Mayuram. This is one
of the six temples considered equal to Kashi.
Main Deity: The Mayuranatha
Swami Temple is devoted to Lord Shiva. In the past, the temple has been
referred by different names such as the Sikliandipuram, Brahmavanam, Sudavanam
and Brahmapuram. Besides lord Shiva, there are other shrines for Godess
Parvati, Ganesha and Nataraja (Shiva’s dancing form).
Temple
Architecture: Here,
the lord is in his Lingam form and has self-manifested. The temple was built
during the medieval Chola dynasty. The temple is almost 2000 year old. The
temple has nine tired Gopurams and the Vimana (crowning) is called tridal
vimana. The temple also has five prakaras (enclosed precincts). A Durga idol is
placed near the Northern entrance to the temple.
There
is also a massive water tank at the center of the temple complex. Above the
lords sculpture one can see sculptures of two monkeys and two peacocks.
Temple Legend
and Specialty: During
Daksha yagya (where Daksha invited everyone except lord Shiva), the lord asked
Parvati not to attend the yagya. But Parvati ignored her husband’s advice.
Circumstances caused lord Shiva to destroy the yagya and Daksha. Because of her
ignorance, Parvati was cursed. In order
to complete her penance, Goddess Parvati had to take rebirth as a pea-hen
(peacock = mayor in Sanskrit) to be united with her husband. Hence, this place
is called Mayuram or Mayavaram. On similar lines, Lord Shiva is called
Mayurnathar.
Another
interesting story is that of Nadha Sharma and his wife Anavidyambikai. They
came to the place in order to complete the holy snan (bath). However, the
auspicious month of Ippasi when the snan takes place was already over. Hence,
they sadly spent their time doing Puja of the lord. The lord appeared in their
dreams and asked them to take a bath next morning and reap full benefits of
this snan. Till date, the snan takes place even on the first day of Karthikai.
Lord
Vinayaka (Ganesha) is said to have appeared from a sandalwood tree. Here he is
known as Agasthya Vinayaka.
The
idol of Nandi is in midst of the river Cauvery. Also, Shani Dev (planet Saturn)
appears as Jwala Shani – with a ring of fire around his head. This is an
extremely rare form to see.
Festivals and
Prayers: During
the Tamil month of Ippasi (Oct-Nov), a festival called Kadai Muzhukku which
means “Holy Bath” takes place in this temple. In order to receive pardon for their sins, devotees would take a
dip in river Cauvery and then offer Puja at the temple.
Every
year, the Mayura Natyanjali – a festival of dance takes place at this temple.
Contact
Information
Phone: +91- 4364 -222
345
Address: Sri
Mayuranathaswami Temple, Mayiladuthurai-609 001. Nagapattinam district
Temple Timings: 5.30 a.m. to
12.00 p.m. and from 4.00 p.m. to 8.30 p.m
Directions: 70 km from
Thanjavoor and 120 km from Trichy. This place is on the Chidambaram–Thanjavoor
highway
Nearest
Airport – Trichy
Nearest
Railway Station – Mayiladuthurai railway station. It is well connected to major
stations in South of India as well as other parts of the country.
By
Road – Tamil Nadu State transport buses run from all major cities to this
place. Also, one can hire private luxury buses at reasonable prices.
Content: Ananya
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| Rare Medha Dakshinamoorthy -Mayavaram TN |
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| Mayuranatha Swami Shiva Temple - Mayavaram TN |
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