temple mysteries

 mysterious temples

karpaga vinayagar pillyarpatti

    

                                                          

The rock-cut Ganesha, without the gold plating. main idol, the 7th-century      

 

 The Mandapam has extensive frescoes,

Karpaka Vinayaka Temple or Pillaiyarpatti Pillaiyar Temple is a 7th-century-CE rock-cut cave shrine, significantly expanded over the later centuries. It is located in Pillayarpatti village in Tiruppathur Taluk, Sivaganga district in Tamil Nadu, India.[1]

The temple is dedicated to Karpaka Vinayakar (Ganesha).

 In the cave temple, there are rock cut images of Ganesha,  panchaloga statues have been found  dating to the 11th century.
The temple has several inscriptions within the rock-cut shrines, as well as on the walls and mandapam outside. One of them mentions "Desi vinayakar" and also helps date the core layer of this temple to the 7th-century Ganesha. Another notable inscription in the sanctum is more archaic, sharing paleographic features of Tamil Brahmi and early Vatteluttu. This has led to proposals that portions of this Ganesha temple are likely older by a few centuries.The temple walls and mandapams have additional stone inscriptions from the 11th to 13th-century.


The temple has a large colorful gopuram, with large mandapams elaborately decorated with frescoes, many shrines inside, salas originally added for dance and hymns singing, temple kitchen, an architecture that follows the Agamic texts and Shilpa Sastras, and a large temple tank to its north. Most of these were added in later centuries to the core rock-cut cave shrine.  

 The Karpaka Vinayakar temple is one of the evidence of the early Pandya dynasty contributions to the South Indian heritage.

  the 7th-century rock-cut cave temple  is attributed to Narasimhavarma, c. 650 CE.  

     This Ganesha faces the north direction. As this is a cave excavated in a large natural rocky hillock, there is no provision for the pradakshina,  The iconography of Ganesha is unusual in several ways. First, he has only two hands. Second, he holds sweets in his right hand and his trunk is curved at the right side, unlike later statues which typically show him with four hands, with trunk turned left, and holding sweets in one of his left hands.
 At the Karpaka Vinayakar relief of Ganesha, his left tusk is broken suggesting that some of the iconographic features of Ganesha were well established by the time this image was carved. Locals call this relief as Valampuri Vinayagar. There is a 7th-century inscription near him that refers to the relief as "Desi vinayagar".
    A Shiva sanctum on the west face of cave wall, inside a gajaprashta (elephant-back form of excavation), with the sanctum opening to the east. It has a 7th-century Shiva linga at its center. A notable inscription in this sanctum states "Ikkatturu Kotturu Ainiijan", likely the name(s) of the patron(s) responsible for its excavation.  
    
 
 
 The temple is one of the nine ancestral Hindu temples of the Chettiars, its importance established in their tradition in Kali year 3815 (714 CE).

 

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Lord Shiva is one of the principal deities in Hinduism and is considered part of the Trimurti alongside Brahma and Vishnu. Numerous temples dedicated to Shiva exist across India and beyond, often featuring lingams as representations of the deity.^[1] Hindu scriptures describe the worship of Shiva and the establishment of temples and shrines across the Indian subcontinent. Among these, the Jyotirlinga temples are considered particularly significant

However there are  several thousands of other small temples hidden from  the  public eye yet significant in their own  way

An attempt is made here to  uncover some of these treasures and give them a proper place in the hierarchy

Posts

•  
• Thirukkadaiyur
• Amrithakadeeswarar Abhirami Temple
• Kadaram konda choleswar
• Omkareswar
• Shiva
• Lingarah bhuvaneswar
• Guddatu vinayak mangalore
• Bhima Shankar pune
• Kasi visvanath

 

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nageswar-gujarat………..

neelkanth-mahadev uttarkhand………

Unakoti tripura……..

Kamakhya assam……..

Akashi gangs arunachal ……..

Nallur kalyanasundareswarar ……..

airavatesvara-temple-darasuram…….

kailasanzthar-kanchi

 

pillayarpatti vinayagar 

Nilkanth

Airavatheswar

Nallur

Uttarakosamangai

Thirukkadaiyur

 

 

 
Thirukkadaiyur derives its name from the pot, called Gatam in Tamil.

 Vishnu, Indra, and the other Devas needed a sublime place to consume the ambrosia that had been churned during the Samudra manthan and, therefore, brought the ambrosia pot here.

Before consuming it, they forgot to worship Ganesha, who is to be worshiped before any great undertaking. Ganesha, hurt and offended at the unintentional slight by the devas, stole the pot of Amrita and hid it at Tirukkadaiyur.

Ganesha created a Shiva Lingam, dedicated to his father and mother, and poured some of the Amrita over it.

The Shiva Lingam at this temple is known as Amrita Ghat Eshwarar, which, translated from Sanskrit literally means "Lord that leads to immortality" ('Immortality' (Amrita) 'Step' (Ghat) 'Lord' (Eshwarar)).
It is also believed that Abhirami incarnated here by the power of Vishnu.

As per popular legend, near the temple of Tirukkadaiyur, there lived a sage named Mrikandu and his wife Marudmati. They were both devotees of Shiva and worshiped him day and night for many years, asking to be graced with a child. After many years of penance, Shiva appeared to Mrikandu and Marudmati.

 He told them that he heard their prayers and would give them a choice: they could either have a gifted son who would live to be only sixteen, or a son of low intelligence who would live a long life. Mrikandu and Marudmati chose the former, and were blessed with Markandeya, an exemplary son, destined to die at the age of sixteen.

As Markandeya grew, so did his devotion to Shiva. As advised by his father, Markandeya worshipped the Shiva Lingam at Tirukkadaiyur, even bringing water from the Ganges to the temple via an underground passage.

 On the day he was destined to die, Yama, the deity of death, appeared with his noose to tie around the soul of Markandeya and take it with him. Markandeya sought refuge in the temple and embraced the Siva Lingam.

Shiva appeared and warned Yama not to touch Markandeya, as he was under his protection. Yama refused to listen and threw the noose anyway, binding Markandeya and the Lingam together. Angered by Yama's extraordinary arrogance, Shiva kicked him and held him under his foot, making Yama inactive.

Markandeya was blessed by Shiva to remain sixteen years old eternally. Shiva came to be known as "Kala-samhara" (Sanskrit: "Destroyer of Time") at this temple.

Meanwhile, with Yama being rendered inactive, there were no deaths on earth, but people were still being born. Burdened by the weight of so many people and unable to sustain their hunger, the earth-goddess, Bhumi Devi, appealed to Shiva for help. Shiva, feeling compassionate for the earth-goddess, released Yama, allowing death to occur again. However, in order to remind Yama never to try to kill someone while they are worshiping Shiva again, the icon of Shiva in this temple is depicted with his forefinger raised in warning.

Since it is believed that Lord Siva subdued Yama in Thirukkadaiyur, the Lord is called Mrityunjaya (Sanskrit: "Conqueror of Death" or "Victorious over Death").
 

Amrithakadeeswarar Abhirami Temple

 

 

 

Amrithakadeeswarar Abhirami Temple (also called Abhirami temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva in his manifestation as Kalantaka and his wife Parvati as Abhirami.

There is a Shrine for Maha Vishnu as Amrithanarayana and his consort Mahalakshmi as Amrithavalli.

 It is located in Thirukkadaiyur (Thirukkadavur), 21 km East of Mayiladuthurai, Tamil Nadu  .

 This temple is associated with the legend of Shiva saving his young devotee, Markendeya from death, and the tale of a saint, Abirami Pattar a devotee of the presiding goddess. 

built during the Chola dynasty in the 9th century

Paadal Petra Sthalam. sambandar

Based on the legend of Markandeya, it is believed that worshiping at this temple will give longevity to couples who have reached age sixty or eighty-one

 

Kadaram konda choleswar

 

The Kadaram Konda Choleeswara Temple in Vellore district is known today as the Bhimeswara Temple near Kalavai.

 It was built by Rajendra I to commemorate his victory over Kadaram and various regions of present-day Malaysia.

 Rajendra I, who assumed the title Kadaram Kondan, was a prominent Chola ruler known for his military campaigns and temple construction.

 The temple is located in the Vellore district and is one of the significant historical sites linked to the Chola dynasty's expansion.

The temple's construction was part of a larger project initiated by Rajendra Chola following his conquests. He established a new capital city named Gangaikonda Cholapuram, where he built the temple and a large sacred tank called Cholagangam, into which the holy waters of the Ganges—brought by defeated kings—were mixed.

 The presiding deity of the temple is Bragadeeswarar (Shiva), represented by a massive Shiva Lingam that is the largest in size among all Shiva temples in Tamil Nadu, standing 13.5 feet tall with a circumference of 60 feet.

 This Lingam is made from a single piece of limestone and is placed 200 meters away from the sanctum sanctorum.

The temple's architecture reflects the grandeur of Chola dynasty craftsmanship. The Rajagopuram (main tower) is 180 feet tall with a base width of 100 feet, and its shadow does not fall on the ground, a unique feature attributed to the skill of the sculptors.

 The temple also houses a large Nandhi (bull) statue, which is bigger than the one at the Brihadeeswarar Temple in Thanjavur and is positioned on the ground, unlike the elevated Nandhi in Thanjavur.

 Sunlight falling on the Nandhi each day reflects onto the Lingam, allowing devotees to see the deity even when all lights are turned off, showcasing the exceptional architectural and sculptural expertise of the time.

The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and his consort, Periyanayaki, and is renowned for its unique features, including the Chandrakanta stone installed beneath the Lingam, which is said to regulate the temperature of the sanctum, keeping it cool in summer and warm in winter.

 The temple also houses a Navagraha shrine, where the nine planets are carved from a single stone on a lotus-shaped pedestal.

 Festivals celebrated at the temple include Maha Shivrathri, Aipasi Poornima, Panguni Utsav, and Margazhi Tiruvadhirai.

The temple's historical significance is further enhanced by its connection to Rajendra Chola's personal devotion. He used to spill the consecrated Ganga water from the well he dug in the temple onto his head before worshipping the Lord, a practice that reflects the deep spiritual and symbolic importance of the site.

 The temple remains a major pilgrimage destination and a testament to the Chola dynasty's military, architectural, and religious legacy.

Omkareswar

 

Omkareshwar temple

 in Khandwa

Fourth in line, Omkareshwar temple in Khandwa is one of the most revered places in India dedicated to Lord Shiva. Set on an island named Mandhata or Shivapuri by the Narmada River, the shape of the lingam here looks like ‘Om’. The place features two main Shiva Temples, one is Omkareshwar and the other is Amareshwar

,My Pr

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Shiva

 

Shiva is one of the principal deities in Hinduism and is considered part of the Trimurti alongside Brahma and Vishnu. Numerous temples dedicated to Shiva exist across India and beyond, often featuring lingams as representations of the deity.

 Hindu scriptures describe the worship of Shiva and the establishment of temples and shrines across the Indian subcontinent. 

Among these, the Jyotirlinga temples are considered particularly significant.

Gold plated Vimana of Mallikarjuna shrine

Mallikarjuna

Somnath