History and Significance of.......... The Nava Kailasam Temples located @ Nellai & Tuticorin

History and Significance of.......... The Nava Kailasam Temples located @ Nellai & Tuticorin Districts.......PLEASE READ THIS FULLY.

Nava Kailasam refers to nine individual ancient Temples of Lord Shiva in southern districts of Tamil Nadu. These temples are located in the districts Tirunelveli and Tuticorin.

Uromasa Maharishi’s Journey to Salvation...

Sage Agastyar with Wife Lopamudra.

The great sage Agasthiyar is the earliest of the eighteen Siddhars who lived in ancient Tamil Nadu. He was also known as Kumba Muni, Kuda Muni and Kulla Muni. Thousands of years ago, he was performing a penance on the Podhigai Hills, the source of the Thamirabarani River. Uromasa Maharishi the Grandson of Lord Brahma and his leading disciple wished to attain salvation.

So he approached his Guru and asked,”Oh Revered Guru, with your guidance, I wish to behold the vision of Lord Shiva and attain salvation”. Sage Agasthiyar advised Uromasa Maharishi to, “Let float nine flowers on the waters of holy Thamirabarani. Build Shiva temples at all the places the flowers reach the banks. If you take a dip in the Sangam Theertham at the place of where the last flower docks, then you can be liberated”. Uromasa Maharishi proceeded to follow his Guru’s words................

1. Papanasam. - Sun.

2.Cheran Mahadevi - Moon

3. Kodaganallur – Mars

4. Kunathoor – Raagu

5. Murappanaadu – Jupiter

6. Sri Vaikundam – Saturn

7. Thenthiruperai – Mercury

8. Rajapathy – Kethu

9. Sernthapoomangalam – Venus

Nava kailayam Temple.........Temples of Mela Kailasam..

1. The first flower reached Papanasam . He attributed this place to the Sun God....SOORYA STHALAM. and built the first temple here.

2. The second flower docked at Cheranmahadevi . The temple here was dedicated to the Moon God ....THINGAL STHALAM .

3. Kodaganallur was the place reached by the third flower. He built a temple here dedicated to Mars God....SEVVAY(Tuesday) STHALAM . These three temples are known as Upper Kailayam .

Temples of Nadu Kailasam....

4. The fourth flower stopped at Sanganoor also known as Kunnathoor . The temple here is known as RAHU STHALAM.

5. The fifth flower reached Murapanaadu . The temple is attributed to Jupiter God.....GURU STHALAM.

6. SriVaikundam was the resting place of the sixth flower. This was dedicated to the Saturn God ...SANI STHALAM. These three temples together form the Middle Kailayam .

Temples of Keezh Kailasam...

7. The seventh flower stopped at Thenthiruperai and the temple here was dedicated to Mercury God ....BUDHAN STHALAM..

8. Uromasa Maharishi then worshipped the place of rest of the eighth flower as KETHU STHALAM at Rajapathy.

9. The place where the last flower reached came to be known as “Sernthapoomangalam which literally translates to “Place where the last flower rested”. This temple is dedicated to Venus ...SUKHIRAN STHALAM. These three temples form the Lower Kailasam .

Significance of Nava Kailasam Temples....

Uromasa Maharishi worshipped Lord Shiva at each of these nine temples. He then took a dip in the holy waters of Sangam Theertham and prayed to the Lord.As he took a dip in the Holy waters of Sangam Theertham he was blessed with the divine vision of Lord Shiva and was liberated.

These nine Temples of Lord Shiva came to be known as Nava Kailasam. It is believed that one is blessed by the Lord on praying at these temples on Mondays that occur in the Tamizh month of Karthigai , Full Moon Days ,New Moon Days , Pradosham & Monthly Shivaratri days .

Please carefully observe they follow the course of the Tambraparani river as Papanasam is almost at the starting point of the river and Poomangalam at its confluence with Bay of Bengal. While the first four temples are in Tirunelveli District, the last five are in Tuticorin District. Unlike the Navathirupathis, the information available about these temples is limited. Those who want to cover all these temples could make Tirunelveli as the base and engage a taxi for covering all these temples. Unlike Navatirupathis which could be covered from early morning until noon, one may have to spend the entire day on the road for this.It is better that the trip could be better covered in one and half days.

1. The first one is Papanasam.

Though there is a similarly named town in Tanjore district, the temple mentioned here is in Tirunelveli District. It is situated on the banks of the river Tamirabharani when it comes down to the plains after the Agasthyar Falls. It is around 60 Kms from Tirunelveli. The Lord is known Papavinaseswarar ( the redeemer of sins ) and He is in the form of a Rudraksha. Indra is said to have got rid off Brahmahathi Dosha when he entered the borders of this place and hence the place is known as Papavinasam or Papanasam.

The river is full of fish and it is believed that these creatures are the redeemed souls. The devotees who bathe in the river do not harm the fish as it it believed to bring retribution. There is a massive granary in this temple where 3000 kalam paddy could be stored. ( one kalam = 48 padi and 1 Padi = 1600 ml ). Vikramasingha Pandian is said to have built this temple and hence the nearby town is called Vikramasinghapuram. This kshetram is associated with Sun and hence this temple is called Surya Kailash.

Many of you might have had the darshan of the Shiva between the horns of the Nandi. This practice is said to have emanated from this kshetram where the Divine Dance of the Lord was seen by Sages Patanjali and Vyakrapada through the horns of the Nandi. The Nataraja shrine is adjoining the main shrine and here He is in Ananda Thandava posture.

He is also called Punugu Sabapathy as the favourite adornment for the Moorthy is Punugu ( extract from Civet Cat ). On the corridor, there is Mukkila Lingam. It is believed that Rig, Yajur and Sama Vedas came as three Kila ( mukkila or moondru kila ) trees below which the Lord was resting. Hence this lingam is known as Mukkila Lingam. Ambal here is called Lokanayaki (Ulagammai ) and before Her sanctorum, there is a pounding stone ( Ural ).

Ladies pound turmeric which is used for the abhishekam of the Mother. A small quantity of this turmeric prasadam is given to the ladies which ensures long married life and child boon to them. Darshan timings are from 6.30 am to 1 pm and 6.30 pm to 8.30 pm.. This temple is known for its tall gopuram and architectural beauty. Apart from the bath and darshan in this place, please also visit other scenic spots like Agasthyar Falls, Dam, Pana Theertham and Mundanthurai Wildlife Sanctuary.

2. The Second Nava Kailasam is in Cheranmahadevi

This place is around 22 kms from Tirunelveli and the temple is situated very close to the bus stand. The Lord here is called Kailasanathar or Ammai Nathar and the Ambal is Avudai Nayaki or Oppilla Nayaki ( one without comparison ). This temple is associated with Moon. Though this temple was negelected for quite some time, in the recent past, Poojas are being conducted regularly. Apart from the Ammai Nathar temple, there are two more important temples in this place.....a beautiful Perumal temple and a Milagu Pillayar temple. The latter is having an wonderful story behind it. Cheranmahadevi is the place where the canal from Tamirabharani ends. This is known as Kannadian Kalvai .

3. The Third Nava Kailasam temple is in Kodaganallur.

This is around 14 Kms from Tirunelveli. This place was formerly known as Karkodaganallur. The name of the place was associated with the mythological snake Karkodagan .There was a king who was cursed by a Rishi Kumara to be bitten by a serpent. Karkodagan did the job and later as advised by Vishnu, came to this Kshetra to get himself rid of the dosha associated with the killing. He prayed to Lord Kailasanathar and got relief.

There are number of temples in this small place and the most famous one is that of Kailasanathar and Sivakami Ambal. This was the only place in Tamilnadu where Sringeri Mutt had a presence for quite some time. It is believed that the Mutt is in existence at least for the past 500 years. This temple is associated with Mars. Prayers offered to the Nandi in this temple are of special significance. The marriage for girls with Kuja Dosha is generally delayed. They pray to the Lord here and offer a thali consisting of 58 turmeric pieces to the Nandi and their wishes are fulfilled.

4. The Fourth Nava Kailasam temple is in Kunnathur.

This temple is also known as Gotha Parameswarar Temple. It is around 7 Km from Tirunelveli. Ambal's name is Sivakami. This is a Rahu Kshetram. The temple is open between 6 am and 11 am and between 5 and 8 pm. The place is also known as Chankani. There is a snake mark on the Shivalinga. The temple is on a small hillock and situated close to Tirunelveli Town Railway station.

5. The fifth Nava Kailasam is in Murappanaadu.

This temple is associated with Jupiter. The Holy river of Thambirabharani flows from North to South as the Ganges does in Kasi. So this place is called ‘Dhakshina Gangai’. Bath taken here is equivalent to taking a bath in Kasi. Apart from this, there is the famous Dasavadara Teertha Ghat here, where there are 10 sculptures in one stone. Murappanadu is 17 k.m from Tirunelveli along the Tirunelveli – Tuticorin road. The highlands containing Jalli stones is called Muranbu. Since this land contains Muranbu, it is known as Muranbunaadu and later changed into Murappanadu. It is also said that this place is called Murappanadu because the sages were not able to stand the tyranny of the Asuras and they prayed to the Lord. Lord Shiva took pity on the sages and blessed them.

In Tamil, Muraipadu means prayer and hence the name Muraipadu Nadu which later became Murapanadu. This temple was built by Vallala Maharaja. A Chola king got a daughter with a horse face. He prayed to Lord Shiva to change his daughter’s horse face. Then Lord Shiva appeared before him and told him to go to Murappanadu and take a bath there. As per the dictates of Lord Siva, the Chola king and his daughter took bath in this holy river and the girl was rewarded with a normal face. Ambal here is Sivakami.

6. The sixth Nava Kailasam temple is in Srivaikuntam.

Once again it is also called Kailasanathar Temple. From the Perumal temple, this Shiva temple is just a Km away. This temple is associated with Saturn. This temple was in very bad condition and thanks to the efforts of TVS family, renovation work is almost over. The Ambal once again is Sivakami. Incidentally, Srivaikuntam is the birth place of the Poet Kumaraguruparar. He was born a dumb child and did not speak upto the age of five. With the blessings of Lord Subramanya, he not only got the power of speaking, but also became a poet. He was the author of Kandar Kalivenpa and other works.

7. The Seventh Nava Kailasam temple is in Thenthirupperai.

This temple is associated with Mercury ( Budhan ). While the Lord is Kailasanathar, the Mother is Azhagiyaponnammai. The Peetam of the Lord is in Lotus shape, indicating that when the flower floated by Romesa Rishi landed, it became a Sivalingam.

The Bhairavar in this temple is also unique. He is having six hands and He is not accompanied by His companion, dog. He is believed to be teaching Vedas and hence the absence of the dog. Nandi of this temple is also unique- it is having a Turban on its head! In the Ambal shrine, there is an image of a coconut with horns (sprouted coconut). ................And.................. There is a story associated with it. When a British Official, camped here, he ordered his servant to fetch him a tender coconut to drink. The servant approached the nearest farm and asked for the coconut. The farmer refused saying that the the coconuts in his farm are meant only for abhishekam in the Shiva temple. When it was informed to the officer, he made a sarcastic remark in Tamil........... “ Andha Thengaykku kombu molachirukka? ( are there horns on that coconut). .......... When the reluctant farmer was forced to pluck a coconut and cut it, three horns sprouted from the coconut! The frightened foreigner realised his mistake and prostrated towards the direction of the temple and apologized. Though this place is having the well known Nava Thirupathi of Makara Nedhun Kuzhai Kaadar, not many people are aware of the existence of this Shiva Temple. This is around 22 kms from Thiruchendur.

8. The Eighth Nava Kailasam temple is in a village called Rajapathi.

It is 20 Kms from Tiruchendur. When one comes from Tirunelveli, should take a diversion at Kurumbur and this place is 5 Kms from Kurumbur. While the Lord is Kailasanathar, the Mother is Soundaranayaki or Azhagiyaponnammai. ( See the identical names of the deities in the previous and this temple). The planet Ketu is associated with this temple. There is a partially disfigured Shivalinga in the sanctorum. There are four wheel figures on the sides of the Lingam and it is believed that there is a buried temple below the sanctorum. The temple conducts Ketu Parihara pujas between 12.00 noon to 1.30 p.m. on Sundays and between 9.00 a.m. to 10.30 a.m. on Tuesdays. The first pooja for the consecration of this temple was done on the day the Kalahasti temple Raja Gopuram was damaged. Hence it is believed that this temple has got all the powers of Kalahasti temple. It is said that a palace of the Pandya king was in this place and hence was called RAJAPATHI ( RAJA- King, PATHI- Place of residence ).

9. The Ninth Nava Kailasam temple is in Senthapoomangalam or Poomangalam.

This is around 19 Kms from Tiruchendur and close to Atoor. This temple is associated with Venus ( Sukra ). Once again here also the Lord and the Mother are named Kailasanathar and Soundaranayaki. This temple is associated with Kubera. He is believed to have worshipped here along with his two Devis- Sanganidhi and Padumanidhi. The image of Kubera on his elephant with the two Devis is sculpted on the Vimanam of this temple. Those who are having bad positioning of Sukra in their horoscopes, offer prayers in this temple.

J.KANNAN, M.Com, FIATA

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