Mandapam on the right is made of Rudrakshas - very artistic!!
Panchabhootha sthalams are five ancient temples in India where Lord Shiva is represented in the form of five elements – Air, Earth, Ether, Fire and Water.
The following are the five temples that represent Shiva in the form of five elements:
Air – Sri Kalahasti Temple at Kalahasti in Andhra Pradesh – Vayu Linga represents the element air or wind here. A continuous flame flickers when there is no air source in the interior of the temple.
Earth – Ekambareswara Temple in Kanchipuram – Shivalingam here is the element earth.It is believed to have been created by Goddess Parvathi from sand or earth.
Ether – Nataraja Temple at Chidambaram – Shiva is represented as ether or sky in an empty space. I mentioned this in my post on Chidambaram (as the Chidambara rahasyam}. Ether is known as ‘akasha’ in Sanskrit and is also referred as Sky (or Space) .
Fire – Arunachaleswara Temple or Annamalaiyar Temple at Thiruvannamalai – Here, Shiva represents the element fire.
Water – Jambukeshwara Temple or Thiruvanaikaval Shiva Temple in Srirangam – Jambukeshwara represents the element water. The deity is found under a Jambu tree over a small river. The small stream engulfs the idol during the rainy season.
I have seen all the five lingams mentioned above. Our future plan is to cover all of the 12 Jyothirlingam Temples. Of the 12, we have seen Srisailam, Kedarnath and Varanasi (during our Chardham trip) and Rameswaram . The Northern most is the Kedarnath Temple and the Southern most is the Rameswaram Temple. It sounds more exciting when you document like this!!!
6 comments:
This is really cool. It makes me want to see these temples and gives me a different perspective than just going to them "cold". Are there any architectural or other elements that are common or similar across the 5 temples?
But for the shapes of the Gopuram, I don't see much in common. Most of the Temples in the South have a resemblance in structure. But the intricacies vary. For a first timer, they may all look alike in terms of the architecture. But, the interior, the philosophies, the people that manage the events etc., the behavior of the priests - they all appear to be different and they leave a unique impression about each Temple.The one thing in common was the history - which of the kings supported the expansions of these Temples. Click on each name to read more!!
One must visit these in this life time!! Hope you make it soon!!
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Padma aunty, I've ALWAYS wanted to visit these temples and they've intrigued me since I first heard about them! I actually just told my parents that we should make the trip together sometime!
These blogs are amazing! While they create in us, as Gopal states, a desire to see the sites and temples, they also stimulate us to delve deeper into our rich heritage! Thank you for sharing and do count us in for the next yatra!!
We plan on visiting the Jyothirlingas and more on our next yatra. Want to join us? make these yatras while you are still young and energetic. All the three of you - make it soon. Do it with your family or friends for additional enjoyment.
Recently we went to Chidhambaram.. It is very exciting place. The God gave darshanam in Gold Bilva Pathras in a small flame of harathi...
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