I should have mentioned this in the Srirangam-Trichy post. But never too late.
Samayapuram Temple has been dedicated to Mariamman. She is the manifestation of Shakti. People believe that the Goddess Mariamman is capable of curing diseases like Small Pox and Chicken Pox. I felt that this was like the village deity. In my childhood, I have seen such Temples in Nellore also. Especially when I saw goats (tied to the poles) and cocks waiting to be sacrificed, I felt very uncomfortable. This was the typical grama devata (village deity)style. I did not want to go inside the shrine as soon as I realized that such superstitions still existed!! People believe in it and pray for the cure and once cured(or not) they sacrifice these animals. There are other festivals like annual floats etc., but I wasn't interested in knowing any more details. Sorry folks, Not much to elaborate here.
The legend goes that when Lord Shiva swallowed the Kaalakoota poison he created Goddess Kali from that poison and so, henceforth she assumed the name Kali.
The temple at Tiruvanaikaval is a big one covering an area of about 18 acres with high walls and gopurams on all the four sides. The temple has five prakarams. The main shrine(the 5th prakaram) can be reached by entering a series of Gopurams. Situated in the 4th prakaram, Akhilandeswari is the presiding female deity and Jambukeshwara is the male deity. I did not take any photos. But I liked the photos on this site. I mentioned this Temple under the 'Five elements' theme.
According to the legend there was once a forest of Jambu trees at this location. Near by was a tank called Chandratheertha which was filled by water from the river Kaveri. Lord shiva appeared as a Lingam under one of the trees. Hence the name Jambukeshwara (and more on the name, you can search). Due to a curse, two of the shiva ganas Pushpadanta and Malyava, were born in the forest as a white elephant and as a spider. The elephant worshipped the Lingam with flowers and with water brought in its trunk. The spider too worshipped the Lingam, spinning out a web over the Lingam to prevent leaves of the tree from falling on it. The spider's web appeared to be unclean for the elephant and it destroyed the web. This lead to big clash between the two and ultimately resulted in their death. Lord shiva granted salvation to both.
Anyway, we were told that the river Kaveri water can be seen in the slabs under the lingam. I thought it was a spring underneath slab.
The concentric walls make the Jambukeshwara Temple more interesting and exciting. For the Shaivites the Jambukeshwara Temple is an absolute charm. There are also seven Gopurams and they are captivating for both the religiously inclined and the artistically minded.
The non Hindus are not allowed to enter the temple premises.
I was totally confused in some of these Temples. I am writing this in a rush to finish this post. Please feel free to make corrections or additional comments about this temple.www.googlemaps.com
Samayapuram Temple has been dedicated to Mariamman. She is the manifestation of Shakti. People believe that the Goddess Mariamman is capable of curing diseases like Small Pox and Chicken Pox. I felt that this was like the village deity. In my childhood, I have seen such Temples in Nellore also. Especially when I saw goats (tied to the poles) and cocks waiting to be sacrificed, I felt very uncomfortable. This was the typical grama devata (village deity)style. I did not want to go inside the shrine as soon as I realized that such superstitions still existed!! People believe in it and pray for the cure and once cured(or not) they sacrifice these animals. There are other festivals like annual floats etc., but I wasn't interested in knowing any more details. Sorry folks, Not much to elaborate here.
The legend goes that when Lord Shiva swallowed the Kaalakoota poison he created Goddess Kali from that poison and so, henceforth she assumed the name Kali.
The temple at Tiruvanaikaval is a big one covering an area of about 18 acres with high walls and gopurams on all the four sides. The temple has five prakarams. The main shrine(the 5th prakaram) can be reached by entering a series of Gopurams. Situated in the 4th prakaram, Akhilandeswari is the presiding female deity and Jambukeshwara is the male deity. I did not take any photos. But I liked the photos on this site. I mentioned this Temple under the 'Five elements' theme.
According to the legend there was once a forest of Jambu trees at this location. Near by was a tank called Chandratheertha which was filled by water from the river Kaveri. Lord shiva appeared as a Lingam under one of the trees. Hence the name Jambukeshwara (and more on the name, you can search). Due to a curse, two of the shiva ganas Pushpadanta and Malyava, were born in the forest as a white elephant and as a spider. The elephant worshipped the Lingam with flowers and with water brought in its trunk. The spider too worshipped the Lingam, spinning out a web over the Lingam to prevent leaves of the tree from falling on it. The spider's web appeared to be unclean for the elephant and it destroyed the web. This lead to big clash between the two and ultimately resulted in their death. Lord shiva granted salvation to both.
Anyway, we were told that the river Kaveri water can be seen in the slabs under the lingam. I thought it was a spring underneath slab.
The concentric walls make the Jambukeshwara Temple more interesting and exciting. For the Shaivites the Jambukeshwara Temple is an absolute charm. There are also seven Gopurams and they are captivating for both the religiously inclined and the artistically minded.
The non Hindus are not allowed to enter the temple premises.
I was totally confused in some of these Temples. I am writing this in a rush to finish this post. Please feel free to make corrections or additional comments about this temple.www.googlemaps.com
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