Arulmigu Agneeswarar Temple, Sukran Sthalam,Darshan Information

Arulmigu Agneeswarar Temple, Sukran Sthalam

26 Jan

Posted By admin 0 Comment(s) 575 View(s) Traveling , Temples

Holding a stick, beads and lotus in his hands, Sukran, the sixth graha represents comfort, luxury, beauty, prosperity. He is also Sukracharya, the Guru of Asuras and an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva. In the Agneeswarar temple Sukran is believed to be in the Lingam of the Lord. The temple constructed during the Cholas also show inscriptions from the Vijayanagara era. Legend has it that Shiva blessed Paraasara muni with a vision of the Mukti Tandava here. Haradatta Sivacharyar is said to have composed his works in sanskrit here and many of his stories are associated with the temple . Appar, the Tamil saint poet is said to have visited Kanjanur to worship the Lord.

Location TamilNadu, Thanjavur, Chennai

Legend

The deity is called Agneeswarar as Agni is believed to have worshipped Lord Shiva here. It is here in this shrine that Brahma had the vision of Lord Shiva's marriage to Parvati Devi. Legends describe that Sukracharya who used his knowledge of Mritasanjivani vidya to empower the asura army was swallowed by Lord Shiva. He stayed in siddha state until Parvathy convinced her husband to let him go. Hence, there is no separate shrine for Sukran here, as he is believed to exist in the abdomen of Shiva. It is also believed that Sukaracharya payed penance to the Lord here after he was blinded in one eye.

This Temple is part of the famous Navagraha Yatra.

Architecture

Agneeswarar temple is built in the Dravidian style of architecture.There are inscriptions from Cholas and Vijayanagara empires in the shrine. The raja gopuram is a five tiered structure adorned with intricate carvings in bright colours. The Lingam idol is 'swayambhu'.The Nataraja idol of Shiva in the Mukti-Tandava pose is situated in the Nataraj Sabha Mandap. The stone cut walls, the courtyards, the long halls with an array of pillars symbolises the architecture of the ancient eras.

Culture

Kumbakonam has a salient place in the history of South India as it served as the capital for medieval Cholas. The place is known for its temples and monasteries. The place is famous for Mahamaham festival celebrated at the Mahamaham tank once in 12 years.