Among the many forms of Lord Shiva, one of the fiercest is the Aghoramurthy, the manifestation of Lord's anger. The temple of Swetharanyeswarar, celebrates this revelation of Shiva. The place is also called Aadhi Chidambaram, as it is believed that the Lord performed his celestial dance, the Tandava, here before performing at Chidambaram. The shrine is also popular for the sanctum of the Navagraha, Budhan. He is considered as the wisest of all the planets and is associated with intellect and knowledge. The temple is considered more than 2000 years old. The inscriptions on the temple depicts contributions to the shrine by the Cholas.

Location TamilNadu, Nagapattinam, Chennai

Legend

Marutwasura, the demon was creating havoc in the area of Thiruverkadu, troubling the sages and people here. Nandi, who had initially defeated the demon was sent by Lord Shiva to fight the evil. Marutawasura, who with severe penance to Brahma, had become stronger than before and attacked Nandi, causing wounds on his back. Lord Shiva, enraged at his loyal devotee being hurt, manifested as Aghora murthy and killed Marutwasura under a tree.

This Temple is part of the famous Navagraha Yatra.

Architecture

The Swetharanyeswarar Temple is built in Dravidian style of architecture, with the tiered gopuram vibrant with tinted carvings. The stone built temple is huge with vast courtyards and long courtyards with sculpted pillars all around. A unique feature about Swetharanyeswarar Temple is that the image of Lord Shiva has five faces, each representing a distinct aspect of the Lord.  The idol of Nandi bears the nine scars as described by the legend of the temple. There is an idol of Nataraja and similar to Chidambaram, Lord Vishnu near to it. There is also a shrine for Budhan, the Navagraha. There are three holy tanks in the temple.

Culture

Nagapattinam has many heritage and historic points like Nagore, Velankanni, Sikkal, Kodiyakkarai, Vedaranyam, Mannargudi and Tharangambad. Nagore Durgha, a 16th-century minaret, is one of the important pilgrimage centres of the place. There are many other ancient and medieval temples around the area. Thiruvenkadu is one of the six places considered equivalent to Kashi in its holiness.

Picture Courtesy: www.yatrastotemples.com

Darsan Info

Swetharanyeswarar Temple timings:-  6.00 AM to 12.00 PM and 4.00 PM to 9.00 PM

Darsan Dresscode

Devotees are advised to wear clean and traditional clothing. Western attire are not allowed in the temples of Tamil Nadu.

Famous Festival

January - Sankranti

February - Chariot festival

December - Thiruvathira

Temple Rituals

The priests perform regular pujas to the deities at Swetharanyeswarar Temple.

Worshipping Budhan on Wednesdays are said to alleviate Budhan dosham.

Sunday nights are considered auspicious to worship Lord Aghoramurthy.

Special Rituals

People who wishes to have their own house make toy house with bricks to have their wishes fulfilled. It is customary to light lamps at the Budhan shrine in Swetharanyeswarar Temple.

Additional Info

 

Hotel Annapurna

Hotel Navaratna

 

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