Chori Muthu Ayyanar Temple - Papanasam

By -
Site Name:  Chori Muthu Ayyanar Temple
Site Type: Hindu Village Deity Temple
Location:  Karaiyar, Papanasam, near Ambasamudram town, near Tirunelveli city, Tamil Nadu state, India
Highlights:  A rare temple as well as a popular temple for village deity
Nearest Railway Station: Ambasamudram
Nearest Airport: Tirunelveli
How to reach: Well connected by road from Tirunelveli and Ambasamudram; a lot of buses are available for this town as this is a popular picnic spot
Hotel: Few options in Ambasamduram and Papanasam; more options in the nearby city Tirunelveli
Restaurants: Only few options in Ambasamudram and Papanasam


Ambasamudram is a picturesque town located on the banks of the beautiful Tamraparni river and on the foothills of the Western Ghats. The nearest city of Ambasamudram is Tirunelveli. It is located in Tamil Nadu state in South India.The town has a lot of scenic spots and temples. Papanasam is a smaller town located near Ambasamudram which offers a lot more scenic spots, dams and wonderful waterfalls. Let us explore an important temple located in Karaiyar area in Papanasam - Chori Muthu Ayyanar temple.

Chori Muthu Ayyanar temple is a very important and popular temple in Papanasam and surrounding regions. Ayyanar is worshiped as a village deity; he is none other than Shasta, the son of Lord Shiva. Lord Ayyappan is the incarnation of Shasta or Ayyanar.

The temple is large with so many village deities and many sub shrines. It is located well on the banks of the river Tamraparni.

The main shrine houses the main deity Chori Muthu Ayyanar along with his two consorts, Poorna and Pushkala. Generally, the deity's mount is found facing the main shrine. However, in this temple, there are many statues such as elephant, horses and bulls found facing the main shrine. The idols of Sapta Matas are also found within the main shrine.

Adjacent to him, the shrines of Sangili Bhoodathar - a popular village deity of southern Tamil Nadu and Mahalinga (Shiva) are found. A small idol of the sage Agastya is also located in Sangili Bhoodathar's shrine.

The backside of the main shrine has the idol of Sangili Bhoodathar Balakan. It might be the son of Bhoodathar. He is also a village deity.

There is an important shrine in this temple with so many village deities - Pechi, Sudalai Madan, Brahma Rakshashi, Irulayee and Irulappan.

On the banks of the river, the sub-shrine of another rare village deity named Pattavarayan along with his consorts Bommakka and Dimmakka is found.

The bas-relief image of Mandiramurti, a guardian village deity and two separate shrines of Doosi Madaswamy and Thalavai Madaswamy are also located in this temple.

Not sure if we can get to see so many village deities in one temple anywhere else.

Happy travelling.





Location: Papanasam, Tamil Nadu, India

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Tallest Murugan of Chennai

By -
Image
Consecrated in March 2021, the 40 feet high Bala Murugan icon at Saveetha Medical College campus is the tallest image of Murugan in Chennai. Malaysia has 140 feet tall Murugan. In April 2022, the 146 feet tall image of Murugan was consecrated near Salem in Tamil Nadu. However, they are all stucco images. But, the one that we find on the college campus is a monolithic granite icon. Thus, it is the tallest stone icon of Murugan in the entire world. A stone weighing 320 tonnes was brought from Siruvambur near Wallajah, and it was carved to 140 tonnes to get this beautiful and gigantic sculpture. The entire temple complex is designed in the shape of the Devanagiri letter "Om", which can be appreciated in the aerial view.  The west-facing gigantic sculpture is located atop the star-shaped pedestal. It dominates the entire landscape. A large meditation hall is situated below the pedestal. On the open corridor in front of the presiding deity, smaller shrines are found. They enshrine...
Read more

Little known Nimishamba Temple of Chennai

By -
Image
Site Name:  Nimishamba Temple Site Type:  Hindu Temple Location:   Kasi Chetty Street, Sowcarpet, Chennai city, Tamil Nadu state, India Highlights:   A rare temple of Nimishamba in Chennai city Nearest Railway Station:   Chennai - well connected from the cities/towns all over India Nearest Airport:   Chennai has both national and international airports How to reach:   Easily reachable by road as this is centrally located in the city Hotel:  Many star hotels, luxury hotels/resorts, and budget hotels are available in Chennai Restaurants:  All options - vegetarian, non-vegetarian, Chinese, South Indian, Gujarati, North Indian, Punjabi,....- you can find everything in Chennai city Chennai is considered as the gateway to South India. The capital city of Tamil Nadu state of India has hundreds of tourist sites which include museum, British period monuments, temples, beach, etc. Let us explore a little known temple called Nimisham...
Read more

Hastinapuram Navapashanam Murugan Temple

By -
Image
Navapashanam is an amalgam of nine poisonous herbs. It is said to act as a remedy for all types of diseases. It is believed that the Siddhas knew the secret formula to prepare this medicinal potion.  The sculpture of Murugan from the famous Palani is claimed to be made of Navapashanam. Similarly, there is a lesser-known temple near Chennai, which has a Navapashanam Murugan. In Hastinapuram near Chrompet in the southern outskirts of Chennai, in a congested lane called Masjid Street, this tiny temple of Bala Murugan is situated. Murugan, made of Navapashanam, is the presiding deity.  Jalakandeeswara Linga, Meenakshi, and the Siddha who found this temple are the other Murtis found in the temple. Happy travelling.
Read more