Navagrahas with their Consorts at the Marthandeswarar Temple in Karungulam

Are you aware of any Shiva temple without a Navagraha shrine in Tamil Nadu? It's rare to find one! But have you ever heard of a temple where Navagrahas are present with their consorts? It's a rare phenomenon indeed, and I'd like to take you to a temple near Tirunelveli, where you can witness this extraordinary sight.

Located about 20 km southeast of Tirunelveli, Karungulam is a quaint village that remains unaffected by technology. The villagers lead a peaceful life amidst the beautiful surroundings of the perennial Tamraparni river, hills, fertile fields, and gardens that are home to peacocks and other varieties of birds.

Karungulam has two prominent temples, one for Vishnu and another for Shiva. While the Vishnu temple is famous, the Shiva temple, which we're focusing on in this article, is well-known only among the locals.

The presiding deity is Shiva, known as Marthandeswarar, and his consort is named Kulasekhara Nayaki. The legend behind the temple states that King Marthanda installed the Shiva Linga, after which it was named Marthandeswara. Later, King Kulasekhara built the shrine for the Goddess when there was no place for her in the temple, and thus she was named Kulasekhara Nayaki. The village's name, Karungulam, comes from the many ponds created by King Marthanda in the village. The ponds' dense tree cover casts a shadow over the water, giving it a black hue, which is what the name Karungulam means in Tamil.

The temple's architecture suggests that it was built during the later Pandya era in the 1300s, although there is no inscription to confirm this. The sculptures are from a later period, but the temple has undergone multiple renovations in recent years.

Sun rays fall directly on the slantingly placed big-sized Shiva Linga, which has led some to believe that the temple was built by Surya, the Sun deity. Others claim that Surya worshiped Shiva in this temple and was cleansed of his sins.

The four-armed Kulasekhara Nayaki is found standing in a south-facing shrine.

The entrance of the sanctum has two short figures of Dwarapalas. The one to the true right side of Shiva has his left hand in Taranjai mudra (the gesture of threat). The other Dwarapala displays his left arm in surprise or wonder (vismaya mudra). This is the typical style of Dwarapalas in many Shiva temples of the Tirunelveli region. 

The temple also has another Shiva Linga (Mahadeva) and Amman (Dharmavardhini) enshrined separately in the Maha mandapa.

Nandi facing the main shrine looks realistic, like a real bull.

There are many metal icons such as Nataraja, Sivakami, Manickavasagar, Nalvar, Tripurantaka, Uma, Ganesha, Subramanya, Adhikara Nandi, Somaskanda, and others in two sub-shrines. All of them appear to be new icons. 

The tiny shrine for Chandikeshwara is found in its usual location. Following the typical Pandya architecture style, the outer walls of the sanctum do not have Koshtas (niches). However, a newly made Dakshinamurti sub-shrine is found on the southern wall. Surya, Chandra, Bhairava, Shaneeswara, and Adhikara Nandi are other murtis in this prakara.

The nine planets, or Navagrahas, are another highlight of the temple. They are present with their consorts, which is a rare sight. The names of the Navagrahas and their consorts are listed as follows:

• Surya - Usha and Chhaya
• Chandra - Rohini
• Mangal (Sevvai) - Shakti
• Budha - Ila
• Guru - Tara
• Shukra - Sukirti
• Shani - Neela
• Rahu - Simhi
• Ketu - Chitralekha

The modern-day big framed photos adorn the upper portions of the inner prakra. They all tell the stories of all Nayanmars and Togaiyadaiyars.

The outer prakara of the temple is an open space surrounded by tall walls and many trees. It contains many shrines, including those for Kannimoola Ganapati, Akasha Linga, Pancha Bhuta Shiva Lingas with their consorts, and Subramanya-Valli-Devasena.

Though the east-facing temple lacks a tower, an arch with stucco images featuring the family of Shiva decorates the entrance. Ganesha and Subramanya adorn the inner gate.

The icons of Ganeshas adorn both the shrines of Shiva Lingas. 

Happy travelling.