Sangili Bhootattar Temple: A Unique Shrine of Tirunelveli's Guardian Deity

By -

Lord Shiva boasts thousands of temples dedicated to him, and his consort also has numerous well-known temples. Even his sons, Ganesha and Subramanya, have their own revered temples. It's not surprising that his vahana, Nandi, has a few temples as well. However, it might be hard to fathom the idea of a temple dedicated to a Bhuta Gana. Yet, in Tirunelveli, such a temple exists.

Sangili Bhootattar, revered as the Leader of Bhuta Ganas, is the presiding deity of a modest temple that is technically a part of the Kantimati Sameta Nellaiyappar temple. He serves as the guardian deity of the Nellaiyappar temple.



Beyond that, Sangili Bhootattar is also revered as the guardian deity in many other temples devoted to Shiva and other deities in the Tirunelveli region. Numerous village temples honor this deity.

Per the legend, numerous auspicious entities manifested from the ocean during the churning of the milky ocean by the Asuras and Devas in search of nectar. Among them were the Bhuta Ganas, accompanied by their leader known as Bhootattar. He is also recognized by the names Amritapala, Dandanatha, and Rakshasa Muthu. With chains adorning his body, he earned the epithet Sangili Bhootattar.



The icon of Bhuta Gana, known as Bhutattar, is situated atop the southeastern corner of the outer fortress wall and is worshipped with devotion. Bhutattar is depicted with fierce eyes, a thick mustache, a robust physique, a large stomach, and protruding teeth at the corners of his mouth.

The temple itself is not typical in its structure. It consists of a small four-pillared mandapa that surrounds the sacred icon. Below the top tier, two additional tiers of the mandapa can be found. The middle tier showcases a painting of Bhutattar, while the bottom tier features a relief image of the deity.

Happy travelling. 

This article is Part 9 of the series of articles I write about Kantimati Sameta Nellaiyappar Temple. 

The other parts of the series can be accessed through the below-listed links.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

Part 8




Location: Tirunelveli, 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 Nimishamba temple located in Chennai. Nimishamba is anothe
Read more

A 17th century Dargah with healing power - Mount Road Dargah, Chennai, India

By -
Image
Mount Road or Anna Salai is one of the most happening places in  Chennai . There are two famous Islamic shrines on Mount Road – one is  Thousands Light mosque . The other one is Dargah-e-Hazrath Syed Moosa Shah Qadri Baghdadi (Rahmatullah Alaihi), also known as Mount Road Dargah. It is the most popular Dargah across the city. It draws devotees of all faiths and all walks of life. Especially every Thursday, a large number of devotees gather to the Dargah. A lot of city-based celebrities regularly visit the site. This Dargah is the shrine of a Muslim Saint named Hazrath Syed Moosa Shah Qadri Baghdadi. He was also known as Rahmatullah Alaihi. Hazrath Syed Moosa Shah Qadri Baghdadi arrived from Baghdad in the middle of the 17th Century CE. He made Chennai his home and lived here. It is believed that he had healing powers. During his time, he had so many devotees regularly visiting him. After his demise, his family buried him next to his house, which is the current Dargah. You can easily lo
Read more