navagraha stalam

8/2/2019 Navagraha Stalam

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Navagraha Stalam

Surianar Koil (Surya - Sun)

is located in the hamlet of Tirumangalakkudi near Kumbhakonam and Mayiladuturai near

Thanjavur in Tamilnadu. This is a one of a kind temple dedicated to the Sun God and it also

houses shrines to each of the other eight celestial bodies - the Nava Grahams. Very closeby,

are the Shivastalams Tirumangalakkudi and Kanjanur (Sukrastalam).

Shrines for Surya are seen in many temples in Tamilnadu such as Tirukkodikka,

Alagadriputtur, Ennayiram, (Rajendra Chola), Tirumanikkuzhi (Kulottunga),

Tirupparaitturai, Tiruppattur, Kovilur etc. ; however a standalone temple for Surya is more

of an exception than a rule.

Suryanaar Koyil was built by the Chola kings. Inscriptions from the period of Kulottunga

Chola I (1075-1120) refer to this temple as the Kulottunga Chola Martanda Alayam.

Kulottunga Chola is said to have had a good relationship with the Gahadwal dynasty ofKanauj (1090 - 1194), whose rulers were Sun worshippers, and hence Suryanar Koyil, is

considered to be an expression of their influence in South India.

Inscriptions from the period of Krishna Deva Raya, speaking of endowments made to this

temple are also seen here.

The Suryanar temple faces west. The presiding deity here is Suryanarayana in a chariot likevimaanam, representing the sun's chariot. There are also shrines to Kasi Viswanathar,

Visalakshi and Brihaspati (Guru) in the sanctum. Shrines to the other celestial bodies are

located outside of the sanctum.

The sanctum and the ardhamandapam are built of stone, while the rest of the shrines are

brick structures. The Kol Theertha Vinayakar shrine is considered to be of importance here.

An elaborate worship protocol involving circumambulating the entire temple nine times, is

prescribed for devotees visiting the temple. Protocol requires that one visits the

Tirumangalakkudi Shivastalam before visiting Suryanaar Koyil.

Ratha Saptami in the Tamil month of Thai, and the first Sundays in the months of Aavani(Leo) and Kartikai (Scorpio) and Vijaya Dasami are celebrated in this temple.


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Thingalur (Chandran - Moon)

The Kailasanathar temple known as the Navagrahastalam associated with Chandra themoon, is located in the hamlet of Tingaloor not far from Tiruvaiyaru near Thanjavur in

Tamilnadu. The small temple here has a small shrine dedicated to Chandran.

This is an ancient Saivite shrine, associated with the life of Tirunavukkarasar, although no

Tevara Patikam dedicated to the shrine has been discovered so far. Tirunavukkarasar has

mentioned Tingaloor in a patikam of 10 songs dedicated to another Shivastalam, and hence

Tingalur constitutes on of the Tevara Vaippu talangal.

Legend has it that there lived a merchant Appoodi Adikal in the village of Tingaloor who

was a devotee of Shiva. Appoodi Adikal held Tirunavukkarasar in high regard and looked

forward to the day when he would be able to host the saint poet. The day arrived, but hisson got killed by a venomous snake bite while the saint was being hosted. The saint moved

by Appoodi Adikal's devotion is said to have miraculously restored the lad to life.

Thiruvenkadu (Budhan - Mercury),

This is a vast temple known for its shrine to Aghoramurthy and to Mercury - Budhan; one

of the 9 Navagraha stalams. Also known as Aadi Chidambaram, Natarajar's dance here is

known as Hasti Natanam. Tiruvenkadu is considered to be on par with Benares and is

located on the road linking Sirkazhi & Poompuhaar. Nearby Shivastalams include

Keezhtirukkattuppalli, Tiruvalampuram, Tiruchaaikaadu, Pallavaneeswaram and

Tirukkalikkaamur.

Legends: Indra, Airavatam, Budhan, Surya and Chandra are said to have worshipped

here.A sage by name Swetaketu is said to have been saved from the clutches of death by the

grace of Shiva here , in a legend similar to that of Markandeya at Tirukkadavur.Meikkandaar the author of Sivagnanabodham is said to have been born by the grace of

Swetaranyeswarar & there is a shrine to him on the banks of the Agni Theertham. It is alsobelieved that Shiva took the fierce Aghoramurthy form, to vanquish the demon Maruttuvan,

to whom he had given his Shoolam - which he had misused.

The Temple: There are several shrines of significance in this well visited temple , including

those to Durga and Kali. The image of Natarajar here is of great beauty.Worship toAghoramurthy - Shiva's fiery form (Veerabhadrar) is said to be of significance on Sunday

nights. The Aalamaram here is referred to as Akshayavadam (infinite one, indestructible

banyan tree). Special worship services are offered to Natarajar and the associated

Spatikalingam, as in Chidambaram.

The Soma Theertham and The Surya Theertham created by the Sun & the moon are of great

significance here. It is believed that the Somakundam & Suryakundam referred to in


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Silappatikaaram refer to these tanks. Vilvam & Konrai are the other stala vrikshams here.

.Inscriptions from the time of Aditya Chola I (870-907), Raja Raja I (10th - 11th cent) & his

descendants speaking of endowments made by the Chola rulers to this temple are found

here. Vikrama Cholan built the Vikramacholan Tirumandapam (1118-1135). The present

structure of the temple as well as the beautiful bronze images in this temple are acontribution of the Great Chola emperor Raja Raja Chola I. Some of these bronzes wererecovered in treasure troves unearthed here. The Ardhanareeswarar and Chandeswarar

bronzes are now housed in the Chennai Museum. Natarajar, Somaskandar, Devi, Bhoga

Sakthi are housed in the temple, while images of Subramanyar, Rishabhavahanadevar,

Bhikshatanar, Kalyanasundarar Kannappar and others are housed in the Thanjavur Art

Gallery.

Kanjanur (Sukra - Venus)

This Shivastalam is associated with Sukran - representing the plant Venus and is - regarded

one of the nine temples in the Thanjavur area linked with the Navagrahams. Maintained by

the Madurai Adhinam, it is located in a quiet hamlet in the vicinity of Tiruvaavaduturai,Suryanar Koyil and Tirumangalakkudi, near Tiruvidaimarudur and Kumbhakonam. This

shrine is also referred to as Palaasavanam, Bhrammapuri and Agnistalam. Kanjanur isconsidered to be the 36th in the series of the Tevara Stalams located in Chola Nadu north of

the river Kaveri.

Legends: Bhramma is said to have been blessed with a vision of Shiva's marriage with

Parvati here. Agni is said to have worshipped Shiva here, hence the name Agneeswarar.

Haradatta Sivacharyar of Vaishnava origins - originally known as Sudarshanar is said tohave undergone ordeals to prove the tenacity of his devotion for Shiva to fellow

Vaishnavites. Images of Agneeswarar and Karpagambal are also seen in the Varadarajar

Temple at Kanjanur. Several legends pertaining to events in the life of Haradatta

Sivacharyar pertain to this shrine.

The Temple: This temple with a two prakarams has a five tiered Rajagopuram at its

entrance. Haradatta Sivacharyar is said to have composed many works in sanskrit here.

Images depicting legends related to Haradatta Sivacharyar are seen in this temple. There

are also shrines to Maanakkanjaarar Nayanmaar and Kalikkaamar here.

Stone images of Natarajar and Sivakami are seen in this temple in the Nataraja Sabhareferred to as the Mukti Mandapam. The Shivatandavam here is referred to as Mukti

Tandavam. Legend has it that Shiva blessed Paraasara muni with a vision of the cosmic

dance - Mukti tandavam here.

Inscriptions from the Chola and Vijayanagar periods are seen in this temple. Appar is said

to have visited Kanjanur on his way to Tirukkodikka from Edirkolpaadi.


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Festivals: Six worship services are offered each day here. A festival commemorating

Haradatta Sivacharyar is celebrated in the Tamil month of Thai each year. Mahasivaratri,Arudra Darisanam, Navaratri and Aadi Pooram are celebrated here.

Keezhperumpallam (Kethu)

The Naganathar temple known as the Kethu Navagrahastalam is located in the hamlet of

Keezhperumpallam in the vicinity of Tiruvenkaadu near Mayiladuturai /Chidambaram in

Tamilnadu.

This is an ancient Saivite shrine where legend has it that Kethu, one of the 9 celestial bodies

central to astrological beliefs worshipped Shiva.

Rahu and Ketu are associated with the legend of the churning of the milky ocean. There is a

shrine dedicated to Kethu in this temple where worship services are offered.

Thirunageswaram (Raghu -)

This Shivastalam is a vast temple known for its shrine to Raahu, one of the nine celestial

bodies - Navagrahas- hence a Navagrahastalam visited by thousands. (Rahu and Ketu are

associated with the legend of the churning of the milky ocean.)

Tirunageswaram is considered to be the 29th in the series of Tevara Stalams in the Chola

kingdom located south of the river Kaveri.

It is located adjacent to the Vaishnava Divya Desam Uppiliappan Kovil outside the town ofKumbhakonam. Sekkizhaar, the author of Periyapuranam, named the temple that he built

at Kunrattur in Tondai Nadu after this temple.

Offering worship at Kudandai Keezhkottam (Nageswarar temple) in the morning, atTirunageswaram at noon and at Tiruppampuram in the evening on a given day is

considered to be of special significance.

Legend has it that the mythological serpents Aadi Seshan, Dakshan and Kaarkotakan

worshipped Shiva here. Legend also has it that Nala worshipped Shiva here as in

Tirunallaar. Gowtama muni, Paraasarar and Bhageerata are also associated with legends

related to this temple.

The Temple: This temple occupies an area of 15 acres and it has Vast prakarams, towering

gopurams, and several mandapams. The fort like walls which surround the outermost

prakaram are pierced with four entry towers. There are as many as 12 Theerthams here.

There is an image of Sekkizhaar and a mandapam built by him, here as well.

This temple was built by Gandaraditya Chola son of Parantaka Chola I. The inner


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mandapams and the outer mandapams were built by Sekkizhaar and Govinda Deekshitar

(minister of Achyutappa Nayakar).

There is a shrine to Raahu in one of the prakarams. The Piraiani Nudalaal Ambaal shrine is

situated in the inner mandapam near the Naganathar shrine, while the Girikuchambika

shrine is housed in a separate sanctum.

Festivals: The annual Bhramotsavam is observed in the month of Kartikai while the

Sekkizhaar festival is celebrated in the month of Vaikasi.

Thirunallar (Sani - Saturn)

This Shivastalam is a vast temple shrine of great significance, especially in light of

Saneeswarar's sannidhi here, which attracts thousands when the planet Saturn transits

between zodiac signs. Tirunallar is located in close proximity to Karaikkal andNagappattinam, (is under the administration of Pondicherry) and is well connected by road

to many other towns in the area. Tirunallar is best accessed, driving from Mayiladuturai or

from Nagapattinam.

Tirunallar is one of the 7 Saptavitanka stalams of Tyagaraja connected with the MucukundaChola legend and Tiruvarur - housing Nagavitankar (Unmatta Natanam). The seven

Vitankastalams are Tiruvarur, Tirukkuvalai, Tirukkaaraivaasal, Tirumaraikkaadu, Tiru

Naagai, Tirunallaaru and Tiruvaimur.

The image of Tyagarajar at Tiruvarur is the foremost of the 7 from which Indra is believed

to have asked Muchukunda Cholan to pick the original image of Somaskandar worshipped

by Mahavishnu. . Muchukunda Cholan is believed to have picked the right one (the image atTiruvarur) , and Indra is believed to have rewarded him with all of the 7 images, which the

latter installed at 7 different places within his territory, and it is these 7 temples which

constitute the 7 Vitankastalams.

Tirunallar is also ssociated with Sambandar's Pachaippatikam which remained 'green' even

in the midst of his 'Anal Vaatam' at Madurai. .King Nala of the puranas is said to have been

relieved of his afflictions upon worshipping here.

The Tirunallar temple is a one of a kind temple with a shrine of this grandeur exclusivelydedicated to Saturn. The architectural features date back to the Chola period and

inscriptions dating back to the twelfth century AD are found in the temple.

Legends: Several mythological stories are associated with this temple. It is said that King

Nala was under the influence of Sani, i.e. Saturn for an extended period of time in his lifeand went through several ordeals and obtained total relief only after worshipping Shiva at

this shrine.

Worship services are performed five times a day. Other than these, a whole host of


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festivities are held throughout the year. On Tamil New Year's day, (marked by the

transition of the Sun from Pisces to Aries according to the Indian astrological system)Tyagaraja is taken in a procession and oblations are performed to the Emerald Lingam.

A grand eighteen day festival is performed in the month of Vaikashi (when the sun resides

in the sign of Taurus). The tenth day of this festival, when the moon resides passes throughthe sign of Scorpio, Saneeswarar (Saturn) is taken in procession. This day is said to markthe day when King Nala was relieved of the influence of Saturn.

The month of Aani (Gemini) witnesses festivities related to Nataraja - Shiva - the Lord of

Dance. The month of Aadi (Cancer) marks the time for special services to Sundaramoorthy

Nayanar - one of the foremost Saivite poet Saints. The full moon night in the month of

Purattasi (Leo) witnesses several special services to the Emerald Lingam. This month also

is the time for the nine day festival for the Goddess Pranambika (Navaratri). In the month

of Aippasi (Libra) is celebrated a festival for Subramanya.

During the month of Kartikai (Scorpio), Kartikai Deepam is celebrated, marked by aprocession of the five principal temple deities and by the symbolic bonfire. The month ofMarkali (Saggitarius) is when, a ten day festival dedicated to Natarajar is performed, where

verses from Tiruvempavai are recited. There are several other festivals including one on

Panguni Uthiram.

Perhaps, the best known festival here is the one marking the transition of Saturn betweenZodiac signs (Sani Peyarchi). This happens once in two and a half years and is visited by

hundreds of thousands of deities. The entire town wears a festive look as the deitySaneeswarar is taken in a procession around town.

Alangudi (Guru - Jupiter)

This is regarded as a 'Gurustalam' where Dakshinamurthy is held in great reverence,

attracting huge crowds when Jupiter transits between zodiac signs. The festival image here

is that of Dakshinamurthy & this stalam is considered to be one of the 9 Navagrahastalams

of the Chola region. This shrine is regarded as the 98th in the series of Tevara Stalams in

the Chola Region south of the river Kaveri.

Legends: Dakshinamurthy is said to have preached to the Devas who had swooned underthe impact of the poison that came out of the churning of the milky ocean. Parvati is said to

have been reborn on the banks of Amrita Pushkarini and later on reunited with Shiva.

Viswamitrar is believed to have worshipped Shiva here.

The Temple: There are as many as 15 theerthams in this temple which occupies an area of

about 1.25 acres, surrounded by lofty walls. One of the theerthams is a well located inside

the temple and it is referred to as the Jnana koopam. East of the temple is the Poolaivala


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river, whose waters are used in abhishekam ceremonies in the Tamil month of Aippasi.

Inscriptions dating back to the period of Vikrama Chola (1131), referring to Alankudi as

Jananatha saruppedimangalam, and to the Chidambaram Natarajar temple, are seen here.

There are shrines to Surya, Gurumoksheswarar, Somanathar, Saptarishinathar,Someswarar, Vishnunathar and Bhrameesar, Kaasi Viswanathar and Visalakshi.

Festivals: Four worship services are offered each day. The annual Bhrammotsavam is

celebrated in the month of Chittirai. In addition, Navaratri, Skanda Sashti, Aadi Puram,

Arudra Darisanam, Kartikai Deepam, Thai Poosam and Pankuni Uththiram are celebrated

here.

Vaitheswaran Kovil (Angaraha --Mars)

Vaithiswarankoil is a well known, well visited shrine with towering Gopurams; hailed asone of the 9 Navagraha Stalams, sacred to Mars - Angarakan it is visited by thousands. It is

located in close proximity to Sirkazhi and Chidambaram. The Singaravelar - Subramanyashrine is also of importance here. There are several literary works about this shrine.

Ramalinga Adigalar has sung its praises. Tiruvenkaadu is also located near Vaideeswaran

Koyil.

This temple is rich in legend and tradition. There are several works in Tamil dedicated to

this shrine. It was visited by Tirugnanasambandar, Appar. Arunagirinathar's Tiruppugazh

hymns also speak of the glory of this shrine. So do the hymns of saints such asKumaragurupara Swamigal and Ramalinga Adigalaar. Poems of Kaalamega Pulavar and

Padikkasu Tambiran also speak of the glories of this shrine.

Legends: Shiva is considered to be the Divine Healer Vaidyanathar. His consort

Thaiyalnaayaki is said to accompany him with a vessel containing medicinal oil. There is

also a shrine dedicated to Dhanwantari here. The prasadam offered at this temple goes by

the name Tiruchaandu Urundai and it is considered to be a panacea capable of curing many

ailments. It is made of ashes taken out of the homa kundam in front of the Subramanya

shrine. Rituals are performed where a mixture of earth and ashes from the homakundamare shaped into pills and placed at the Thaiyalnayaki shrine and distributed.

Another prasadam offered here is sandal paste mixed with saffron again at the Murugan

shrine here. It is referred to as Nettirapidi Chandanam.

Offereings of salt and pepper are made in this shrine. Offerings of unrefined sugar are

placed in the temple tank Siddhamrita Theertham.

Rig Vedam (Irukku), Jatayu (Pull), Sambadi, the Surya (Oor) and Skanda (Vel) are said to


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navagraha stalam

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