THIRUPUNAVASAL. – VRIDDHAPUREESHWARAR TEMPLE – PUDUKOTTAI – TAMILNADU

 THIRUPUNAVASAL. – VRIDDHAPUREESHWARAR TEMPLE – PUDUKOTTAI – TAMILNADU

BIGGEST LINGAM IN TAMILNADU.

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The THEVARAM is a seven volume treatise on the hymns composed and sung in praise of MAHADEV SHIVA in Tamil, primarily by Tirunavukkarasar (Appar), TiruGnyanasambandar & Sundarar, the most prominent Nayanaars of the sixty three Nayanaars, of Shiva Siddhanta, which forms part of the larger twelve Volume compendium of hymns TIRUMURAI composed by many other poet saints from the 6th Century CE to the 11th Century CE. The Tevaram talks of 275 such Temples known as PAADAL (Hymn) PETRA (acquired) STHALAM (Place) , whose principle deity SHIVA has been praised by the hymns. Paadal Petra Sthalam.

Out of the 275 temples , 14 Temples have been either rebuilt or renovated by the Later Pandya’s of Madurai and falls in Pandya Nadu . One such temple is this temple of Mahadev as VRIDDHAPUREESHWAR or PAZHYAMPATHINATHAR. PAZHYAM(Ancient), in the town of TIRUPUNAVASAL in Avudaiyarkoil taluk in Pudukottai District of Tamilnadu. Devi Parvathi is known as PERIYANAYAKI or BRUHANNAYAKI.

LEGEND

BRAHMA the creator had forgotten the meaning of the PRANAVA MANTRA & had to atone for the sin by relinquishing his post. He was advised by PARVATHI to come to this temple and pray to SHIVA for forgiveness and reinstatement of his charter of creation.

Since he had four Faces (Fifth being cut by Shiva to quell his ego), he created a square Avudayar or Pindika, (with four sides), with the lingam having four faces. CHATURMUKHA LINGAM.

Another legend talks about the place being a square forest full of Cactus in which Rishi Garga was in penance. An Asura took the form of a tiger and wanted to kill him. Rishi Garga cursed the Asure to remain a tiger always.

Once Parvati took a human form and was walking in the forest when the tiger attacked her. Parvati took the form of kali and kicked the Tiger, the touch of Parvati transformed the Asura back to his form and made him polite and courteous. He wanted to always remain with Mother Parvati & hence she transformed him into a bull ( Nandin). Hence the Nandi before her shrine is known as Vyagharanandi or the Tiger Bull.

HISTORY

The Temple would have been in existence even before 1500 years, as TiruGnyanaSambandar has composed hymn around the 6th Century CE and later Sundarar around the 7th Century CE on Vriddhapureeshwarar.

The Chaturmukha Lingam was being worshipped in the Sanctum and subsequently a bigger Lingam was consecrated before the 10th century.

Raja Raja Chola 1 (947 -1014) got inspired by seeing the size of this Lingam and Created the Brihadeeshwara Lingam in Tanjore. Hence the temple predates the Periakovil or Big temple in Tanjore (1010).

Under the rule of Maravaraman Sundara Pandyan I (1216 -1238), this temple has gone through a lot of transformation & hence the new structure of the Temple is also known as a temple of the Later Pandya”s as per the inscription in the Mukhamandapam from the year 1235, the 17th year of the rule of Maravaraman Sundara Pandyan I.

TEMPLE

Generally in Chola temples the Vimanam over the Garbhagriha is taller than the Rajagopuram. The same opposite can be said of the Pandya Temples with Tall Rajagopurams & shorter Vimanam’s. This temple being a combination of Chola & Pandya architecture has both the Vimanam & the Rajagopuram at the same height.

The temple would have been at the meeting point of the River Pambar and the Bay of Bengal. Today the Pambar is long gone and the Bay of Bengal seems to have moved out by three KM’s,

The entrance through the Rajagopuram, leads you to an open square compound of about 3 acres forming the temple, which contains the Dhwaja Sthamba, Balipeetham and a Nandin in the nandi mandapam of about 4 feet.

This leads to the Mukhamandapam, Ardhamandapam & Garbhagriha of a Large Lingam known as Vriddhapureeshwarar. The Vimanam on top of the Garbhagriha is a Chaturanga or square one.

LINGAM

The biggest lingams in Tamilnadu are that of the Lingam in Brihadeeshwara temple at Gangai Konda Cholapuram built by Rajendra Chola I(971 -1044) at 13.5 ft in height & a circumference of the Avudayar or Pindika at 60ft, which surpasses his father Raja Raja Chola’s (947 -1014) Lingam at Brihadeeshwara temple at Tanjore, which is about 12.5 ft & 55 ft.

This temple has a lingam which is about 9 ft, but has an avudayar or pindika or the base of the lingam of 82.5 ft which makes it the largest lingam in terms of its circumerence. A yard or Muzham in Tamil measures 2.75 ft. The lingam has a circumference of 3 muzham @ 8.25 ft, whereas the Avudayar or Pindika is 10 times more @ 30 muzham or 82.5 ft, which is the biggest in Tamilnadu. The diameter of the Lingam is about 26.28 ft. Hence the proverb in the region “ Mundru muzham oru suttru, muppathu muzhamum oru suttru” meaning “3 yards is a circle, 30 yards is also a circle”.

The Koshtha contains a unique dancing Vinayaka, Dakshinamurthy, Mahvishnu, Chandikeshwara. The 1st precinct also contains shrine for Vinayaka & Subraminan along with a lingam representing Sage Agastya.

The Sanctum of Brihannayaki is on to the left of that of Swamy facing east and looks like a separate temple within the huge compound.

The temple also has shrines for the 63 Naayanars, Chaturmukhalingam, 9 sons of Kapila muni & the Ugra Kaali Shrine.

Check out this review of Thirupunavasal Vruddhapureeswarar Temple,padal Petra Temple on Google Maps

4Dwarka Das Mahajan, Phongphan Jenpromkit and 2 others