Ariyakudi – Rare Perumal and the musician

Ariyakudi Tiruvenkatamudayan temple

Significances:

• This temple is more than 100 years old, one of the recently built vast temple complex.
• Ariyakudi means rare land. That’s because the temple works started by bringing things from Tiupati and Tirumayam. This temple is also known as Thentirupati.
• Perumal is a Swayambumurthy.
• The eagle vehicle of Lord Vishnu,Garuda, appears with two lions on each side is the specialty here.
• This place is the birth place of famous carnatic musician, Sri Ramanuja Iyengar. His house is nearer to the temple and if you are interested in visiting, you can enquire shastris in the temple. I am not sure who is living in the house right now, but at least you could get to see the house.

Ariyakudi Tiruvenkatamudayan temple

History:

• This temple builder got the vision to build this temple. The builder used to go to Tirupati every year. At his old age, God realized that his devote could not walk to Tirupati anymore and gave him a permission to build a temple to near his place. When the builder was looking for a place to build, he accidently found that tulsi plant and coconut in one place. He started digging this place to build the temple and got the swayambumurthy buried under the ground. The God in the sanctum sanctorum is this swayambumurthy only.

Deities:

• God: Tiruvengadam Udayan
• Goddess: Alarmelmangai, Sridevi, Bhoodevi

Ariyakudi Tiruvenkatamudayan temple - Entrance

Special Prayers:

• Devotees pray here for marriage, child and academic success.
• Each month special poojas are performed for Garuda on swati star days.

Location:

• Ariyakudi, Sivaganga District, Tamilnadu, INDIA
• 5 kilometers from Karaikudi.
• From Karaikudi, you can catch a bus to Ariyakudi.

Ariyakudi Tiruvenkatamudayan temple - Inside view

Timings:

• 6AM-12PM; 4PM-8PM.

Near by Attractions:

• Tirupathur
• Tirukoshtiyur
• Pillaiyarpatti
• Kundrakudi
• Thayamangalam
• Thirukolakudi
• Mahibalanpatti
• Piranmalai
• Thirumayam

Thirukolakudi - Ancient inscriptions about ghost

Signifcances:

• Deity name is thirukolapueeshwar or thirukolanathar.
• This temple is several hundred years old and built on a rock.
• The rock beds of Jaina ascetics are in neary by hills.
• Cavern at this place has inscriptions written about a ghost. These inscriptions are believed to be the first in this kind to write about ghost.
• Mangani festival is celebrated during Aani(Tamil month).
• People pray here to solve their marriage problems.

Location:

• Thirukolakudi, Sivaganga District, Tamilnadu, INDIA.
• Tirpattur to Pudukottai Road, near Kelasevalpatti.

Thirukoshtiyur - Gods gathering place

Sri Sowmya Narayana Perumal Thirukovil

Significances:

• This temple is called as Sri Sowmya Narayana Perumal Thirukovil.

• This temple should have been estabilished beore 7th Century CE as there is no inscriptions or documents saying when this temple was built. This temple Lord has been sung by Periyalwar, Thirumangai Alwar, Poothatalwar,Thirumalisaialwar and Peyalwar. So I assume this temple should have been estabilished before 7th Century CE.

Sri Sowmya Narayana Perumal Thirukovil

• The Other Mandapams of the temple has been built by the later Pandia Kings, Vanathirayars, the Naickers of Tanjore and tha Ekadesi mandapam by the Nagarathars.

• Lord Narashimhar statues at Sorkavasal are sigle stone statues and aged more than thousand years.

• This is a place of trinity. This temple has shrines for Lord Siva, Brahma and Vishnu.

• This is one of the 108 divya desams in India.

• Sri Ramanujar learned Thirumandiram and preached to the people.

Sri Sowmya Narayana Perumal Thirukovil

• Three gods Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu gathered at this place to plan the destruction of Eraniyan. That's why this place is named as (thiru+koshti+yur).

• Lord Vishnu appears in five postures(Dancing, Sleeping, Standing, Sitting, Walking).

• The temple towers never cast shadows.

• People can climb through the stairs of temple shrine and reach the top most layer from which Ramanuja preached the sacred words.

Location:

• Thirukoshtiyur, Sivaganag District, Tamilnadu, INDIA
• Tirupathur to Sivaganga road, 9 kilometers from Tirupathur.

Near by Attractions:

• Tirupathur
• Pillaiyarpatti
• Kundrakudi
• Ariyakudi
• Thayamangalam
• Thirukolakudi
• Mahibalanpatti
• Piranmalai
• Thirumayam

Tirupathur - Sri Thiruthalinathar Swamy Temple

Sri Thiruthalinathar Swamy Temple

Significances:

• This temple was build during 7th Century CE.
• This 15-acre (61,000 m²) temple has a main Vimanam with several stucco images on the east side and has 3 piraharams.
• The concept of Pranavam is said to have realized that Shiva and Pranavam were one and the same here, and it is said to have manifested itself as the Konrai Maram.
• This is the place of Gowri Thandavam of Lord Siva.
• Agasthyar and Valmiki worshipped this temple.
• This temple had got the royal patronage from the early Chola, Pandiya and Chera kings, and by the later period Pallavas, Sethupathy Raja, Maruthu Pandiyar.
• This place is one of the Tevara stalams.
• Separate shrine for Yoga Bhairavar.

Tirupathur Thiruthalinathar temple

Deities:

• Thiruthalinathar - Lord Siva
• Sivakami - Lord Parvathy

Location:

• Tirupathur, Sivaganga District, Tamilnadu, INDIA
• Madurai to Karaikudi / Madurai to Pudukottai

Tirupathur Thiruthalinathar temple

Near by places :

• Thirukoshtiyur
• Pillaiyarpatti
• Kundrakudi
• Ariyakudi
• Thayamangalam
• Thirukolakudi
• Mahibalanpatti
• Piranmalai
• Thirumayam

Kalayar Kovil - Maruthu Brothers land

Arulmighu Kaaleeswarar Temple

Significances:

• King Vengai Marban ruled over this area during Sangam period.

• During the Sangam period, this place was known as Kaanapair as is seen from the 21st verse in the purananooru sung by Iyur moolakizhar, a poet of the Sangam period.

• In 1772, British army attacked the state Kalayar Koil.

Arulmighu Kaaleeswarar Temple

• Place of Muthu Vaduga Natha Thevar and Maruthu brothers.

• Maruthu brothers built the small sikhara(Gopuram).

• Sundra Pandyan I build the big sikhara.

• Sambandhar, Navukkuarasar and Sundarar sang hymns on Lord Kaleeswar of this temple.

Arulmighu Kaaleeswarar Temple Pond

• Agyasthyar, Ashtadik balakars, Veerasena Pandiyan, Varaguna Pandiyan, and Vikrama Pandiyan worshipped Lord Siva of this place.

• Arunagirinadhar sang Thirupugazh on Lord Murugan of this temple.

• Saint Sundara moorthy nayanar described the presiding deity in his devotional songs.

Arulmighu Kaaleeswarar Temple Small Gopuram

• There are 3 separate shrines for both the male and female deities at this sivasthalam. Stone inscriptions from the periods of Maravarman Kulasekara Pandian I, Jadavarma Sundara Pandian II, Veerapandian and Vanaathirayan are found in this temple. The credit for expansion and renovation of this temple goes to king Maruthupandian.

Location:

• Kalayar Kovil, Sivaganga District, Tamilnadu, INDIA

• Sivaganai to Karaikudi or Madurai to Thondi through Sivagangai.

Pillaiyar Patti – The First Lord Ganapathi

Arulmigu Karpaga Vinayagar

Significances:

• 2500 years old cave temple.

• From the available evidence Pillaiyarpatti Pillaiyar figure alone is the first Lord Ganapathi in the world.

• 14 Stone sculptures in the cave dated from 500 BC to 1284 AD.

• Early Pandiya Kings built this temple.

• Lord Ganapathi and Lord Siva were carved out of a stone by a sculptor called Ekkattur Koon Peruparanan.

• Ancient names of this town are Ekkattoor, Thiruveenkaikkudi, Maruthangudi and Rajanarayanapuram.

Pillayapatti Gopuram

Location:

• Pillaiyar Patti, Karaikudi-Tirupattur Road, Sivaganga Dirstrict, Tamilnadu.
• Can be reached from Karaikudi or Tirupathur.

Pillayarpatti Pillayar

Pillayarpatti theertham

Temple Timings:

• 6AM-1PM and 4PM-8:30PM.
  

Nearby Attractions:

• Tirupathur
• Tirukoshtiyur
• Ariyakudi
• Kundrakudi
• Thayamangalam
• Thirukolakudi
• Mahibalanpatti
• Piranmalai
• Thirumayam

Official Website:  http://www.pillaiyarpattitemple.com/