Devanathaswamy Temple, Thiruvanthipuram. Cuddalore district.

History

Devanathaswamy temple is one of the famous Vishnu temples of Tamil Nadu. It also remains a Divyadesam, the sacred temple praised by the Azhwar saints in their devotional verses. It is located in the town of Thiruvanthipuram or Thiruvahinthipuram, near Cuddalore and is also known as the Thiruvanthipuram temple. Lord Vishnu is worshipped here as Devanathaswamy and his consort Lakshmi, as Hemabhujavalli. The temple is well known for Lord Hayagriva, the horse-faced incarnation of Vishnu, and remains the only historical temple in South India that has a shrine for Hayagriva. Devanathaswamy is believed to have appeared in this shrine for the sake of Adisesha, sage Markandeya, and Indra.

The Devanathaswamy temple is said to have been constructed by the medieval Cholas in the Dravidian architectural style and was patronized by the Pandya and Vijayanagar Kings. The main temple is built on the banks of river Kedilam, and an imposing granite wall surrounds the temple and its water bodies. The temple is east facing, but the temple tower or the Rajagopuram is on its western entrance. Lord Devanathaswamy is enshrined in the sanctum santorum and his consort Hemabhujavalli or Senkamalavalli Thayar in a separate shrine. There are also shrines for Lord Pallikonda Perumal, Goddess Andal, Lord Adi Kesava Perumal, and Lord Hanuman, here. The exclusive temple of Lord Hayagriva is located on top of a small hillock called Oushadagiri.

Stories of Thiruvanthipuram Temple:

The temple is said to be relatively old and is mentioned in several ancient texts, including the Skanda Purana, the Naradiya Purana, and the Brahmanda Purana. According to mythology, certain sages once traveled to Thiruparkadal, the ocean of milk, to worship Lord Vishnu. They continued to Vaikunta, the hallowed home of Vishnu because the Lord was not there. They discovered that the Lord could only be located close to the shoreline in this area, so they set off to look for him in all the locations close to the shore. Sage Markandeya and his daughter Bhudevi were conducting penance when the sages arrived. And there, according to legend, Lord Vishnu manifested in his amazing form, complete with conch shell, chakra, and weapons.

Temple Year : 1000-2000 Years Old

Temple Timing : Morning 6am to 12 pm and Evening 5pm to 8pm

Temple Address : 

Devanathaswamy Temple,
Thiruvanthipuram.
Cuddalore district.
Many buses are available from Cuddalore bus stand. 15 min from Cuddalore bus stand

Padaleeswarar Temple - Tirupathiripuliyur, Cuddalore District

 History

Pataleeswarar Temple, Cuddalore is a Hindu shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva in the town of Cuddalore. It was constructed during the Pallava and Medieval Chola periods. The Saivite saint Appar is believed to have adopted Saivism at this temple.

There is a belief/myth that by worshiping this God single time is equal to 16 times worshiping the Shiva in Kasi, 8 times in Thiruvannamalai and 3 times in Chidambaram. Thirupathiripuliyur in Cuddalore is one of the ancient temples in Tamil Nadu. It is named after the Pathiri Tree and the Puliyur, a tiger-legged saint who obtained absolution in the area.

Devaara Thiruthalam is a show on Peppers TV that features Shiva temples that have been mentioned in the Thirumurai, ancient Tamil poetry written by the Shaivite Saints.

The temple is constructed in Dravidian style of architecture. It is classified as Gnazhar Kovil, where the image of the presiding deity is set up under Gnazhar trees. Trees like Kondai, Kongu and Theekku (teak) all fall in the category. The temples constructed in wood made from Gnazhar trees are also classified as Gnzhar Koil. Literary evidence is found in the works of Tirugnanasambandar, who refers the temple as Gnazhar Koil.

Temple Years : 1000- 2000 Year old

Temple Timing : Moring 6 am to 12 pm and Evening 4 pm to 8 pm

Address : Sannathy Street, Thirupapuliyur, Cuddalore - 607002 (Near Railway Station)