Thiruvanaikaval
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| Thiruvanaikaval | |||
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| Name: | Thiruvanaikaval | ||
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| Creator: | Kochenga Chola | ||
| Date built: | 10th century AD | ||
| Primary deity: | Jamukeshwara(Shiva) and Akilandeswari (Parvati) | ||
| Architecture: | South Indian, Kovil | ||
| Location: | Trichi | ||
It is a famous Shiva temple near Tiruchirapalli, India and adjacent to the Ranganathaswamy temple at Srirangam. It was built by Kochenga Chola around 1000 years ago and it is one of the five major Shiva temples (Panchabhoota Sthalams), representing five major elements - Fire, Earth, Water, Sky and Wind. The main deity, Jambukeswara representing the element Water sits under a Jambu tree over a small stream that engulfs the deity during the rainy season. The other Panchabhoota Sthalams are located at Chidambaram(space), Kalahasti (wind), Tiruvannamalai (fire) and Kanchipuram (earth). The goddess Akilandeswari is one of most famed forms of Parvati along with Meenakshi and Kamakshi. The massive outer wall - Vibudi Prakara, stretching over a mile, is said to have been built by Lord Shiva Himself working with the laborers, in the Tamil mythology. The temple is known as one of the hosts for the annual Natyanjali festival of the classical Indian dance.
[edit] Mythology
According to Hindu mythology, there was a spider and an elephant both being extreme devotees of God, in spite of their being animals. The elephant used to clean the shiva deity and pray him, while the Spider tries to protect the deity from external damage. One day, the spider had built a very big web around the deity to protect it from dust and rust. The elephant, not knowing this, pours water on it and cleans it up. This causes a war between the two, and the spider punishes the elephant by entering its trunk and in the process kills itself. Both the animals die, and the Spider takes birth as a great king, while the elephant reaches heaven for satisfying all its karma. The king continues his good work from the previous age and builds a variety of temples that seeks to protect the underlying deity with tons of stones. The greatest of his works include Tiruvanaikaval and Kilvelur Akshyalingaswamy temple. It is interesting to note that all his temples, keep the deity beyond the access of an elephant. In this temple, the access to the deity is through a narrow passage in the side that prevents an elephant from extending its trunk over the lord from any side.
[edit] External links
| Famous Shiva temples |  |
|---|---|
| Kailash Mansarovar • Kashi • Kedarnath • Amarnath • Madurai • Rameswaram • Kanchipuram • Chidambaram • Thiruvannamalai • Kalahasti • Thiruvanaikaval • Thanjavur • |
