Sunday, January 22, 2017

Nagoor Naganathar Temple, Nagapattinam

Nagoor Naganathar Temple, Nagapattinam
Naganathar Temple is dedicated to Hindu God Shiva located at Nagoor in Nagapattinam District of Tamilnadu. It is also one of the Rahu - Kethu Stalam (Rahu Kethu Kala sarpa Dosha Nivarthi Sthalam). Presiding Deity is called as Naganatha Swami and Mother is called as Nagavalli Ambal.



Legends
Dosha Nivarthi Sthalam:
Nagaraja worshipped Lord Shiva for 10 days from Masi new moon day. That day happened to be Maha Shivrathri day.  King of the snakes was enjoying with his wives that night. It so happened that Sambuthathan the five year old son of a Brahmin was bitten by the snake and he died. The Brahmin who understood the incident through his wisdom eye cursed the Snake King that he would lose all his strength, wisdom and be left alone to stray in the jungles of earth. Trembled by the curse, the snake king fell at the feet of the Brahmin and begged for his pardon. He sought a solution for relief from his curse. 


The Brahmin said that he would be relieved of the curse when he met his father Kashyapa after 1000 years. The serpent met his father. With due respect to the directions of the Brahmin the serpent king worshipped Lord Naganatha on the Masi Maha Shivrathri day at Kumbakonam Vilwa Vana in the morning, Tirunageswaram Naganatha at the second schedule, Thirupampuram Naganatha on the third schedule, Naganathaswami in Punnagavanam  on the fourth schedule the same day and got relieved from the Brahmin’s curse. As a Naga-serpent worshipped Lord Shiva here, He is named Naganathaswami and Mother Goddess Nagavalli.

People worshipped Shiva here:
Lord Brahamma, Indira, Moon, Sage Durvasa, Saptha Rishis, Rudrasanma, Andhana and other noted souls had worshipped Lord Shiva during all the Yugas in this holy land.  

Equivalent to Gaya:
Any one performing Shrardha for the ancestors, do charities etc. here shall reap the benefits of doing such rituals in the Holy Gaya.
Equivalent to Chidambaram:
A holy place is judged by its holy theertham, deity and the spiritual importance of the place. This temple is as famous as the Shiva Temple in Thillai Chidambaram combining these characteristics.

Shiva granted darshan to Vishnu:
The Swayambu presiding deity Lord Naganathaswami appeared on a Vaikasi (May – June) Poornima – full moon day) and granted Dharshan to Lord Vishnu.
Chandran worshipped Shiva here:
According to scriptures, planet Moon worshipped Lord Shiva here for 10 days from Aani Poornima day in June – July by hoisting the holy flag, performed Theerthavari, conducted Brahmotsavam and reached the feet of Lord. The holy spring Chandra Theertham was created by planet Moon. 
Indhiran worshipped Shiva here:
Indira did so for 10 days from Masi Poornima day in February – March.  
The Temple
Presiding Deity is called as Naganatha Swami and Mother is called as Nagavalli Ambal. Theertham is Chandra Theertham. Sthala Vriksham is Punnai Tree. The Temple with its five – tier Rajagopuram is facing east and a majestic Nandi is seen in the front Mandapam. Festival deities Chandrashekarar, Kalyana Sundarar and Thyagaraja are on right of the sanctum sanctorum.  Mother Nagavalli Ambal, Nayanar, Lord Nataraja, and Lord Ayyappan are on the left.  


Juradevar, Lord Dakshinamoorthy, Naga Kannikas, Valampuri Vinayaka are on the right side of the inner prakara. Kanni Ragu Bhagwan, Javeli Nathar, Lord Muruga, Thatha Purushalingam, Mother Mahalakshmi, Naalvar are on the western side.  Lord Brahmma, Mother Durga, Lord Kasi Viswanathar, Lord Nardana Vinayakar, Saneeswara Bhagwan are in their separate shrines.  


On the right side of the outer prakara, are the Chandra Theertha tank and a garden on the left.  In the inner prakara is a shrine for Raghu Bhagwan with a vimana. It is said that nobody in this land of Lord Shiva had met with a snake bite. Beautiful images of Gaja Samharamurthi, Bhikshadana, Ekapadha Murthi, Ganga Visarjana Murthi and Sarabeswara are seen in the front side of the Gopuram.


Temple Opening Time
The temple is open from 6.30 a.m. to 12.00 a.m. and from 4.30 p.m. to 8.30 p.m.
Festivals
Maha Shivrathri, Pradosham days, Karthikai Deepam in February – March, 13th day of full moon or new moon fortnights and in October – November respectively are the festivals and pujas celebrated in the temple.
Prayers
This is a temple, it is believed, is a place to protect people from so many ill-fates as snake dosha, Kalasarpa dosha, Mangalya dosha, Puthra dosha and such other attacks.  Devotees visit the temple for relief from such doshas. Realizing their wishes, devotees offer corns to Lord equal to their weight.
Contact
Sri Naganathaswami – Nagavalli Ambal Temple,
Shivan Sannidhi, Nagoor – 611 002,
Nagapattinam District
Mobile: +91 98652-69553
Connectivity
The temple is on the Nagapattinam – Karaikal Road. It is located approximately 12 km south of Karaikal and 6 km north of Nagapattinam. The devotee has to get down at the Theradi bus stop and walk a km to reach the temple (Very close to famous Nagore Dharga). Nearest Railway Station is located at Nagoor and Nearest Airport is located at Trichy.

References