Sri Paraithurainathar temple

Overview

The Sri Paraithurainathar Temple is located in Tiruvanaikkaval and is dedicated to God Shiva. This temple is also known as Dharukavanam in Sanskrit. This temple is considered to be 3rd of the Tevara Sthalams of the Chola kingdom that is located on the southern bank of the Cauvery river.

About the Temple

This temple has been revered in the hymns of the great saint Tirugnanasambandar. God Shiva is in the form of a swayambhu linga here. Rays of sun fall on God on 18th Purattasi that comes during September and October. God Arthanareeswara blesses the devotees on the wall just behind the sanctum sanctorum. God Dakshinamurthy graces the devotees from the Goshta wall of the temple. God Vinayaka is in the standing form and is known as Parali Vinayaka here. His idol is outside the main sanctum sanctorum.

God Shiva graces the devotes as Bikshadana in the mandap. On the roof of the mandap, one can see the 12 Zodiac signs. It is known that if the devotees pray to the God under the zodiac roof, all the negative effects they suffer from due to the planets will be washed away. God Bikshadana can also be seen in the corridor of the temple. It is known that earlier this region was fully a dense jungle and had a lot of Parai trees. It was from there that the Shivalinga was found and the temple was built here. God, then, was named Paraithurai Nathar because of the obvious reasons. Behind the main sanctum sanctorum of the temple one can see a shivlingam which is placed under a Parai tree. According to legend, God appeared from that very place. Goddess Pasumpon Mayilambikai and God Nataraja have their shrines in the southern direction of the prakara. During the auspicious months of May and June i.e. the time of Vaikasai Brahmmotsavam, God Nataraja is seen in the procession but he is without Goddess Ambica.

This temple has been revered in the hymns of various saints like Gananasambandar, Tirunavukkarasar and Arunagiriar. The Cauvery river which is near to the temple is also praised as wide or Akanda Cauvery. This river bifurcates around 2 km from this place as Cauvery and Kollidam. An auspicious bath known as Kadai Muzhukku takes place in Cauvery at the Mayiladuthurai on the last day of the Aipasi time which happens during October or November. On the first day of the Aipasi, the bath takes place here at the Paraithurai. All the devotees who take bath at this place believe that all their sins would be forgiven by the great Gods.

God Murugan can be seen with his consorts Valli and Deivanai from the shrine which is in the prakara. Many devotees who seek wedding matches come to this temple and pray to Varahi who is one of the seven or saptha kannikas. They offer her abhishekam and light lamps in order to get their aspirations fulfilled.

About the Deity

The presiding deity of this temple is Paraitturai Natha and he is also known as Dharukavana Natha.

Legend and Stories

This place where the temple exists was once called as Tharukavanam. Many sages of this place were very proud of the fact that they were great and superior in all the aspects. Their wives also were full of pride and they believed they were very chaste and very beautiful. God Shiva and God Vishnu planned to teach them all a lesson. God Shiva took a personality of a handsome beggar called Bikshadana and God Vishnu turned into an alluring beautiful girl called Mohini and descended at this place. All the sages followed Mohini because of her beauty and all the wives of the sages followed Bikshadana, the beggar. When the rishis or the sages saw that their wives were following a beggar and shedding their chastity and pride, they thought that some magic has been done. They then started chasing Bikshadana and fought him with their best attempt. But the sages were defeated by the beggar. The sages came to know it was not a regular beggar but the great God Shiva. They fell at his feet and started apologising. God Shiva then became their Guru and also appeared here as a swayambumurthy.

Festivals

Major festivals that are celebrated in this temple are Vaikasi Brahmmotsavam and the First Aipasi Thula Snanam.

Prasad & offering

Devotees come in large numbers here and perform abhishekam and offer clothing to the Gods.

Significance

God Praithurainathar helps all his devotees by getting them away from all the fatal diseases. Also, devotees with children who stammer can get it cured here. People who face problems in initiating a marriage proposal also come here and pray to the Goddess.

Nearby Place To Visit

There are many nearby places which are of high prominence to the devotees like Malaikottai Uchipillayar, Adhimooleswarar, Matturai Varadeswarar, Nallandavar Aamra, Vaneswarar and Erumeeswarar.

Accessibility

Road

This temple is aroun 15 km away from Tiruchi.

Railways

The nearest railway station to this temple is Elamanur, Trichy.

Airport

The closest airport to this temple is the Trichy airport.

Temple Address

Sri Paraithurai Nathar Temple,
Tiruparaithurai,
Tiruchi-639 115