Balu – a friend of mine & I visited quite a few temples in and around Kumbakonam, Tanjore & Trichy between 1st January 2010 and 4th January 2010. On 4th of January 2010, we visited a very nice temple and wanted to share some details about the temple. Ulaganayaki sametha Vasishteswaraswamy temple in Thittai is about 10kms from Tanjore on the Tanjore Melathur Road.
Vasishteshwarar Temple, Thenkudi Thittai, Guru Parihara Sthalam
Thittai, in Tamil means a Mound. It here during the Great Deluge (Pralayam) that Brahma & Vishnu worshiped Lord Shiva for protection. This was the only place which had not submerged in the deluge. They worshiped the Lingam that they found here. Pleased with their Devotion, Lord Shiva delegated the duties of Creation & Protection to Brahma & Vishnu respectively.
The Lingam here is Swayambhu (Swayam – self & bhu – to be; Swayambhu means self manifest). Sage Vasishta is believed to have worshiped the Lord here and hence the name Vasishteswarar. He is also called Theerurnathar, Pasupathynathar, Radhapureeswarar or Dheenupureeswarar. Yama got rid of curse after worshiping this deity. The divine consort of Vasishteswarar is Ulaganayaki, Sugantha Kunthaleswari and Mangaleswari. The Goddess Ulaganayaki is known as Sugantha Kunthalambigai since a Vaisya girl by name Sugantha Kunthala got her deceased husband back to life after worshiping Ulaganayaki here. Therefore, Ulaganayaki is worshiped by the married women for the long life of their husband.
There are four Lingas in the four corners and the fifth linga is the main deity, hence this is a pancha linga kshetram. This is also called the Pancha Bhootha Kshetra. The temple tank here is Chakra Theertham, believed to have been created by Lord Vishnu’s chakra.
This is a Parihara sthalam for Guru. Lord Guru is seen in a separate shrine between swami and ambal. Guru here is Raja Guru and is in standing posture, with 4 hands holding his weapons and a book. (In Alangudi, the main Guru Parihara sthalam, Lord Dakshinamurthy is worshipped as Guru.) He is believed to have given upadesam to Vasishta muni. Worshiping the Guru here and subsequently worshiping Chandran at Thingalur, on the same day, is supposed to bring the Guru Chandra Yogam in ones horoscope. This is supposed to be very good for the inmate of the horoscope.
About the temple in Tamil, Guru Sthalam, Thittai
This temple is MUST SEE even for those who are not religiously inclined.Devotees are allowed right upto the entrance of the garbagraham. There is a small hole on the ceiling in the GarbaGraham, and a drop of water falls on the linga every 24 minutes ie 1 Nazhigai. If you are patient enough, you can actually witness this amazing phenomenon. The Chandragandham and the Suryagandham stones in the tower are supposed to be absorbing the moisture from the atmosphere and converting it to water. The amazing fact is that the interval of 24 minutes per drop is maintained irrespective of whether it is day or night, summer or winter. This part is unexplained. The complete temple is built of stones, including the walls, pillars, roof and the floor. A real Architectural Marvel. Clearly, an evidence of Scientific and Architectural advancement in ancient India.
Temple Location:
Temple Address:
VASISHTESWARAR temple
THITTAI 613003,
Tanjore dt.
Ph 0436 252858
Mr. T. Govindaraju
Administration Officer
Mobile No: 9443445864
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