Lord Shiva appears in the temple as three Shiva
Lingas. The hymns sung by saint Sundarar are available in the
temple. It is the faith of the people that chanting these hymns
would bless them with prosperity. After passing through the three
tier Rajagopuram, the devotees can have the rare darshan of three Lingas areOneswarar, Kantheswarar and Jalandareswar in separate shrines. The
devotee can also enjoy the darshan of Saint Sundarar and the Feet darshan of
Lord in the Arthamandap. Lord Vayirudhari Vinayaka pours all the boons
sought by the devotees. There is also Omkhara Vinayaka in the
temple. Devotees place their ears close to Him to hear the sacred
mantra Ohm, they say.
Commanders of demon king Vanasura are Onan and Kanthan
were the securities at his fort near a place called Puzhal.
Onan
found a swayambulinga in the place and performed severe penance doing abishek
with his blood and secured many boons.
Kanthan too found a Linga and was
blessed with boons as reward of his impeccable bhakti.
A third
demon, Jalandeswararn was also lucky to find a Linga and got many boons from
the Lord.
Saint Sundarar who came to this place, found the Lingas
buried in an open space. He was all praise of the demons for their
devotion to Lord. To show the world that even demons were staunch Shiva
devotees and to protect the three Lingas, the saint sang in praise of the Lord
seeking funds to build a temple. Lord delayed His response to have
more songs from the saint. He then showed a tamarind tree and
disappeared. Sundarar saw the fruits of tree changing to gold. Sundarar
used the gold and built this temple for the three Swayambu Shiva Lingas.
Moolavar: Onakaandeswarar
Amman / Thayar: Kamakshi
Thala Virutcham: Vanni and Tamarind trees
Theertham: Onakantha Theertham, Thaanthondri theertham
Old year: 1000-2000 years old
Historical Name: Ona Kanthan Dhali
This sivasthalam temple is located at a
locality called as Panjupettai in Kancheepuram. One has to travel on Kancheepuram to Arakkonam road and cross Sarva Theertham and reach Panjupettai
Electricity Board Sub-station and take a right turn near the sub-station to
reach the temple.
Lord of the temple is praised in the Thevaram hymns of
saint Sundarar. This is the third temple in the Thondainadu region praised in
Thevaram hymns.
Maha Shivrathri in February-March
Aipasi
poornima-full moon day in October-November are the festivals celebrated in the
temple.
Onakandhan Dhali is one among the important Shiva
temples in Kancheepuram considered the spiritual capital of Tamilnadu. Lord
Shiva is a swayambumurthi in the temple.
Mother Kamakshi in Kancheepuram is omnipresent, hence
there is no Ambica shrine in any Shiva temple in the place. So there
is no Ambica shrine in Lord Ona Kantheswarar temple too.
Devotees believe that chanting a song of Saint
Sundarar would bring them prosperity.
Performing
special abisheks to Lord and Mother, devotees contribute what they can for
the maintenance of the temple.
Do:
- Do pray your Ishta Devata before pilgrimage to Temple.
- Do contact Temple Devasthanam information centre for enquiry, temple information and for Pooja details etc.
- Do reserve your travel and accommodation at Temple well in advance.
- Do bath and wear clean clothes before you enter the temple.
- Do concentrate on God and Goddess inside the temple.
- Do maintain silence and recite Om Namahsivaya or your Istamantram to yourself inside the temple.
- Do observe ancient custom and traditions while in Temple.
- Do respect religious sentiments at Temple.
- Do deposit your offerings in the hundi only.
Don't s:
- Do not come to Temple for any purpose other than worshipping of God and Goddess.
- Do not smoke at Temple.
- Do not consume alcoholic drinks at Temple.
- Do not eat non-vegetarian food in the Kshetram.
- Do not approach mediators for quick Darshanam. It may cause inconvenient to others.
- Do not carry any weapon inside the temple.
- Do not wear any head guards like helmets, caps, turbans and hats inside the temple premises.
- Do not perform Sastanga Pranama inside the Sanctum Sanctorum.
- Do not take much time while performing Sparsa Darshanam to God in Garbhagriha.
- Do not buy spurious prasadams from street vendors.
- Do not encourage beggars at Temple.
- Do not spit or create nuisance in the premises of the temple.