According to scriptures, Kamadenu the divine cow,
Indira, Moon the Chandra, Yama the Lord of Death, Saptha Kannikas the seven
divine virgins, Sages Uthadhi and Theerkatha had worshipped the Lord in this
temple.
The temple on the bank of Kallaru is facing west with 3
tier Rajagopuram and two prakaras-corridors. The shrine of Lord is
facing east and Ambica the south. The Rajagopuram was built in the
year 1543 by Vijayanagara king Veera Prataba Sadasiva
Maharayar. Lords Nataraja, Aiyappan and Navagraha shrines are in the
Mahamandapa. Panchalingams, Dakshinamurthy, Lord Muruga with His
consorts Valli and Deivanai, Mother Mahalakshmi, Chandikeswarar, Bhairava, Lord
Vishnu, Sun-Surya, Moon-Chandra, Saptha Madhas are in the first
prakara. Mother Amman, Lord Shakti Vinayaka, Kulam, Nandhi and
the Bali peeta are in the second prakara.
As Daksha (Thakkan) repented for his sin in
disrespecting shiva and cried loudly for the punishment he suffered for
conducting a yajna in an unorthodox manner (Thakkans Olam means crying loudly) and
was blessed by Shiva here and also as the sacred tree of the place is
Thakkolam, the place also is named Thakkolam. As a spring is also flowing
from the mouth of Nandhi and from the feet of the Lord, the place is also known
as Tiruvooral.
Theerkadar was born to Sage Udhadhi the brother of
Jupiter (Guru) and Mamata. Theerkadha one day saw divine cow Kamadenu
near his hermitage. He requested the cow to be with him for conducting a
yajna. Kamadenu said that it could not oblige him without the permission
if Indira. The sage cursed the cow to become an ordinary and average
animal losing its super powers. The cow in turn cursed the sage to
be engaged in menial jobs.
Sage Udhathi was sad to see his son doing menial
jobs. He came to this place as advised by Maharshi Naradha and
worshipped the Lord. Lord Shiva advised Sage Udhathi to perform penance
on Nandhi and perform abishek to Him with the water springing from
Nandhi. The sage got his son Theerkadar from the curse. Kamadenu
too worshipped here by pouring the milk on the Lord and was restored to its
original form and power.
Parvathy as Giri raja kanni (Unmarried) created the
Shivalinga with sand and did penance to Shiva here. During a pralayam she
hugged the lord for saving her and the lord obliged. There is a depression on
the lingam to corroborate this. Once a rishi cursed kamadhenu as she did not
accompany him for pujas, she was unable to come as she had to obtain Indras
permission. When she refused she was cursed and hence she redeemed herself by
worshipping Shiva with her milk. The ancient construction of the temple was
that there was constant water flowing from the Nandi?s mouth and washing the
base of the Siva lingam before joining the river but this is no longer the case
due to water table receding, the natural
phenomenon stopped and consequent to this the temple lost its glory and it is
almost in a dilapidated condition at present. The Lords name is alsoGangadeeshwara here accompanied by Lordess Mohanavalli Ambal.
The Dakshinamurthy here is in yogic posture with left ear turned down to listen
to the pleas of the devotees and is the third famous guru sthalam after
Alangudi and Mayavaram. When you look at the kosta vigrahas they seem to
be seeing you clearly. All of them are marvelous pieces of Carving. View of the
Gopuram and Murugan sanidhi from inside. In front of this spot is the North
facing entrance to the main praharam. The entrance to the main sannidhi is seen
in the Southern side. There are two halls you need to cross before you enter
the main praharam . The Shivalingam is made of sand and is usually white in
colour in the Dakshinayanam and in uttarayanam is red. The Lord here is
untouched by even the Kurukkals hand and is called Theenda Thirumeni the
untouched god. There are no abhishekams to the lord. The kosta vigrahas are all
very delicate and arresting. I have already alluded to Vinayaka and
Dakshinamurthy. The Western side has Mahavishnu on the sitting posture. Brahma
and Vishnu durga are both equally exquisite and you spend so much time
appreciating the timeless art. There is also a Vallabha samedha Ganapathy and
the Mahalakshmi in addition to Saptha kannikas and Suryan, Chandra and
Bhairavar. The Ambal sannidhi is separate outside. She is Facing North and is
seen standing Majestically.
Moolavar: Jalanatheeswarar / umapatheeswarar
Amman / Thayar: Giriraja Kannikambal
Thala Virutcham: Thakkolam
Theertham: Parvathi Satya Ganga Theertham, Kuchasthalai River
Old year:1000-2000 years old
Pathigam: Sambandar
Historical Name: Tiruvooral
This sivasthalam is located about 5 Kmsfrom Thakkolam railway station which is on the Arakonam to Kancheepuram section
of the Southern Railway. Another paadal petra sthalam Tirumarperu is located
nearby. Town bus services to Thakkolam via marimangalam and Perambakkam are
available from Tiruvallore. Town bus services to Thakkolam are also available
from Kancheepuram and Arakonam. The town of Thakkolam can be reached
from arakonam towards Kanchipuram at about 12 kms it can also be reached from
Kanchipuram in about 35 kms along the Arakonam road. Proceeding from Chennai
you can take a right turn at the Vellai gate Railway bridge on the Bangalore
Chennai highway NH4 after kanchi and cross Govindawadi, Tirumalpur and reach
Thakkolam. On the highway when you come from Chennai take a right turn at Empee
distilleries after the Saveetha Medical college. The road leads to Thandalam,
Perumbakkam, Koovam next is Thakkolam and beyond is Arakonam . It
is about 39 kms from NH4. This temple is situated at a distance of 80 kms from
vellore and direct buses from chennai. From arakonam on the way to kancheepuram,
one has to take diversion at thakkolam kootu road and have to travel 4 kms to
reach this temple.
It was constructed during the regime of Pallava king
Abarajitha Varman in 876 AD as a stone temple. The rajagopura of the temple
was, however, constructed later during the regime of Vijayanagara King Veera
Pradhaba Sadasiva Maharayar in 1543 AD. Thakkolam (Also CalledThiruvooragam) is a very historical place between Arakonam and Kanchipuram. It
was the place where the early Cholas were vanquished by the Rashtrakutas in 949
AD. There are eight Shiva temples in Thakkolam which are talked about in
history. Only the Jalanadheshwara temple is sung about by Sri Gnanasambandar. The
temple was initially built by Pallavas and renovated by the later Cholas
as well as the Hoysalas lastly, hence there is a lot of antiquity here. The
Vigrahas are exquisitely carved. The durgai, Brahma and Mahavishnu in the Kosta
are all exquisite. The temple is praised in the Thevaram hymns of Saivite
Saints Gnanasambandar, Tirunavukkarasar and Sundarar. This is the 12th Lord
Shiva temple in Thondai Mandalam region praised in Thevaram hymns.
10 day Brahmmotsavam following Chitra Poornima day in
April-May, Navarathri in September-October, Skanda Sashti in October-November,
Vaikasi Visakam in May-June, Aani Tirumanjanam in June-July, Aadi Pooram in
July-August Margazhi Tiruvadhirai in December-January, Masi Makam in
February-March, Thai Poosam in January-February and Tirukarthikai in
November-December are the festivals celebrated in the temple.
A ten days festival is conducted in the
temple every year during the Tamil month of Chittirai. In line with the age-old
tradition, the responsibility of conducting the ten days celebration lies with
various caste-based communities. The temple is presently under renovation and
therefore the ten days celebration has been withheld presently. The temple car
is also under renovation at present.
Prayers offered by people
work wonders for those who are honest
in their life even if they face severe problems in public life in a
society which is surrounded by corruption everywhere. 99 percent of people
reduce their faith when more problems are on the way due to their previous
karma and less than one percent pass those tests to get a good and healthy
life with wealth by putting more faith in divine power. People who are in need
of 100 times of benefit for a single prayer can visit a temple calledjalanatheeswarar temple. Amman here is very powerful and has been
called as giriraja kannigambal. Pooja and prayers are offered to amman first in
this temple before lord siva as she gives 100 benefits for a single prayer.
People who are working in agriculture pray lord siva and amman for
reaping good harvest. According to scriptures, as the divine cow Kamadenu
worshipped the Lord in this place, any good deed by devotees pleasing Lord
Shiva would bring them 100 fold benefits. Mother Shakti is powerful as She is
in standing form facing north. First puja is dedicated to Mother only before
offered to Lord. Every deity in the temple Ambica, Kali, Muruga and
Dakshinamurthy is very powerful and merciful. Nowhere in Lord Shiva temples,
Lord Dakshinamurthy graces in dancing form. This is one of the celebrated
Dakshinamurthy temples in Tamilnadu. Lord Muruga of the temple is praised by
Saint Arunagirinathar in his Tirupugazh hymns. When the region was inundated by
flood waters, Mother Parvathi embraced the Linga which is evident from the
hollow on the idol. Even then, the flood waters eroded the bottom side of the
Linga leaving such lines on the body. As it is believed that Mother Parvathi is
still embracing the Linga, pujas are performed by the priests without touching
it.
This is a very special feature in the temple. The Shiva Linga is
significantly different here. During the six months covering Utharayana Punya
Kala from January & February to June & July, the Shivalinga appears redwhen crops are fertile due to good rain. During the Dakshinayana Punya Kalafrom July & August to December & January, the Linga turns white when it
will be drought period. Every sculpture in the temple is designed with skill
par excellence. They are outstanding example of Tamil Sculpture.
Devotees perform abishek to Lord and Mother and offer
pudding-pongal as nivedhana.
The
temple is open from 7.00 a.m. to 10.00 a.m. and from 5.00 p.m. to 8.00 p.m.
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.