Saatchinathar Temple, Tiru-Avalivanallur
Location
Tiru-Avalivanallur
Deity
Saatchinathar, Thamparisudaiyar
Female Deity
Soundara Nayaki, Soundaryavalli
Pathikam
Tirunavukarasar - 1, Tirugnanasambandar - 1, Sundarar
Sakshinathar Temple Photos
How to Reach
This Shiva temple is situated about 3.5 km west of Haridwaramangalam It is about 21 km south-west of Kumbakonam and around 13 km west of Alangudi. Town buses from Kumbakonam to Ammapettai, and from Thanjavur to Haridwaramangalam, pass through Avalivanallur. The temple can also be reached from Needamangalam via Ammapettai.
Temple Address
Avalivanallur
Haridwaramangalam Post
Kumbakonam Taluk
Thanjavur District
PIN – 612802
Temple Hours
Morning : 7:00 - 12:00
Evening : 4:00 - 8:30
Nearby Paadal Petra Shiva Temples
Temple Significance & History
A Temple Praised by All Three Saints
This temple is among the sacred shrines praised in the Thevaram hymns by all three revered saints, collectively known as the Moovar — Appar, Sambandar and Sundarar.
Temple Legend
The legend associated with this temple is an interesting one. In ancient times, a priest who was an Adi Saiva served at this temple and had two daughters. The elder daughter was married, and some time after their marriage, her husband left on a long pilgrimage to Kashi. During his absence, the elder daughter contracted smallpox, which disfigured her face and caused her to lose her eyesight. Her younger sister came to their parental home to nurse her. A few years later, the elder daughter’s husband returned from his pilgrimage. Seeing the two women in the house, one sick and disfigured and the other beautiful and resembling his wife’s earlier appearance, he mistakenly assumed that the younger daughter was his wife and refused to recognise his real wife. Deeply distressed by this dispute, the father of the two women prayed to the presiding deity of the temple. In response to his prayers, Shiva appeared before them with Parvati, seated on His sacred bull, Nandi. Addressing the confused husband, Shiva pointed towards the elder daughter and declared, “She is the one” (Aval Ival), thereby establishing her identity as his true wife. He also explained the circumstances of her illness, after which He disappeared. As further blessed by Shiva, the elder daughter took a dip in the sacred temple tank and regained her original appearance and eyesight. She was reunited with her husband, and they lived happily thereafter. Since Shiva Himself bore witness to her identity, the presiding deity came to be known as Sakshinathar (the Lord who bore witness), while the goddess is worshipped as Soundarya Nayaki. The name of the place, originally known as Nallur, also came to be changed to Avalivanallur. Behind the Lingam in the sanctum is a panel depicting Shiva and Parvati seated on Rishabha Vahanam, the form in which they appeared before the family. The images of the priest, his two daughters and the husband can be seen in the prakaram, along with the other deities, including the Navagrahas.
Temple Structure
Main Shrine
The temple has a modest entrance facing east, without a Rajagopuram. Immediately after entering, the outer prakaram has the sannidhi of the Goddess, facing south. The Goddess is seen in a standing posture. Further ahead, near the entrance, is a sannidhi for Vinayaka. Proceeding inside, the presiding deity is seen directly ahead in the form of a self-manifested (swayambhu) Shiva Lingam, facing east. Dwarapalakas (guardian deities) stand on either side of the sanctum entrance. Behind the main deity, Shiva and Parvati are depicted in the posture in which Shiva bore witness to the events narrated in the temple legend. In this form, Shiva is worshipped as Sakshinathar.
Other Sannidhis and Deities
The inner prakaram has sannidhis dedicated to Vinayaka, the Nalvar (the four Saivite saints), Sage Kanva, Veerabhadra, the Saptakannikas (Seven Mother Goddesses), and the sixty-three Nayanmars. The processional deities of Somaskandar, Vinayaka, Sivakami, the Nalvar, Arumugar and Mahalakshmi are also preserved in the temple. There is a separate sannidhi for Nataraja. Nearby are the idols of Kumaralingam, Kasi Viswanathar, Visalakshi and Tapas Amman, with the Navagraha sannidhi situated opposite them. Separate sannidhis are also dedicated to Kala Bhairavar and Surya. The niches around the main sanctum house the idols of Agastya, Dakshinamurthy, Lingodbhavar, Brahma and Durga. The sannidhi of Chandikeswarar is situated opposite the main sanctum.
Epigraphical Evidence
This is an ancient temple. According to the sthala puranam, Shiva was worshipped here, and at nearby Haridwaramangalam, during MahaVishnu's avatar as Varaha, the boar. In the inscriptions found in this temple, the presiding deity is referred to by the name Thamparisudaiya Nayanar. It was once situated in a forest of Trumpet Flower trees, known in Tamil as Pathiri Vanam, and is traditionally visited between 9:30 and 10 AM during the Pancha Aranya pilgrimage.
The Significance of Pancha-Aranya Temples
The Pancha Aranya Temples are a group of five Shiva temples in the Cauvery delta region of Tamil Nadu, traditionally associated with five different types of forests (Aranyam). The word Pancha means five, while Aranyam means forest. These temples are believed to have been worshipped during a single day, with the journey beginning at dawn and concluding at dusk. Each temple is associated with a particular forest and a specific time of worship, making this a spiritually significant pilgrimage circuit for Shiva devotees.
- Tiru-Karukavur (Foret of Jasmine - Mullai Vanam) - Early Morning.
- Avaliva-Nallur (Forest of Trumpet Flower - Pathiri Vanam) - Morning
- Haridwara Mangalam (Forest of Shami - Vanni Vanam) - Mid-Day.
- Alankudi (Forest of Mountain Knotgrass - Poolai Vanam) - Evening.
- Tiru-Kollamputhur (Forest of Wood Apple - Vilva Vanam) - Artha-Jama Puja.
It is believed that Tirugnanasambandar, one of the four revered Saivite saints (Nalvar), worshipped at all five temples in this very sequence in a single day during his pilgrimage to sacred Shiva temples.
Sakshinathar Temple Photos (Continued)
