Sri Swetharanyeswarar Temple Thiruvenkadu, Nagapattinam

SRI SWETHARANYESWARAR TEMPLE

Thiruvenkadu, Nagapattinam, Tamilnadu, India

God

The main deity of this temple is Swetharanyeswarar, who is an incarnation of Lord Shiva facing East direction with a height of 6 feet tall.

Goddess

Goddess Vidya Ambal is consort of Swetharanyeswarar.

Interesting Facts

This is the 65th Devaram Paadal Petra Shiva Sthalam and 11th Shiva Sthalam on the North side of River Cauvery in Tamilnadu.
This Shiva temple is one of the 6 most sacred places on the banks of river Manikarnigai and Cauvery which is considered as equivalent to the temple at Varanasi.

Best Season To Visit

The best season to visit this temple is Winter season. The best months to visit are September to March.

Weather

Highest - April to June (38°C during day and 26°C during night)Average - May (37 °C during the day and 21 °C during night)Lowest - October to February (30 °C during day and 18 °C during night)Monsoon season - August to September

Dress Code

For men the dress code is Shirt & Trouser, Dhoti or Pyjamas with upper cloth.
For women the preferred dress code is saree or half-saree with blouse or chudidhar with pyjama and upper cloth.
These rules are applicable for foreigners also. Shorts, mini-skirts, middies, sleeveless tops, low-waist jeans and short-length T-shirts are not allowed.
Pilgrims/visitors will not be allowed inside the temple if dress code is not followed.

Do's & Dont's

Do bathe and wear clean clothes before you enter the temple.
Do respect ancient customs and co-piligrims while at temple.

Smoking is strictly prohibited inside the temple premises.

transport connections

Name	Distance	Contact Number
Poompuhar Bus Station	7.2 KM	1800-419-4287
Sirkazhi Railway Station	16.3 KM	139
Puducherry Airport	106 KM	0413-2255506

Railway Station Name	Distance	Contact Number
Sirkazhi Railway Station	16.3 KM	139

Airport Name	Distance	Contact Number
Puducherry Airport	106 KM	0413-2255506

Architecture

Origin of the Name - The name Tiruvengadu (Thiruvenkadu) means ‘sacred white forest’ in Tamil (Ven : white; Kadu : forest). Once upon a time this place was surrounded by thick forests on all sides and when seen from a distance it used to look white and hence the name Thiruvenkadu. In Sanskrit it is known as Swetharanyam (Swetam : white; Aranyam : forest).

The temple is facing East direction and built in Dravidian style of architecture with a 5-tiered Raja gopuram. Narthana Ganapathi in the flag post base, and Nandhi. Inscriptions from the time of Aditya Chola-I (870-907), Raja Raja-I (10th - 11th century) and his descendants speaking of endowments made by the Chola rulers to this temple are found here. Vikrama Chola built the Vikramacholan Tirumandapam (1118-1135). The present structures of the temple as well as the beautiful bronze images in this temple are a contribution of the Great Chola emperor Raja Raja Chola-I. The stone inscriptions on the walls of the temples depict important historical information on the Chola Dynasty and about several kings of Vijayanagar. In the West is the corridor with hundreds of beautifully carved pillars and a shrine for Lord Arumuga. There is a koneru named as Surya theertham, Chandra theertham, Agni theertham.

Religious Significance

Since the goddess taught to Brahma she is called Brahmavidyanayagi. Swethagethu, the son of a sage, realized that his life will end at the age of 8. He was a sincere Shiva devotee. When Yama came to end his life at the prescribed time, Lord Shiva is believed to have curtailed him and saved the child here at Thiruvenkadu. This incident and temple features in Valmiki’s Ramayana. Lord Shiva is believed to have performed his cosmic dance here at Thiruvenkadu including 9 Thandavams (Ananda Thandavam, Kali Nritham, Gauri Thandavam, Muni Nritham, Sandhya Thandavam, Thirupura Thandavam, Bhujanga Lalitham, Samhara Thandavam and Baishadanam)

Agora Murthi was one of the furious incarnation of Lord Shiva. There was an Evil named "Maruthuvasuran" in Tiruvengadu. He had a deep meditation on Lord Bhrama for power. Being satisfied with his meditation, Lord Bhrama offered him many powers. But he used those powers in a wrong ways. He started to torture the Saints and innocent people. Having nothing to do, all the Saints and people requested Lord Shiva to put an end to this Evil. As they asked, Lord Shiva took his incarnation 'Agora Murthi' and killed the 'Maruthuvasuran under a tree (which is now in Tiruvengadu Temple, back to the entrance of Agora Murthi). All the people thanked Lord Shiva for saving them.

Thirugnanasambandar, Thirunavukkarasar and Sundarar (7th – 8th century C.E.) have rendered Thevaram Hymns for the lord here at Thiruvenkadu. Moovar has sung hymns in praise of Lord Shiva of this temple. This Shiva Temple is praised in Thevaram hymns by the four great saints Tirugnana Sambandar, Tirunavukkarasar, Manikavasagar and Sundaramurthy Nayanar.

History

The temple was built 1000 years ago by Chola kings Aditya Chola and Rajaraja Chola. Indiran, Airavatam, Budhan, Sun God Sooriyan and Moon God Chandhiran are said to have worshipped Lord Shiva here.

Temple Timings

Day	Timings
All Days	05:00 AM - 12:00 PM	04:00 PM - 09:00 PM

Tours

Airports

Airport Name	Distance
Shamshabad	40 KM
Lorem Ipsum	12 KM

Railway Stations

Railway Station Name	Distance
Secunderabad	10 KM
Nampally	12 KM
Begumpet	6 KM
Lingampally	20 KM

Bus Stations

Bus Station Name	Distance
MGBS	35 KM
CBS	28 KM
kukatpally	20 KM
Lingampally	30 KM
Uppal	35 KM

Private Transports

Transport Name	Distance	Contact Number
Private Transport	8 KM	9546858757
Private Transport1	8 KM	9546858757
Private Transport1	8 KM	9546858757
Private Transport1	8 KM	9546858757
Private Transport1	8 KM	9546858757