हिंदीOn this day
Standing

Apathsahayeswarar Temple, Aduthurai (Then Kurangaduthurai)

The southern monkey-ford, where Sugriva hid from Vali and the Lord came to his rescue. Sambandar and Appar sang it, and Sembiyan Mahadevi rebuilt it in granite.

Built: Rebuilt in stone by the Chola queen Sembiyan Mahadevi; later Nayak workWhere: Tamil Nadu (Thanjavur district)Deity: Bhagwan Shiva as Apathsahayeswarar; Devi as Pavalakkodi Ammai11.01° N, 79.48° E
Photo: Ssriram mt · CC BY-SA 4.0

01Sugriva and the swan

Kurangu is a monkey and aduthurai a bathing ghat; Then, south, sets it apart from the other Kurangaduthurai on the north bank. The temple’s katha says Sugriva, fleeing Vali, worshipped Shiva here, and the Lord hid him as a swan on the bilva tree so that Vali passed by. So He is Apathsahayeswarar, the helper in danger. Stucco and stone panels in the mandapa show Sugriva at worship and the swan in the tree, and a relief of Sembiyan Mahadevi at prayer stands near the sanctum. The Chola inscriptions here run from Parantaka II to Kulottunga I. In early Chithirai the rising sun falls on the linga for three days.

Visiting

On the Kumbakonam–Mayiladuthurai road, about 13 km from Kumbakonam; Aduthurai station is close by. The temple is run by the Tiruvavaduthurai Adheenam; Aippasi Annabhishekam is the main festival.

Nearby

Prananatheswarar Temple, TirumangalakkudiStanding
Cholas and the Southern Seas

Prananatheswarar Temple, Tirumangalakkudi

The Lord who gave back a life and the Devi who guards the wedding thread, beside the Suryanar Kovil of the Navagrahas. Appar and Sambandar sang it.

Suryanar KovilStanding
Cholas and the Southern Seas

Suryanar Kovil

The one temple of the Kaveri Navagraha circuit where the graha himself is the presiding deity: Surya stands in the sanctum and the other eight grahas face him from their own shrines.

Neelakandeswarar Temple, TiruneelakkudiStanding
Cholas and the Southern Seas

Neelakandeswarar Temple, Tiruneelakkudi

The Lord who held the halahala in His throat, whose rough linga drinks every drop of the sesame oil poured on it. Appar sang it after being thrown into the sea tied to a stone.

Mahalingeswarar Temple, ThiruvidaimarudurStanding
Cholas and the Southern Seas

Mahalingeswarar Temple, Thiruvidaimarudur

Madhyarjunam, the middle of the three Arjuna-tree shrines of Shiva, where the Pandya king Varaguna was freed of the sin of killing a brahmin. Its four great streets and corridors make it one of the largest Shiva temples of the Kaveri delta.