हिंदीOn this day
Standing

Gnanaparameswarar Temple, Tirunallur Mayanam (Tirumeignanam)

Nallur Mayanam, one of the Mayana shrines of the Tevaram, worshipped by the four Vedas; a Chola king, likely Aditya I, kneels in stone on the sanctum wall. Sambandar sang it.

Built: Chola temple of the late 9th or early 10th century (Aditya Chola I), with a rounded vimanaWhere: Tamil Nadu (Thanjavur district)Deity: Bhagwan Shiva as Gnanaparameswarar; Devi as Gnanambikai10.87° N, 79.47° E
Photo: AnonymousUnknown author · Public domain

01The town of four Vedas

Nalur Mayanam, Kadavur Mayanam and Kazhi Mayanam are the three Mayana temples sung in the Tevaram. The four Vedas are said to have worshipped the Lord here, and in Chola times the village was Naalvediyur, the place of the four Vedas; the sage Apastamba is also named among the worshippers. Inscriptions date the temple to Aditya Chola I, and a carved king on the sanctum wall is taken to be him. Sambandar’s hymn opens with the Lord wearing a mountain snake, the cool crescent and datura in His red hair, and villagers say a snake often appears on the linga. Do not confuse it with the Palasavaneswarar temple of Nalur village nearby, which is a Vaippu shrine.

Visiting

About 2.5 km from Kudavasal, on a side road left of the Kumbakonam–Tirucherai–Kudavasal route before the Athikkadai bridge. Opening hours are irregular; ask ahead.

Nearby

Saraparameswarar (Senneriyappar) Temple, TirucheraiStanding
Cholas and the Southern Seas

Saraparameswarar (Senneriyappar) Temple, Tirucherai

The Shiva temple of Tirucherai, with the debt-releasing linga of Markandeya and a Bhairava sung by Appar in a hymn of his own. Appar sang it twice and Sambandar once.

Saranathar Temple, ThirucheraiStanding
The Age of Great Kingdoms

Saranathar Temple, Thirucherai

Sara Kshetram, where Brahma made his pot for the Vedas from the earth of this place, and where Kaveri was granted equal glory with Ganga. Saranathan is seen here with five consorts, and Kaveri has her own shrine.

Koneswarar Temple, Tirukkudavayil (Kudavasal)Standing
Cholas and the Southern Seas

Koneswarar Temple, Tirukkudavayil (Kudavasal)

Kudavayil, the mouth of the pot: where the neck of the vessel of creation fell after the deluge, and where Garuda found the Lord in an anthill. Sambandar sang it twice.

Thirunaraiyur Nambi Temple, Nachiyar KoilStanding
The Age of Great Kingdoms

Thirunaraiyur Nambi Temple, Nachiyar Koil

The temple named for the Thayar: Vishnu agreed to Maharshi Medhavi’s condition that his daughter would always go first. Thirumangai Alvar received his initiation here and sang it in more than a hundred pasurams, and its stone Garuda grows heavier as he leaves the temple.