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Someswarar Temple
Someswarar Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the deity Shiva, located in Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu, India. Shiva is worshipped as Someswarar and is represented by the ''lingam''. His consort Parvati is depicted as Somasundari. The presiding deity is revered in the 7th century Tamil Saiva canonical work, the ''Tevaram'', written by Tamil saint poets known as the nayanars and classified as ''Paadal Petra Sthalam''. The temple complex covers two acres and is located close to the Sarangapani temple. It houses two gateway towers known as ''gopurams''. The tallest is the western tower, with five stories and a height of . The temple has numerous shrines, with those of Someswarar, Somasundari and being the most prominent. The temple has six daily rituals at various times from 6:00 a.m. to 9 p.m., and twelve yearly festivals on its calendar. The ''Masi Magam'' festival is celebrated during the day of the Magam (February - March) is the most prominent festival. The present masonry ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rajagopuram
A ''gopuram'' or ''gopura'' (Tamil: கோபுரம், Telugu: గోపురం, Kannada: ಗೋಪುರ, Malayalam: ഗോപുരം) is a monumental entrance tower, usually ornate, at the entrance of a Hindu temple, in the South Indian architecture of the southern Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, and Telangana, and Sri Lanka. In other areas of India they are much more modest, while in Southern Indian temples they are very often by far the highest part of the temple. Ancient and early medieval temples feature smaller ''gopuram'', while in later temples they are a prominent feature of Hindu Dravidian style; in many cases the temple compound was expanded and new larger gopuram built along the new boundary. They are topped by the ''kalasam'', a bulbous stone finial. They function as gateways through the walls that surround the temple complex. Another towering structure located towards the center of the temple is the Vimanam. Both of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hindu Religious And Charitable Endowments Department
The Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu manages and controls the temple administration within the state. The Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Act XXII of 1959 controls 36,425 temples, 56mathas or religious orders (and 47 temples belonging to mathas), 1,721 specific endowments and 189 trusts. History In 1923, the ''Madras Hindu Religious Endowments Act'' was passed by Madras Presidency. In 1925, the Government constituted "The Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Board" consisting of a president and two to four commissioners nominated by the government to function as a statutory body. Subsequently, it was modified and in 1960 it became The Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department by Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Act XXII of 1959 which came into force with effect from 28 April 1960, with C. P. Ramaswami Iyer serving as chairman. Since 1991, religious and spiritual leade ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dharmapuram Adheenam
Dharumapuram Aadheenam is a Saivite monastic institution based in the town of Mayiladuthurai, Tamil Nadu. As of 2019, there were a total of 27 Shiva temples under the control of the adheenam. History and activities The adheenam was founded during the 16th century, along with the Thiruvaduthurai Adheenam and the Thiruppanandal Adheenam, to spread the ideology of Saiva Sidhantham. Dharumapuram mutt was founded by Thiru GnanaSambanthar. The adheenam is involved in publishing Saivite literature, specifically the '' Thevaram'' and ''Tiruvasakam'' and its translations. It is also involved in literary scholarship. Vaitheeswaran Koil, near Sirkazhi, is one of the temples the adheenam maintains. Arunachala Kavirayar a Tamil poet and a composer of Carnatic music in the 18th Century CE studied both Tamil and Sanskrit in this adheenam. The head of Mutt was so pleased with Kavirayar and even considered making Arunchala as his successor. At 18, Kavirayar left the Mutt and Later compo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kasi Viswanathar Temple, Kumbakonam
Kasi Viswanathar Temple, Kumbakonam is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, located in Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu, India. Here, Lord Shiva is worshipped as Kasi Viswanathar, and His consort Parvati is depicted as Visalakshi. The presiding deity is revered in the 7th-century Tamil Saiva canonical work, the ''Tevaram'', written by Tamil saint poets known as the nayanars and classified as ''Paadal Petra Sthalam''. The temple complex covers two acres and is located close to the Mahamaham tank. It houses two gateway towers known as ''gopurams''. The tallest is the western tower, with seven stories and a height of . The temple has numerous shrines, with those of Kasi Viswanathar, Visalakshi and Navakanniyar being the most prominent. The temple has six daily rituals at various times from 6:00 a.m. to 9 p.m., and twelve yearly festivals on its calendar. The ''Masi Magam'' festival is celebrated during the day of the Magam (February–March) is the most prominent festival. The pre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
River Kaveri
The Kaveri (also known as Cauvery) is a Rivers of India, major river flowing across Southern India. It is the third largest river in the region after Godavari River, Godavari and Krishna River, Krishna. The catchment area of the Kaveri basin is estimated to be and encompasses the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, and the union territory of Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry. The river rises at Talakaveri in the Brahmagiri (hill), Karnataka, Brahmagiri range in the Western Ghats. The source is located at an elevation of in the Kodagu district of Karnataka. The river flows for about through the Deccan plateau in Karnataka before entering Tamil Nadu. It flows further eastward in Tamil Nadu for before flowing into the Bay of Bengal near Puhar, Mayiladuthurai, Poompuhar in Mayiladuthurai district of Tamil Nadu. The river flows for a total length of about . The major tributaries include Amaravati River, Amaravati, Arkavati, Bhavani River, Bhavani, Hemavati River, He ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sarangapani Temple
The Sarangapani Temple, Thirukudanthai, or Kumbakonam koyil is a Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu, located in Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu, India. It is one of the '' Divya Desams'', the 108 temples of Vishnu revered in Nalayira Divya Prabandham by the 12 poet saints, or Alvars. This temple is along Kaveri and is one of the Pancharanga Kshetrams. The temple is one of the Pancha Kshethram where the goddess Lakshmi was born as ''Bhargavi''- the daughter of Maharishi Bhrigu. The other four temples of the Pancha Kshethram are Sundararaja Perumal Temple, Salem, Oppiliappan temple, Nachiyar Koil and Venkateswara Temple, Tirumala. The temple is believed to be of significant antiquity with contributions at different times from Medieval Cholas, Vijayanagara Empire and Madurai Nayaks. The temple is enshrined within a huge granite wall and the complex contains all the shrines and the water bodies of the temple. The '' rajagopuram'' (the main gateway) has eleven tiers and has a height ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chandra
Chandra (), also known as Soma (), is the Hindu god of the Moon, and is associated with the night, plants and vegetation. He is one of the Navagraha (nine planets of Hinduism) and Dikpala (guardians of the directions). Etymology and other names The word "Chandra" literally means "bright, shining or glittering" and is used for the "Moon" in Sanskrit and other Indo-Aryan languages.''Graha Sutras'' by Ernst Wilhelm, published by Kala Occult Publishers p. 51 It is also the name of various other figures in Hindu mythology, including an asura and a Suryavamsha king. It is also a common Indian name and surname. Both male and female name variations exist in many South Asian languages that originate from Sanskrit. Some of the synonyms of Chandra include ''Soma'' (distill), ''Indu'' (bright drop), ''Atrisuta'' (son of Atri), ''Shashin'' or ''Shachin'' (marked by hare), ''Taradhipa'' (lord of stars) and ''Nishakara'' (the night maker), ''Nakshatrapati'' (lord of the Nakshatra), '' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bilva
''Aegle marmelos'', commonly known as bael (or ''bili'' or ''bhel''), also Bengal quince, golden apple, Japanese bitter orange, stone apple or wood apple, is a species of tree native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It is present in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal as a naturalized species. The tree is considered to be sacred by Hindus and Buddhists. Name The plant is known all over India and in Southeast Asia. Across the languages of India, the fruit is called ''sriphal'' and ''bilva'' in Sanskrit, ''bel'' in Urdu, Bengali, Punjabi and Marathi; ''baelputri'', ''bela'' or ''sriphal'' in Hindi; ''bela'' in Kannada; ''beeli'' or ''billi'' in Gujarati, ''koovalam'' in Malayalam, ''bilvam'' or ''vilvam'' in Tamil and ''bilavamu'' in Telugu. In Southeast Asia, it is called ''opesheet'' or ''ohshit'' in Burmese, ''maja batuh'' in Indonesian, ''matum'' in Thai, and ''tar imam'' in Vietnamese. In English, the fruit is alternatively known as bael fruit, I ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brahma
Brahma (, ) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the triple deity, trinity of Para Brahman, supreme divinity that includes Vishnu and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity, Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 212–226.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity, Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 218–219. He is associated with creation, knowledge, and the ''Vedas''. Brahma is prominently mentioned in Creation myth, creation legends. In some ''Puranas'', he created himself in a golden embryo known as the Hiranyagarbha. Brahma is frequently identified with the Rigvedic deities, Vedic god Prajapati.;David Leeming (2005), The Oxford Companion to World Mythology, Oxford University Press, , page 54, Quote: "Especially in the Vedanta Hindu Philosophy, Brahman is the Absolute. In the Upanishads, Brahman becomes the eternal first cause, present everywhere and nowhere, always and never. Brahman can be incarnated in Brahma, in Vishnu, in Shiva. To put it another way, eve ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Adi Kumbeswarar Temple
Adi Kumbeswarar Temple, Kumbakonam is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva, located in the town of Kumbakonam in Thanjavur District Tamil Nadu, India. Shiva is worshiped as Adi Kumbeswarar, and is represented by the ''lingam''. His consort Parvati is depicted as Mangalambigai Amman. The presiding deity is revered in the 7th-century-CE Tamil Saiva canonical, greatest work, the ''Tevaram'', written by Tamil saint poets known as the Nayanmars and classified as '' Paadal Petra Sthalam''. The temple complex covers an area of and houses four gateway towers known as '' gopurams''. The tallest is the eastern tower, with 11 stories and a height of The temple has numerous shrines, with those of Kumbeswarar and Mangalambigai Amman being the most prominent. The temple complex houses many halls; the most notable is the sixteen-pillared hall built during the Vijayanagara period that has all the 27 stars and 12 zodiacs sculpted in a single stone. The temple has six daily rituals at various t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Appar
Appar (), also referred to as Tirunavukkaracar () or Navukkarasar, was a seventh-century Tamil Shaiva poet-saint. Born in a peasant Shaiva family, raised as an orphan by his sister, he lived about 80 years and is generally placed sometime between 570 and 650 CE.Zvelebil 1974, p. 95 Appar composed 4,900 devotional hymns to the god Shiva, out of which 313 have survived and are now canonized as the 4th to 6th volumes of ''Tirumurai''. One of the most prominent of the sixty-three revered Nayanars, he was an older contemporary of Sambandar. His images are found and revered in Tamil Shiva temples. His characteristic iconography in temples show him carrying a farmer's small hoe – a gardening tool and weed puller. Names Appar is also known as Tirunavukkaracar (''lit.'' "King of the Tongue, Lord of Language"). His birth-name was Marulneekkiyar. He was renamed Dharmasenar while he studied and later served as the head of a Jain monastery. After he returned to Shaivism and began composi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thirugnana Sambanthar
Sambandar (Tamil: சம்பந்தர், romanized: ''Campantar''), also referred to as Thirugnana Sambandar (Tamil: திருஞானசம்பந்தர், romanized: ''Tiruñāṉacampantar''), was a Shaiva poet-saint of Tamil Nadu who lived sometime in the 7th century CE. According to the Tamil Shaiva tradition, he composed an of 16,000 hymns in complex meters, of which 383 (384) hymns with 4,181 stanzas have survived. These narrate an intense loving devotion (''bhakti'') to the Hindu god Shiva. Sambandar merged with the divine effulgence when he was sixteen years of age. The surviving compositions of the poet-saint are preserved in the first three volumes of the ''Tirumurai called'' Thirukkadik kaappu, and provide a part of the philosophical foundation of Shaiva Siddhanta. He is one of the most prominent of the sixty-three Nayanars, Tamil Shaiva bhakti saints who lived between the sixth and the tenth centuries CE. He was a contemporary of Appar, another Sha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
