Anekadhangavadeswarar Temple (also called Anegathangavadham) is a

Hindu temple A Hindu temple, also known as Mandir, Devasthanam, Pura, or Kovil, is a sacred place where Hindus worship and show their devotion to Hindu deities, deities through worship, sacrifice, and prayers. It is considered the house of the god to who ...

dedicated to

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

, located in the town of

Kanchipuram Kanchipuram (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: '; ), also known as Kanjeevaram, is a stand alone city corporation, satellite nodal city of Chennai in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu in the Tondaimandalam region, from ...

, near Kailasanathar temple,

Kanchipuram district Kanchipuram District is one of the 38 districts in the state of Tamil Nadu in India. The area comprising the present day Kancheepuram district was earlier a part of Chingleput District (Madras Presidency), Chingleput district. The original Ching ...

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. Anekadhangavadeswarar 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 Paadal Petra Sthalams (), also known as Devara Sthalams, are 276 temples that are revered in the verses of Shaiva Nayanars in the 6th-9th century CE. The Divya Desams by comparison are the 108 Vishnu temples glorified in the poems of the ...

'', the 275 temples revered in the canon. The temple has two daily rituals at various times from 5:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., and three yearly festivals on its calendar, of which the Thirukarthikai during (November - December) and Mahashivarathri during February - March being the most prominent. The temple is maintained and administered by the Hindu Religious and Endowment Board of the Government of Tamil Nadu.

Etymology and legend

According to legend,

Vinayaka Ganesha or Ganesh (, , ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped Deva (Hinduism), deities in the Hindu deities, Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in the Ganapatya sect. His depictions ...

, the son of

, established Anegabeswarar in the form a

Lingam A lingam ( , lit. "sign, symbol or mark"), sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or Aniconism, aniconic representation of the Hinduism, Hindu Hindu deities, god Shiva in Shaivism. The word ''lingam'' is found in the Up ...

(an iconic representation of Shiva). Anegabeswarar is believed to have killed the demon Iraniyapura king Kesi and arranged for the marriage of his daughter Vallabai with Vinayaga.

Kubera Kubera (, ) also known as Kuvera, Kuber and Kuberan, is the god of wealth, and the god-king of the semi-divine yakshas in Hinduism. He is regarded as Guardians of the directions, the regent of the north (''Dikpala''), and a protector of the ...

, the king of wealth is also believed to have worshipped Angebeswarar. There are two Anegathangavadham temples, one in the North and one in the South. This temple is referred as Kachi Angegathangavadham to differentiate it from the northern shrine. The word ''Anekapa'' is believed to have been derived from elephant as it drinks water with its trunk and mouth. The elephant is believed have worshipped the king. Tirugnana Sambandar, a 7th-century Tamil ''Saivite'' poet, venerated Chandramouleeswarar in ten verses in ''

Tevaram The ''Tevaram'' (, ), also spelled ''Thevaram'', denotes the first seven volumes of the twelve-volume collection ''Tirumurai'', a Saivism, Shaiva narrative of epic and Puranas, Puranic heroes, as well as a Hagiography, hagiographic account of ...

'', compiled as the '' First Tirumurai''.

Sundarar Sundarar (), also referred to as Chuntarar, Chuntaramurtti, Nampi Aruran or Tampiran Tolan, was an eighth-century poet-saint of Tamil Shaiva Siddhanta tradition of Hinduism. He is among the Tevaram trio, and one of the most prominent Nayanars, ...

, venerated Anegaveswarar in 10 verses in ''Tevaram'', compiled as the ''Seventh Tirumurai''. As the temple is revered in ''Tevaram'', it is classified as ''

'', one of the 276 temples that find mention in the Saiva canon. Sundarar mentions that Shiva prefers to reside at this most happening place.

Architecture

The temple is located in

, on the way from the town to the

Kanchi Kailasanathar Temple The Kailasanathar Temple, Kanchipuram, also referred to as the Kailasanatha temple, is a Pallava Dynasty, Pallava-era historic Hindu temple in Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, India. Dedicated to Shiva, it is one of the oldest surviving monuments in Ka ...

. Anekadhangavadeswarar temple complex has a single ''

prakaram A prakaram (प्राकारः in Sanskrit), also spelled pragaram or pragaaram) in Indian architecture is an outer part around the Hindu temple sanctum. They may be enclosed or open and are typically enclosed for the innermost prakaram. ...

s'' (outer courtyard) and a small ''raja

gopuram A ''gopuram'' or ''gopura'' ( Tamil: கோபுரம், Telugu: గోపురం, Kannada Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of th ...

'' (gateway tower) facing North. The central shrine faces east and holds the image of Anekadhangavadeswarar (Shiva) in the form of ''lingam'' made of granite. As in other temples in

, there is no separate shrine of Parvathi as it is believed that Kamakshi of Kanchipuram is the common Parvathi shrine for all Shiva temples. The granite images of

Nandi Nandi may refer to: People * Nandy (surname), Indian surname * Nandi (mother of Shaka) (1760–1827), daughter of Bhebe of the Langeni tribe * Onandi Lowe (born 1974), Jamaican footballer nicknamed Nandi * Nandi Bushell (born 2010), South Afr ...

(the bull and vehicle of Shiva) is located axial to the sanctum. As in other Shiva temples of Tamil Nadu, the first precinct or the walls around the sanctum of Anekadhangavadeswarar has images of

Dakshinamurthy Dakshinamurti () is an aspect of the Hindu god Shiva as a guru (teacher). He is regarded to be the personification of the supreme or the ultimate awareness, understanding, and knowledge. Dakshinamurti represents Shiva as a teacher of yoga, m ...

(Shiva as the Teacher),

Durga Durga (, ) is a major Hindu goddess, worshipped as a principal aspect of the mother goddess Mahadevi. She is associated with protection, strength, motherhood, destruction, and wars. Durga's legend centres around combating evils and demonic ...

(warrior-goddess) and Chandikeswarar (a saint and devotee of Shiva). There is a separate shrine for Periya Vinayaga. The temple precinct is surrounded by granite walls.

Worship and religious practises

The temple priests perform the '' puja'' (rituals) during festivals and on a daily basis. The temple rituals are performed two times a day; Kalasanthi at 8:00 a.m. and Sayarakshai at 6:00 p.m. Each ritual comprises four steps: ''

abhisheka Abhisheka () is a religious rite or method of prayer in which a devotee pours a liquid offering on an image or murti of a deity. This is common to religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. Hinduism An abhiṣeka is conducted by pries ...

'' (sacred bath), ''alangaram'' (decoration), '' naivethanam'' (food offering) and ''deepa aradanai'' (waving of lamps) for both Anekadhangavadeswarar and Manonmani Amman. There are weekly rituals like ' (Monday) and ' (Friday), fortnightly rituals like ''

pradosha Pradosha or Pradosham (IAST: Pradoṣa) is a bimonthly occasion on the thirteenth day ('' Trayodashi'') of every fortnight in the Hindu calendar. Aiya V. 1906, p. 103 It is closely connected with the worship of the Hindu god Shiva. The auspicio ...

m'' and monthly festivals like '' amavasai'' (new moon day), ''kiruthigai'', '' pournami'' (full moon day) and ''sathurthi''. The Thirukarthikai during (November - December) and Maha Shivratri during February - March are the most prominent festivals celebrated in the temple.

References

External links

* {{Famous Shiva temples, state=collapsed

Gallery

File:Kanchi anekatangavatesvarartemple1.jpg, Temple tank File:Kanchi anekatangavatesvarartemple2.jpg, Entrance with compound wall File:Kanchi anekatangavatesvarartemple3.jpg, Entrance File:Kanchi anekatangavatesvarartemple4.jpg, Balipeetam and Nandhi mandapa File:Kanchi anekatangavatesvarartemple5.jpg, Vimana of the presiding deity Padal Petra Stalam Hindu temples in Kanchipuram