Koothanur Maha Saraswathi Temple 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 ...
located in the town of
Koothanur
Koothanur is a town situated in the Tiruvarur district of Tamil Nadu, India (10.9315° N, 79.6474° E). The town is located at a distance of 25 kilometres from Tiruvarur. A temple for Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of learning is situated in this p ...
in the
Tiruvarur district
Thiruvarur district is one of the 38 districts in the Tamil Nadu state of India. As of 2011, the district had a population of 1,264,277 with a sex-ratio of 1,017 females for every 1,000 males.
Geography
The district occupies an area of 2,161 ...
of
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 ...
. It is dedicated to
Saraswathi
Saraswati (, ), also spelled as Sarasvati, is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the goddess of knowledge, education, learning, arts, speech, poetry, music, purification, language and culture. Together with the goddesses L ...
, the Hindu goddess of learning.
Significance
Temples dedicated to Saraswati are very rare in India.
The temple is Tamil Nadu's only Hindu temple with
Saraswathi
Saraswati (, ), also spelled as Sarasvati, is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the goddess of knowledge, education, learning, arts, speech, poetry, music, purification, language and culture. Together with the goddesses L ...
as main deity.
Praises of the temple were sung by Tamil poets
Ottakoothar
Ottakoothar (c. 12th century CE) was a Tamil people, Tamil court poet and minister to three Later Cholas, Later Chola kings, namely Vikrama Chola, Kulothunga Chola II, Kulotunga II and Rajaraja Chola II, Rajaraja II. He wrote poems in praise of t ...
and
Kambar.
is the most popular festival celebrated in the temple.
References
Hindu temples in Tiruvarur district
Saraswati temples
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