Someswarar Temple
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Someswarar 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 ...
dedicated to the deity
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
Kumbakonam Kumbakonam (formerly spelt as Coombaconum or Combaconum), or Kudanthai, is a city municipal corporation in the Thanjavur district in the States of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located from Thanjavur and from Chennai and is the hea ...
,
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 ...
. Shiva is worshipped as Someswarar and is represented by the ''
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 ...
''. His consort
Parvati Parvati (, , IPA: /Sanskrit phonology, pɑɾʋət̪iː/), also known as Uma (, , IPA: Sanskrit phonology, /ʊmɑː/) and Gauri (, , IPA: /Sanskrit phonology, gə͡ʊɾiː/), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the Devi, ...
is depicted as Somasundari. The presiding deity is revered in the 7th century Tamil Saiva canonical work, the ''
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 ...
'', written by Tamil saint poets known as the
nayanars The Nayanars (or Nayanmars; , and later 'teachers of Shiva') were a group of 63 Tamils, Tamil Hindu saints living during the 6th to 8th centuries CE who were devoted to the Hindu god Shiva. Along with the Alvars, their contemporaries who were de ...
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 temple complex covers two acres and is located close to the
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 ...
. It houses two gateway towers known as ''
gopurams 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 In ...
''. 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 structure was built during the Nayak during the 16th century. In modern times, the temple is maintained and administered by the
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 ...
of the
Government of Tamil Nadu The Government of Tamil Nadu () is the administrative body responsible for the governance of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Chennai is the capital of the state and houses the state executive, legislature and head of judiciary. Under the Const ...
.


Legend

This place has been referred to in
thevaram Thevaram is a town in Theni district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Thevaram is located in Tamil Nadu near the border of Kerala at the Eastern side foot-hill of the Western Ghats. It is connected with State Highway SH100. Farming is main ...
written by Saint Poet (7th Century CE) Thirugnana Sambanthar and
Thirunavukkarasar 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 betwee ...
. Legend has it that the nine sacred rivers of India, prayed to Shiva at Banares (Viswanathar) to be absolved of the sins washed away by bathers, and were directed to bathe in the Mahamagam tank and worship
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 ...
. As per another legend, the holy pot from Shiva's arrow split into twelve places where Shiva temples were built and the temple is counted as one of them. As per another legend, due to a great deluge,
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– ...
, the god of creation was worried as to where to start his creation. He prayed to Shiva who gave a boon that he had to collect soil from various places and create a Mayakumb. He prayed the deity with Bilva leaves and decorated with mango leaves. During deluge, the water was diverted south while the pot floated. The place where it landed and broke, became the Someswaran temple. Since
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 ...
(Soma) worshipped Shiva here, it is called Someswaran temple. It is believed that the Lingam here is self formed or Swayambu Lingam.


Architecture

Someswarar Temple is situated in the southern portion of Sri
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 ...
. Legend is that the temple shared a larger space during initial construction, but later
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 ...
adjacent to it occupied more space. The temple is one of the prominent Shiva temples in
Kumbakonam Kumbakonam (formerly spelt as Coombaconum or Combaconum), or Kudanthai, is a city municipal corporation in the Thanjavur district in the States of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located from Thanjavur and from Chennai and is the hea ...
. The temple is counted as one of the temples built on the banks of
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 i ...
. The temple has a five tiered rajagopuram and the inner gopuram is three tiered. All the shrines of the temple are located inside the concentric walls of the temple. The sanctum is axial to the entrance tower facing east. The shrine of Mangalambigai is located in the hall leading to the sanctum and faces south. The shrine of Ambal faces the southern entrance of the temple located on the Thanjavur - Kumbakonam main road. The precinct around the sanctum has images of Vinayaka, Arumuga with Valli, Gajalakshmi and Nataraja. There was a contention between this temple and the
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 ...
on which one is the temple mentioned as ''Kudanthai Karonam''.
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 du ...
, a Saiva monastic institution and some historians believed it to be the Kasi Viswanathar temple, while a convention in 1958 decided that it was Kudanthai Karonam. The songs mentioned in the ''
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 ...
'' relevant to the temple were sculpted in the temple.


Worship and religious practises

The temple priests perform the '' puja'' (rituals) during festivals and on a daily basis. The temple rituals are performed six times a day; ''Kalasanthi'' at 6:00 a.m., ''Irandam Kalm'' at 9:00 a.m., ''Uchikalam'' at 12:00 a.m., ''Sayarakshai'' at 6:00 p.m, ''Irandam Kalm'' at 7:30 p.m., and ''Arthajamam'' at 9:00 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 Someswaran and Somasundari. 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''. Masi Maham during the
Tamil month The Tamil calendar (தமிழ் நாட்காட்டி) is a sidereal solar calendar used by the Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It is also used in Puducherry, and by the Tamil population in Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singap ...
of ''Maasi'' (February - March), Shivaratri in February- March and Panguni Uthiram during ''Panguni'' are the major festivals celebrated in the temple. The temple is counted as one of the temples built on the banks of
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 i ...
. The Mahasamprokshanam also known as Kumbabishegam of the temple was held on 2 November 2015. A large number of devotees took part in the Mahasamprokshanam.


Specialty

12 Shiva temples are connected with
Mahamaham ''Mahamaham'', also known as ''Mahamagham'' or ''Mamangam'', is a Hindu festival celebrated every 12 years in the Mahamaham tank, Kumbakonam, Mahamaham tank located in the city of Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu in the South India, south of India. Thi ...
festival which happens once in 12 years in Kumbakonam. They are: * Kasi Visanathar Temple, *
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 ...
, *Someswarar Temple, *
Nageswaraswamy Temple Nageswaraswamy Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva located in Kumbakonam in Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu, India. The presiding deity is revered in the 7th-century Tamil Saiva canonical work, the ''Tevaram'', written by Tamil poet sain ...
, * Kalahasteeswarar Temple, * Gowthameswarar Temple, * Kodeeswarar Temple, * Amirthakadeswarar Temple, * Banapuriswarar Temple, * Abimukeswarar Temple, * Kambatta Viswanathar Temple and * Ekambareswarar Temple. This temple is one among them.Mahamaham Festival 2004 (in Tamil), Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Administration Department, Government of Tamil Nadu, 2004


Gallery

File: Someswarar temple10.jpg, Kumbhabhishekham 2 November 2015 File: Someswarar temple2.jpg, File: Someswarar temple3.jpg, File: Someswarar temple4.jpg, File: Someswarar temple5.jpg, File: Someswarar temple6.jpg, File: Someswarar temple7.jpg,


References


External links

{{Famous Shiva temples Padal Petra Stalam Shiva temples in Thanjavur district Hindu temples in Kumbakonam