Parashu, axe, is the divine weapon associated with Parashurama, the sixth
incarnation of Vishnu. The divine weapon was given to Parshuram by Shiva.
Legend has it that Shiva got this axe after the infamous Daksha Yaga in
which Mother Sati self immolated.
After Sati’s death, Shiva in a fit of rage had unleashed the trident
(Trishul) which was finally stopped by Nara Narayana. Narayana, who was
meditating in Badrayashrama, deviated the trident towards Shiva.
Shiva whose anger remained uncontrollable approached Narayana with the
trident. Nara who was meditating nearby took an arrow and released it
towards Shiva. The arrow soon changed into an axe. Shiva then made this Axe
as his weapon.
Years later Sri Parashuram left home to do austerities to please Shiva.
Shiva was pleased with Parashuram’s extreme devotion, intense piety and
unmoved and perpetual meditation. Shiva presented Sri Parashuram with
divine weapons. The most important was the unconquerable and indestructible
axe shaped weapon, Parashu.
Another legend has it that once Shiva challenged Sri Parashuram to a battle
to test his skills in warfare. The spiritual master Shiva and the disciple
Sri Parshuram were locked in a fierce battle.
This dreadful duel lasted for twenty-one days. While ducking to avoid being
hit by the Trident of Shiva, Sri Parashuram vigorously attacked Him with
his Parashu. It struck Shiva on the forehead creating a wound.
Shiva was very pleased to see the amazing warfare skills of His disciple.
He passionately embraced Sri Parashuram. Shiva preserved this wound as an
ornament so that the reputation of His disciple remained imperishable and
insurmountable. Khanda Parashu (wounded by Parashu) is one of the thousand
names Shiva. Thus, Kanta and Kanda Easwara is interpreted. Incidentally,
Mysore has a Nanjundewsar Sreekanteswaram temple well architecture.
II Nanjungud is mentioned as Sri Garalapuri, in the Shiva Purana. It is
said that the legendary holy place is the abode of Shiva in southern India.
It is also referred to as "Dakshina Kasi", where the god appeared at the
plea of his devotees, the Devas, and sage Narada. The demon Keshi obtained
a boon from Brahma and Vishnu by which they would not be able to kill him.
He assumed that with this boon, he was as good as immortal and began
troubling the people, the Devas, and the sages. At last, Narada and the
Devas pleaded with Shiva to save everyone. He appeared in Garalapuri Sri
Kshetra (present Nanjungud) and killed Keshi. He further assured that his
Ansh (a part of his divine self) would always remain here and bless
humanity; the place henceforth would be a papa vinashini ('remover of
sins'). After bathing in the holy river of Kabini, every human praying to
Lord Srikanteshwara or Nanjundeshwara (Shiva) of Nanjungud would be rid of
sins and blessed by the god.
Sage Parashuram, after beheading his mother as per his father Sage
Jamadagni's orders, wanted to undo his sins from "Matru Hatya" (his
mother's murder). Per Narada's advice, he reached Garalapuri (Nanjangud)
and prayed to Sri Nanjundeshwara Swamy. Shiva appeared and advised him to
build a mantapa and perform pooja to the Shivlinga. While clearing the
shrubs with his parashu (axe), Parashuram's axe unintentionally hit the
Shivlinga, and the tip of the Shivlinga began to bleed. Sage Parashuram
felt very guilty and said, "I have committed another unforgivable sin; only
by killing myself shall I be relieved from all my sins", and prepared to
kill himself. Shiva appeared and blessed Sage Parashuram and told him to
apply wet mud upon the Shivlinga (the mud of Sri Nanjangud has immense
healing powers). The Shivlinga stopped bleeding. Lord Shiva advised
Parashuram to build the mantapa and continue his penance. Finally, Sage
Parashuram was relieved from all his sins and blessed with immortality.
The Goddess Parvati, consort of Shiva, wanted to visit this holy place, and
so he brought her to Garalapuri Nanjangud. When she went to the Kabini
River and bent down to touch the water, a gemstone bead (mani) fell off
from her crown into the water. Lord Shiva was pleased and declared, "Devi,
until now, the place had my divine blessings and presence; from this
moment, it shall have your presence, grace and blessings, too. It shall
also be called Dakshina Manikarnika Ghat".
During the reign of King Tipu Sultan, his royal elephant became blind. As
per the advice of his minister, Sri Poornayya, Tipu sent the elephant to
the Nanjundeshwara Swamy Temple and performed 48 days of rituals. On the
48th day, the elephant's vision was restored. Tipu Sultan offered the
emerald green Shivlinga as a token of gratitude to Sri Nanjundeshwara Swamy
and called Lord Shiva "Hakim Nanjunda" (healer).
The Nanjundeshwara Temple (also called Srikanteshwara Temple) is an
ancient temple dedicated to Shiva in the Hindu pilgrimage town of
Nanjanagudu in Karnataka, India.[1] It is located on the right bank of the
Kapila River, a tributary of the Kaveri River. Nanjanagudu is also known as
"Dakshina Kashi" or "Kashi of South".
Nanju in Kannada means "to poison". The name Nanjundeshwara means the "God
who Drank the Poison" (halāhala, a word that has its origins in the legend
of the Great Churning of the Ocean of Milk); thus, the town got the name
"Nanjanagudu" which means "the abode of the god Nanjundeshwara".
The temple's Dodda Jaathre festival attracts thousands of devotees. The
festivities in the fair include five colorful chariots pulled by devotees
on a path called the ratha beedi. Parasurama Temple is near Nanjundeshwara
Temple.
The nine-storied, 120-foot-tall temple gopuram (gateway tower) and its
extensive exterior was built by Devarajammanni, the queen of the Mysore
king Krishnaraja Wadiyar III
K Rajaram IRS 21724
On Sat, 20 Jul 2024 at 22:31, Gopala Krishnan <gopa4...@gmail.com> wrote:
> SREEKANTESWARAM MAHADEVA TEMPLE-TRIVANDRUM
>
> COMPILED
>
> Dear friends,
>
> I had been to the Sreekanteswaram Mahadeva Temple many times while I was
> in Trivandrum.
>
> SreeKandeswaram Brahmana samooha matam is close to the temple and I was
> honorary consultant there on Sundays for study of birth charts and
> matching for marriage purposes as desired by the President till I came to
> Chennai in 2024. In fact I was a member of Pappanamcode Brahmana samooham.
>
> Magazine Sapathapathi is published by the samooham.
>
> The following is a compilation about new Srikandeswaram temple from
> different websites. Hope a divine reading
>
> Gopalakrishnan 21-07-2024
>
> 1Introduction
>
> Sreekanteswaram Mahadeva Temple is a Hindu temple of the god Shiva
> situated in Thiruvananthapuram, in the Indian state of Kerala. Pazhaya
> Sreekanteswaram Temple is considered the original abode of the god. The
> temple is in the North West of the Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple and is famous
> like the Padmanabhaswamy temple.
>
> 2 Legend
>
> As per legend, an old woman sweeper of Pazhaya Sreekanteswaram Temple
> distinguished the Swyambhoo (self manifested) Shiva Linga idol while she
> was resting at this place. It is believed that Lord Shiva gave darshan to
> the old lady.
>
> On further enquiry, it was confirmed to be 'SWAYAMBHU SHIVA LINGA'. The
> king inspected the spot and ordered to build a new Shiva Temple there which
> in the later years become the famous Sreekanteswaram Temple. This temple
> must be at least 700 years old.
>
> 3 History
>
> It is said that the land where now the temple exists, was a marshy and
> muddy area known as "Nalliswara Madham Vayal".A great yogi worshipped there
> for years and several divine rituals were performed at that time. It is
> also believed that centuries ago a temple named "Naalliswara Kshetram"
> existed there. According to the "Deva Prashnam" conducted in the temple
> premises in the year 1977, it is recorded as follows:- 'From the ancient
> time, thousands of years back, a great temple famous for it's royal
> heritage in keeping the customs and divine rituals, existed here. The
> temple was very prosperous and well supported by a cultured human race ,
> famous ascetics , 'yatheeswaras', royal families,and many politically,
> economically and socially prominent personalities'.
>
>
>
> 4Architecture
>
> According to the famous historian, Elamkulam Kunjan Pillai,
> Sreekanteswaram Temple existed even in the 9th century AD. The
> Sreekanteswaram Temple was built according to Kerala's unique architectural
> style. It is quite a contrast to the Dravidian architecture found in other
> South Indian temples.
>
> 5 Age
>
> This temple is more than 700 years old.
>
> 6Deities
>
> Shiva is the temple's presiding deity. Although his consort Parvati has no
> idol, she is said to be ever-present in the Sanctum. The deity is called
> Gowri Shankara (lit. "Shiva with Parvati").
>
> A Sanctum for Sastha is within the Chuttambalam. Ganesha (Ganapati), the
> serpent gods and Krishna dwell outside the Chuttambalam. Many devotees
> argue that the idol worshipped as Bhootathan is actually a Yakshi. Hanuman
> (Anjaneya) and Murugan (Kartikeya), both carved on pillars near the flag
> mast, receive worship. All the deities face east.
>
> Adjacent to the shrine of Ganapati stands an idol of Goddess Parashakti
> who was worshiped in a nearby Kalari. In the Kalari she was worshipped with
> 'makaara panchakam' in the Shakteya Sampradaya.
>
> Shiva and Krishna are the prime deities of the Sreekanteswaram Temple.
> Shiva graces his devotees in the form of Shiva lingam by facing the east
> direction. Sri Krishna's idol was installed to eliminate the anger of
> Shiva.
>
> 7 Temple Pond
>
> The temple pond is also located in the east. Devotees use it for a holy
> bath. They also perform rituals there.
>
> 8 Daily rituals
>
> As in all Siva temples of Kerala. Many devotees attend the Nirmalya
> Darshan.
>
> The deity will be made up and covered with Sandalwood pastes and
> garlanded. This will be how the deity will appear when the Sreekanteswaram
> Temple opens next day. It is believed that getting this vision continuous
> for 41 days will get the devotee blessings of Lord Sreekanteswara and all
> the wishes of the devotee will be fulfilled.
>
> Special Rituals
>
> Ksheeradhara or bathing the deity with milk and then with 108 pots of pure
> water is a special ritual. During Sivaratris, the idol will have milk bath
> all through the day. The Uchapooja or the noon pooja includes a feast of
> eight items.
>
> 9 Main Offerings
>
> Mritunjaya Homam, Mrityunjaya archana, Jaladhara, Pinvilakku and Kuvala
> mala samarpanam are the most popular offerings made to Shiva.
>
> Other offerings are Ganapathy Homam, Abhishekam, Dhara, Pushpabhishekam,
> Neerajanam, Venna Charthu for AnjaneyaSwamy, Ashtothararchana,
> Sahasranamarchana, Nateshalankaram.
>
> 10 Festivals
>
> The annual festival lasts for ten days and will be celebrated in the
> Malayalam month Dhanu (Dec-Jan). The Aarattu will be on Thiruvathira Star
> day which is considered as the birthday of Shiva. Thiruvathira Mahotsavam
> is the temple's annual festival that takes place in the month of Dhanu
> (Dec-Jan). This ten-day grand festival starts by raising the temple flag, a
> ritual called Thirukkodiyettu. Palliveta (Royal hunt) is the special event
> of the 9th day. On the 10th day, Adryadarshan is done. Special rituals and
> processions are conducted on all ten days.
>
> Shivarathri festival is also celebrated in a grand manner. Anointing the
> idol of Lord Shiva with pure ghee throughout the day is performed on that
> day. Maha Shivaratri and Thiruvathira attract crowds to the temple and
> Thiruvathira day of Malayalam month Dhanu. On this day, Shiva's idol is
> carried out on the Silver Rishabavahana at 3.00 am in a procession. It is
> carried out only on Shivaratri and the fifth day of the temple festival.
>
> 11 Benefits of worshipping in the Temple
>
> Devotees worship the deities for health, wealth, longevity, marriage,
> progeny, and mental peace. Mrityunjaya Archana, Jaladhara, Pinvilakku,
> Mritunjaya Homam, and Kuvala Mala Samarpanam are special offerings to Shiva.
>
> During Nirmalya Darshan, for 41 days continuously, devotees will get the
> blessings of Sreekanteswara, and all the wishes of the devotee may be
> fulfilled.
>
> 12 Temple time
>
> Morning 4 :00 AM to12.15 PM Evening 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM
>
> My note- A few Kalayana mandapams the Brahmins mostly prefer are close to
> this temple. After betrothal the bride groom and bride visit the temple and
> make offerings. If the betrothal becomes a little bit late, temple is
> closed accordingly, if informed earlier and offerings made.
>
> 13 Vazhipadu(offerings)
>
> Main Vazhipadu-Shodashabhishekam-This abhishekam is offered for the
> prevention of diseases and to gain good health.Charges - Rs.1250/-
>
> Udayasthamana Pooja-This pooja is offered to fulfill any wish and for the
> general well-being.harges - Rs.6500./-
>
> Paarvathy Parameswara Pooja-This pooja is performed to achieve a
> successful matrimony and to have a happy and prosperous married
> life.Charges - Rs.30./-
>
> UmeshanuPooja-This offering brings progeny, prosperity and happiness in
> the married life.Charges - Rs.30/-
>
> Navagarha Pooja-This is to satisfy the Navagrahas (The nine planets)
> which control the destiny of our life.harges - Rs.300/-
>
> Pretha Verpaadu-This is performed to give freedom to the souls of our
> ancestors and release them from the earthly connections.(Moksha
> Prapthy).Charges. Rs.300/-
>
> Shathru Samhara Devi Pooja-This pooja is conducted to eliminate the
> enemies or to get protection from them.charges. Rs.300/-
>
> Vella Nivedyam0This is one of the favourite offerings for Lord Shiva.,
> which ensures general well-being of the devotee.Charges.Rs.10/-.
>
> Swayamvara Manthra Pushpanjali-This pooja is performed to seek a good
> life-partner and to achieve a successful matrimony.Charges.Rs.100/-.
>
> Mrithunjaya Maha Manthra Pushpanjali-This is offered to Lord Parameswara
> for his blessings for a long, healthy life and an easy death without any
> suffering.Charges.Rs.40/-
>
> 14 Address:
>
> Sreekanteswara Temple Rd, Nalumukku, Pazhavangadi, Thiruvananthapuram,
> Kerala 695023 Phone: 0471 247 2233
>
> 15Management
>
> The temple is under the control of Travancore Devaswom Board.
>
> 16Activities
>
> Under the supervision of the Temple Administration Committee, various
> cultural, divine and social activities are conducted in establishments
> owned by the temple, of which some details are given below:
>
> Sreekanteswara English Medium School
>
> This school is located within the temple campus. The classes are from
> L.K.G.to 4th standard. The classes are in English with special emphasis
> for Malayalam.
>
> SNEM School
>
> SNEM School started functioning at Payyanakkal, Panniyankara having play
> class, LKG, UKG up to 4th Std. Admission Started.
>
> Sreekamteswara Kshetra Yogam Working Women's hostel
>
> This hostel can accommodate 148 inmates. This hostel was inaugurated in
> 1978 and 1990 as two blocks, and situated just behind our temple.
>
> Chaithanya Hall
>
> This hall was inaugurated in 1969, and commonly used for bhajans, veda
> classes, sanskrit classes etc. And also for marriages and meeting.
>
> Shanthi madam
>
> We give accommodation for our temple staff in shanthi madam.
>
> Scholarship Schemes
>
> This scheme is run by the committee with help of so many people as endowment
> and donation. We give scholarship for poor and deserving students
> irrespective of caste, creed or religion . It is notable that one of the
> ambitions of the Gurudevan was to give education to the poor. We
> appealed to the generous people to contribute donations and endowments
> for the successful running of this project.
>
> Grandhalaya
>
> In our grandhalaya we have a wide collections of old grandhas, historical,
> spiritual and all kind of books. We are also providing daily
> newspapers,magazines for the reference to the public.
>
> In addition two Shopping complexes are there for the temple,
>
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