Shivalokanathar Temple - An Ode To Devotion!


Picture Courtesy: Tamilnadu Tourism

In this blog, we will read about Shivalokanathar temple which is located in a village called Thirupunkur in Nagapattinam district of Tamil Nadu. Lord Shiva is the presiding deity and His consort is Soundarya Naayaki. 

The special feature of this temple is that the lingam is in the form of an ant-hill and has a shield covering it. The devotees can see the lingam only with the shield. The temple's history is associated with Nandanar, one of the 63 Nayanmar (devotees of Lord Shiva).

Nandanar belonged to a lower class and was a staunch devotee of Lord Shiva. As he was passing by this temple, he wished to see the Lord. However he was not allowed inside the temple and was ordered to view the deity from the gate of the shrine. The lingam was small in size, and the Nandi was bigger. Lord Shiva commanded Nandi to shift to a side so that His devotee could have an unobstructed view of Him. 



Lord Vinayaka dug a tank outside the temple to enable Nandanar to take a holy dip in the same and hence He came to be called as Kulam Vettiya Pillayar (Ganapathi who dug a tank). Even the Dwarpaalaas of the temple stood with head bowed in reverence to the devotion of Nandanar. In most temples, the Dwarpaalaas stand with their head held high but in this temple, even today, their heads are in a bowed position. There is a separate shrine for Nandanar in the premises of the temple.

There is another legend associated with the temple. Once there was a playful contest between Lord Shiva and Devi Parvathi as to who is more attractive among them. Lord Shiva took some Durva (grass) and dropped it on earth and proclaimed that wherever the Durva fell, the Devi would be more attractive in that place. It is said that the Durva split into five beautiful lingams which are currently housed in this temple. 



A special paste called Punugu is offered by devotees for the lingam on Mondays. It is only on Mondays that the shield is removed from the lingam to pour the paste over it. 

People pray to the Devi for overcoming hurdles in their marriage due to negative planetary positions. It is believed that praying in this temple helps to gain mental peace and gets rid of all past sins. 

The temple attracts a huge crowd of devotees during days of Pradosham. Also, during the month of Vaikasi Visaakham, a ten-day Brahmotsavam is conducted in the temple in a grand manner. 

Om Shivalokanaathaayai Namaha! Om Soundarya Naayakiye Namaha!  

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