Tiruvaiyaru Shiva & Atkondar Temple and Adi Shankara’s Yagna

Tiruvaiyaru is known for the great saint and musician Thyagaraja. His Mahasamadhi at the banks of the river Kaveri attracts a large of musicians. But not many of them know about the ancient Shiva temple located in the town.

Lord Shiva is called Panchanadeeshwarar ( Lord of five rivers – 5 branches of river cauvery are meeting at this place). It is a huge and magnificient temple with lots of paintings and intricate works of art. There is a small hall called Kashi Mukti Mandapam. Only a handful of temples have such a hall which is considered equal to Kashi or Banaras.The temple is very large and there are battery operated cars to move around.

The most unique feature is the Shrine of Aatkondar or Kala Samhara Moorthy. It is near the temple entrance. He is considered as the embodiment of Lord Shiva who has achieved victory over Yama.People also offer vada mala to this deity. People offer Kungiliyam ( a kind of incense) in the Homa Kundam outside the temple. Sri Adi Shankaracharya is said to have visited this place and performed a Yagna in the Homa Kundam.This is the reason why it is still considered even sacred today.

Have a look at the photos below to see the grandeur of the temple.

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Location: Thiruvaiyaru, Tamil Nadu, India