Intro & Thiruvaanakaval

Hello dear friends...

I have posted in this forum before... but only now i realised that i have not had a proper intro 😳... I am funbuklover... a great fan of Parvathi (real😆 i like the axtor too😆)... This show attracted me immensely ...I started watching this show after watching the SBS segment of Sati's adishakthi avatar... very late huh???😕...Ok... enough of my blah blahs... Let me come to my actual post...

I wanted to post here a story of a beautiful(to me) temple... I hope you will concur with me after reading the story😃...

Its the story of Thirvaanai kovil (Thiru(holy)-aanai(elephant)-kaa(forest)) the presiding deities being Jambhkeshwarar (Water god) and Akilandeshwari... It is one of the Panch bhoota stalams... corresponding to water . The temple was built by Kocengannan (Kochenga Chola), one of the Early Cholas, around 1,800 years ago

Story...

Once Parvati mocked Shiva's penance for betterment of the world. Shiva wanted to condemn her act and directed her to go to the earth from Kailasam (Shiva's abode) to do penance. Parvathi in the form of Akilandeswari as per Shiva's wish found Jambu forest (Thiruvanaikoil) to conduct her penance. She made a lingam out of water of river Cauvery (also called as river Ponni) under the Venn Naaval tree (the Venn Naaval tree on top of the saint Jambu) and commenced her worship. The lingam is known as Appu Lingam (Water Lingam). Siva at last gave darshan to Akilandeswari and taught her Siva Gnana. Akilandeswari took Upadesa (lessons) facing East from Shiva, who stood facing west.

The legend of the name 'Thiru Aanai Kaa'

There were two Siva Ganas (Siva's disciples who live in Kailash): 'Malyavan' and 'Pushpadanta'. Though they are Shiva Ganas they always quarrel with each other and fight for one thing or other. In one fight 'Malyavan' cursed 'Pushpadanta' to become an elephant on earth and the latter cursed the former to become a spider on earth. The elephant and the spider came to Jambukeswaram and continued their Shiva worship. The elephant collected water from river Cauvery and conducted ablution to the lingam under the Jambu tree (Eugenia jambolana) daily. The spider constructed his web over the lingam to prevent dry leaves from dropping on it and prevent sunlight directly falling on it. When the elephant saw the web and thought it was dust on lingam. The elephant tore them and cleaned the lingam by pouring water and the practice continued daily. The spider became angry one day and crawled into the trunk of the elephant and bit the elephant to death, killing itself. Siva, in the form of Jambukeswara, moved by the deep devotion of the two, relieved them from the curse. As an elephant worshipped Shiva here, this place came to be known as Thiru Aanai Kaa (thiru means holy, aanai is elephant, kaa (kaadu) means forest).[2] Later the name 'Thiruaanaikaa' become 'Thiruvanaikaval' and 'Thiruvanaikoil'.

In the next birth, the spider was born as the King Kochengot Chola (kotchengannan cholan meaning red-eyed king) and built 70 temples and this temple is the one among them. Remembering his enmity with the elephant in his previous birth, he built the Shiva Sannathi (sanctorum) such that not even a small elephant can enter. The entrance on the sanctorum of Jambukeswara is only 4 foot high and 2.5 foot wide.

The deities

Its a beautiful temple... all shiv-shakthi bhakts must visit