Bhavani
Marimaindhan Sivaraman
Translated into English by
Nandhini Krishnakumar
Bhavani
There are seven temples in Kongu region (Western & North-western Tamil Nadu) that have received the Thevaram hymns. These are called 'Kongezhu temples'.
The third temple among the Kongezhu shrines is the Bhavani Sangameshwarar Temple.
Bhavani is an ancient city with a large temple, situated between the four hills: Nagagiri, Vedagiri, Mangalagiri and Sangagiri ('Giri' means 'hill').
The temple in Bhavani is a renowned one that devotees seek to cure from all kinds of dhoshas from birth to death, every day of the year.
Come, let us have Shiva dharshan of this temple. May we be well in the present and after lives.
History of the temple
Kubera, the lord of wealth, who ruled the Shiva city of Azhagapuri, had the habit of visiting Shiva shrines and worshipping them.
Once, while travelling in his Pushpaga Vimana (mythical flying chariot described in Hindu scriptures), he saw lush green oases on the banks of the Kaveri and Bhavani rivers. He was amazed to see a divine tree in the middle of them.
In that oasis, the deer and the tiger, the cow, the elephant and the lion, the rat and the snake were happily drinking water and playing together in the river without any enmity.
Seeing the sages and yogis full of ascetic energy gathered nearby, he was moved and stood in homage.
Everything he saw seemed miraculous to him. Then a voice arose. It was the voice of God.
"Kubera! In this place, there is a Ilanthai tree (commonly referred to as 'Indian plum') in the form of the Vedas themselves.
There is a Jothi swaroopa lingam (lingam in the form of a divine light) under the tree.
The penance and worship you perform at this holy place will yield multifold benefits."
Kubera, with great devotion, approached the Ilanthai tree, performed penance and worshipped the Linga.
As a result, the Lord Himself appeared before Kubera and said, "Ask for the boon you want."
"My Lord! This place, which is like Azhagapuri, the beautiful city that you have given me, should also have a similar name," he prayed.
Will God reject Kubera's pure prayer?
Since then, this place has been known as 'Dakshina Alakai', the name given by the Lord. The Lord thus got the name 'Alakesan'.
According to the prophecy of the Lord, one who comes to this temple and worships, will receive countless benefits.
Legend has it that those who worship at this temple will receive the same benefits as those who worship at Kashi and Rameswaram.
Temple of Thevaram hymns
Thirugnanasambandhar, one of the four great saints of Saivism, visited the Sangameshwarar temple with his disciples.
A few of the disciples who had come with him were affected by fever and suffered much.
They worshipped the Lord Jurahareswarar in the temple and were immediately cured of their illness.
At that time, Thirugnanasambandhar sang hymns in praise of Sangameshwarar. Therefore, the Sangameshwarar temple is revered and worshipped as a place of Thevaram hymns.
Speciality of the temple
The Bhavani Sangameshwarar Temple is located at the confluence point of the Bhavani River, the Cauvery River and the Amudha River which is invisible to the naked eye.
This holy place is called by many names such as Bhavani, Bhavani Koodal, Bhavani Mukkoodal, Padmapuri, Vatharikasramam, Dakshina Alakai, Vijayapuri, Veerapuri and then Thiriveni Sangamam.
This is a holy place worshipped by Kubera, Viswamitra, Parasara Muni and Arunagirinathar.
There is a reference to Ravana worshipping Sangameshwarar during the epic period.
Every year, on the third day of the Masi Maham-Rathasapthami, the sunlight falls on Sangameshwarar, Vedanayagi and Subramanya, a rare and beautiful sight. Surya Puja, where the Sun God worships the Lord, is truly special!
It is believed that there are millions of Shiva Lingas within the soil of this temple. Owing to this, it is said that skulls do not scatter in the bodies cremated here.
It is also said that there was a cave passage connecting the Sangameshwarar temple and the Avinashiyappar temple.
This is a temple that was renovated by the Chera, Chola and Pandya kings.
Structure of the temple
The temple, spread over an area of 4 acres, has 2 gates. The main tower faces north and it has 5 stages and 7 kalasams, offering auspicious views.
There is a Kottai Vinayagar shrine at the entrance of the temple. Past the entrance, there is a Rajaganapathi shrine on one side and a Muthukumaraswamy shrine on the other side.
Since the temple is in the form of Shiva, Nandheeswarar is present in front of the entrance of the temple with divine grace.
Upon entering the temple, you will find a beautiful hall. Here are the shrines of Aadhi Kesava Perumal, Soundaranayaki Thayar and Sri Venugopala Swamy.
Between the two shrines, Lord Lakshmi Narasimha appears with grace.
Since the Shiva temple also houses a Perumal temple, this temple is an embodiment of Saivaite-Vaishnavism unity.
The main deity, Sangameshwarar, showers blessings in the form of a self-manifested Linga. Goddess Vedambika graces as the divine power.
In the inner courtyard, there is a shrine of Subramaniar, sung by Arunagirinathar in Thiruppukazh, a shrine of the sixty-three Nayanmars, the Panchabhuta Lingams and a separate shrine of Lord Shani which is specific to the Kongu region. Dakshinamurthy and Vishnu Durga are depicted as the Koshta Murthy (Deities present along-side of the outer main shrine wall).
The shrine for Lord Muruga is located between the shrines of Lord Shiva and Mother. This is called Somaskanda structure which is a special feature here.
The unique feature of the temple is that Lord Jurahareswara, with three legs, three hands and three heads, is holding fire in his hands.
There is a statue of a cow behind Aadhi Kesava Perumal shrine. The cow has two heads, one in front and the other at the back.
The tower of the temple is beautifully carved. Especially, the sculptural work of Mother's shrine is excellent.
On the banks of the river in the outer courtyard, Sahasra Lingeswarar shrine, Gayatri Lingeswarar shrine and Amirtha Lingeswarar shrine are present in the midst of a beautiful park.
As sage Viswamitra installed the lingam, chanting Gayatri Mantra, the Lord came to be known as Gayatri Lingeswarar.
Holy names
The Lord Sangameshwarar, who is present in this temple, has the following divine names: Sangamukha Natheswarar, Sangamanathar, Alakesan, Maruthuva Lingam, Vani Lingeswarar, Vakkreswarar, Nattatreswarar, and Thirunannavudayar.
Goddess Vedambika is known by the names Vedanayagi, Bhavani, Sangameswari, Pannar Mozhiyammai, Pandhar Viralammai, Maruthuva Nayaki and Vakkreswari.
‘Bhavani’ means ‘the giver of life’. Bhavani is the Mother who bestows grace as a natural force, the source of creative energy.
Holy Theerthas
A holy place full of holy waters like the Cauvery, the Bhavani and the Amudha rivers, Surya Theertha, Chakra Theertha and Deva Theertha.
The Sacred tree
The sacred tree of this temple is Ilanthai tree (Indian cherry) which is considered to be the form of Vedas. There is a self-manifested lingam under the tree.
This Ilanthai tree, worshipped by Kubera, bears delicious fruits throughout the year. Its fruits are used for daily offerings to the Lord.
There is a strong belief that if childless people eat the Ilanthai fruit of this tree, they will have a child soon.
Thirunana
The ancient name for Bhavani is 'Thirunana'. 'Nanna' in Tamil means 'unperceived'. The name Thirunana means a place where no harm is perceived.
Historically worshipped Vedanayaki
It is a historical event that the Sangameswarar temple, which is revered by both Saivism and Vaishnavism, turned a Christian Englishman its devotee.
Well yes....! Vedanayaki is the Goddess who blesses mankind of all religions.
In the year 1804, William Karo, a British Collector of Coimbatore district, visited Bhavani, camping in the Travellers' Bungalow.
One day, while he was resting at night, it started raining heavily with thunder and lightning.
A small girl woke him up and got him out of the Bungalow when he was asleep.
Then, frightened by the continuous thunder and lightning, he turned and looked at the mansion.
At that moment, the building collapsed and crumbled before his eyes.
Seeing this, the Collector turned around in fear and looked at the child who had brought him outside.
The child, who had been holding his hands until then, was nowhere to be seen. Not even as far as his eyes could see.
The next day, when he told the people who came to see him about this, the elders of the village firmly said, "It was Mother Vedambika who came in the form of a child and saved you."
The light that dawned in William Karo's heart made him a devotee of the Goddess at that very moment.
As a token of gratitude, he offered an ivory bed to the Goddess who saved his life.
He also put his signature on that bed and made the glory of the Goddess known to the world.
Since people of other religions could not enter the temple and worship, he made three holes in the wall directly opposite the Ambal shrine and enjoyed seeing the Mother through those holes.
After that, it became his habit to worship the Goddess whenever he came to Bhavani.
History says that this event, which celebrates the glory of Sangameswari, took place on January 11, 1804.
Even today, we can see the Goddess through the holes that Karo made in the temple wall.
Remedies
Bhavani is one of the most important auspicious places in Tamil Nadu that offers remedies through worship.
This is a place where various remedial worships for mankind are performed every day of the year.
This is an ideal place to perform rituals for ancestors.
It is believed that the 'Narayana Bali Puja' performed here for those who have died untimely will help their souls attain peace.
It is a belief that those longing for a child, if they worship the Amirtha linga at the Amirthalingeswarar shrine in the temple, will be blessed with a child. It is certain that if one takes the upper part of the lingam (banam) and places it in the hip and circumambulate the lower portion (avudaiyar), they will be blessed with a child. This opportunity is offered to devotees every Monday.
Those who suffer from frequent fever, skin diseases and mental illnesses will get immediate relief if they do abhishegam to Lord Jurahareshwarar and offer Him pepper rice, pepper rasam and spinach curry.
Those who have gastric problems will benefit if they offer offerings of pepper and cumin to Jurahareshwarar, worship him and include it in their food.
In the separate shrine of Lord Shaniswara, Lord Shaniswara is present in the form of the planet Manthi. Here, one can get relief from ailments like Manthi Dosha and Kulika Dosha.
If those suffering from Naga Dosha make a special Naga structure out of stone and worship it under the Aswatha tree at the riverbank near the Ganesha shrine, the dosha will be removed.
Festivals
At Bhavani Kuduthurai and Sangameshwarar Temple, every day of the year is a festive occasion. Thousands of devotees gather to offer prayers, bathe and seek atonement.
Aadi Perukku and Chitra Pournami are the major festivals. Lakhs of people gather to bathe in the river during Aadi Perukku. Thousands of devotees gather for 13 days in the Tamil month of Chitra.
Nandhi Thevaram
About the Bhavani Temple, which received the Thevaram hymn, Swami Siddhaguruji of Sri Nandheeswarar Gnanapeedam has given the Nandhi Thevaram, bestowed by Sri Nandheeswarar, through the Nandhi Jeevanadi.
வெண்நுரை நதிமூன்று மகிழ்ந்தாடும் பவானியிலே
நன்கரை கொள் அமிர்தகுடம் கவிழ லிங்கமதாய்
விண்போற்ற சங்கமித்த வேதாம்பிகை பாகன்
கண்கண்டு கை தொழவே கரைசேர்வர் பிணியறவே.
Meaning
The white-foamed three rivers dance merrily in Bhavani.
The Amirtha Pot reaching the banks of the river poured thus forming a linga.
Lord Sangameshwara, who is the better half of Mother Vedambika, is praised by the heavens.
Those who see the Lord with their eyes and worship with folded hands are saved and healed.
Location of the temple
Bhavani is located in Erode district of Tamil Nadu. It is 100 km from Coimbatore, 56 km from Salem and 15 km from Erode.
Google map Location
Nearest Airport & Railway station
Coimbatore Airport
Erode Railway Junction
"May the noble Saiva (Shaivite) Dharma flourish throughout the world."
Om Namasivaya 🙏
Reviewer
Prof. R. Pandiaraj
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