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| Kasi Viswanatha Swamy Thiru Koilwww.sivakasionline.com |
Under the Nayaks, the Shiva temple received lots of gifts, endowments, etc. During the Muslim rule in the mid 1740s and later ( several times by Chanda Sahib (1740 – 1754), Arcot Nawab and Muhammed Yusuf Khan (1725 – 1764) in the middle of 18th century), the temple was managed by the natives. After 1800, this area came under the British East India company rule.
Located in the busy part of the town, Kasi Viswanathar temple has a three-tiered gopuram (temple tower) at the entrance that is a landmark here. This old temple surrounded by sturdy granite wall here God Shiva - Viswanathar is in the form of a lingam in the sanctum which can be accessed through a big mantap (hall) supported by a number of pillars.
Located in the busy part of the town, Kasi Viswanathar temple has a three-tiered gopuram (temple tower) at the entrance that is a landmark here. This old temple surrounded by sturdy granite wall here God Shiva - Viswanathar is in the form of a lingam in the sanctum which can be accessed through a big mantap (hall) supported by a number of pillars.
The dwajasthambam - flagstaff near the mantap is installed in such a way the sanctum is located axial to the entrance facing east. Yet another interesting feature in this temple is the presence of another flag staff that is installed axial to the Sivakami (Lord's consort) shrine and perpendicular to the flagstaff facing Viswanathar shrine. There are shrines for Vinayaka and Subramanya in the main mantap. Also present are smaller shrines of Ayyappa, Dakshinamurthy, Arumugar, Durga, Navagrahas and Nataraja in the temple around the shrines of Kasi Viswanatha and Visalakshi.
This temple, as other temples, has an interesting legend behind it. The Pandya ruler Harikesari Parakkirama Pandian had been planning to have a Shiva temple built in Tenkasi town and for this purpose he went on a pilgrimage to Kasi (Varanasi) to procure a lingam (a form of Lord Shiva) and bring it back to his kingdom. Having got the lingam of his liking in Kasi, he reached a spot near his destination and took rest under the shadow of a Vilva tree - the favorite of Lord Shiva. When he resumed his onward journey, the cow that was carrying the linga, refused to move from that spot. His efforts to get the cow moving, having failed, he felt that there was something divine about the spot and it was of the wish of the God to stay there for good. The place where the "Shiva lingam brought from Kasi" was installed by the king, later came to be known as Sivakasi. Since the lingam came from from Kasi, it was called Sivakasi.
Puja protocols, etc follow time-bound Saivite tradition. The main festival - Brahmostavam is held during the Tamil month of Vaiakasi (May - June). It is the most prominent festival at this temple. The other festivals are : Nataraja Thirumanjanam in Aani (June - July), Visalakshi Tapas festival in Aadi (July - August), Navarathri, Soorasamharam during Aipassi (October - November), etc. Karthikai Deepam festival, Thiruvathirai, Thaipoosam, Sivarathri, Panguni Uthiram are the other festivals celebrated here
Tit-Bits:
Once this town witnessed a pitched battle between two caste-based communities - Nadar community who dominated the business and dominant Maravar community who refused the entry of Nadars into the temple. In 1899, it became a big issue that resulted in riots. The British rulers somehow managed to suppress the riots. Based on an old article posted long ago
Ref:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kasi_Viswanathar_temple,_Sivakasi
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| Kasi Viswanatha Swamy Thiru Koil,ivakasi. Wikipedia |
This temple, as other temples, has an interesting legend behind it. The Pandya ruler Harikesari Parakkirama Pandian had been planning to have a Shiva temple built in Tenkasi town and for this purpose he went on a pilgrimage to Kasi (Varanasi) to procure a lingam (a form of Lord Shiva) and bring it back to his kingdom. Having got the lingam of his liking in Kasi, he reached a spot near his destination and took rest under the shadow of a Vilva tree - the favorite of Lord Shiva. When he resumed his onward journey, the cow that was carrying the linga, refused to move from that spot. His efforts to get the cow moving, having failed, he felt that there was something divine about the spot and it was of the wish of the God to stay there for good. The place where the "Shiva lingam brought from Kasi" was installed by the king, later came to be known as Sivakasi. Since the lingam came from from Kasi, it was called Sivakasi.
Puja protocols, etc follow time-bound Saivite tradition. The main festival - Brahmostavam is held during the Tamil month of Vaiakasi (May - June). It is the most prominent festival at this temple. The other festivals are : Nataraja Thirumanjanam in Aani (June - July), Visalakshi Tapas festival in Aadi (July - August), Navarathri, Soorasamharam during Aipassi (October - November), etc. Karthikai Deepam festival, Thiruvathirai, Thaipoosam, Sivarathri, Panguni Uthiram are the other festivals celebrated here
Tit-Bits:
Once this town witnessed a pitched battle between two caste-based communities - Nadar community who dominated the business and dominant Maravar community who refused the entry of Nadars into the temple. In 1899, it became a big issue that resulted in riots. The British rulers somehow managed to suppress the riots. Based on an old article posted long ago
Ref:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kasi_Viswanathar_temple,_Sivakasi
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