| Ezhutharinathar Temple | |
|---|---|
_16.jpg) Image of the Innambur temple gopuram | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Hinduism |
| District | Thanjavur |
| Deity | Ezhutharinathar (Shiva), Nithya Kalyani(Parvati) |
| Location | |
| Location | Innambur |
| State | Tamil Nadu |
| Country | India |
  Location inTamil Nadu | |
| Coordinates | 10°58′54″N79°20′20″E / 10.98167°N 79.33889°E /10.98167; 79.33889 |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Dravidian architecture |
Innambur Ezhutharinathar Temple (இன்னம்பூர் எழுத்தறிநாதேஸ்வரர் கோயில்)[1] is aHindu temple dedicated toShiva, located in Innambur, a village in the outskirts ofKumbakonam, inThanjavur district inTamil Nadu,India. Shiva is worshipped as Ezhutharinathar and his consortParvati as Nithya Kalyani. Ona Kantheeswarar is revered in the 7th century Tamil Saiva canonical work, theTevaram, written by Tamil saint poets known as theNayanars and classified asPaadal Petra Sthalam, the 275 temples revered in the canon.
The temple has a five-tieredrajagopuram, the entrance tower and all the shrines are enclosed in rectangular walls. The temple has four daily rituals at various times from 6:00 a.m. to 8 p.m., and three yearly festivals on its calendar, namely Margazhi Tiruvathirai during theTamil month ofMargazhi (December - January), Kodabisheakam duringChittirai (April - May) and Aipassi Annabishekam duringAippassi (October - November) being the most prominent. The temple is maintained and administered by the Hindu Religious and Endowment Board of the Government of Tamil Nadu.[2]
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As per Hindu legend, once the accountant Of the temple was asked to submit the accounts to the king. The accountant did not have the correct accounts during the time and feared punishment from the king. An ardent devotee of Shiva, the accountant prayed to the god to rescue him. Shiva, in the form of the accountant, submitted the accounts. The king was pleased and praised the accountant, who was amused at the events. He later realised that it was divine grace. Since Shiva came down and submitted the accounts, he came to be known as Ezhutharinathar.[3] As per another legend, the presiding deity was worshipped by an elephant.[4] There is also a belief that sageAgastya attained knowledge about grammar after worshipping Ezhutharinathar.[5] The temple is counted as one of the temples built on the northern banks ofRiver Kaveri.[6]
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The temple is located 10 km (6.2 mi) north-west ofKumbakonam on the Kumbakonam - Thirupurambiyam road. Ezhutharinathar temple has a rectangular plan with twoprakarams (outer courtyard) covering an area of 1 acre (0.40 ha) and a five-tieredrajagopuram (gateway tower) facing East. The central shrine faces east and houses the image of Ezhutharinathar (Shiva) in the form of thelingam made of granite and is believed to be aswayambhu (self manifested). There are shrines for Shiva's sonsGanesha (Vinayagar) andKartikeya (Murugan), on either side of the sanctum entrance. The granite images ofNandi (the bull and vehicle of Shiva), a tall flag staff and aBalipeeta, the place of offering, axial to the sanctum. As in other Shiva temples of Tamil Nadu, the first precinct or the walls around the sanctum of Ona Kantheeswarar has images ofDakshinamurthy (Shiva as the Teacher),Durga (warrior-goddess) andChandikeswarar (a saint and devotee of Shiva). The temple precinct is surrounded by granite walls. Following the legend of the elephant, the roof over the sanctum is in the form of an elephant, called Gajaprashta Vimana.[2][5]
The temple priests perform thepuja (rituals) during festivals and on a daily basis. The temple rituals are performed four times a day;Kalasanthi at 8:00 a.m.,Uchikalam at 11:30 a.m.,Sayarakshai at 6:30 p.m andArthajamam at 8:00 p.m.. Each ritual comprises four steps:abhisheka (sacred bath),alangaram (decoration),naivethanam (food offering) anddeepa aradanai (waving of lamps) for Ezhutharinathar and Nithya Kalyani. There are weekly rituals likesomavaram (Monday) andsukravaram (Friday), fortnightly rituals likepradosham, and monthly festivals likeamavasai (new moon day),kiruthigai,pournami (full moon day) andsathurthi. Margazhi Tiruvathirai during theTamil month ofMargazhi (December - January), Kodabisheakam duringChittirai (April - May) and Aipassi Annabishekam duringAippassi (October - November) are the three festivals celebrated in the temple.[2]
It is one of the shrines of the 275Paadal Petra Sthalams -Shiva Sthalams glorified in the early medievalTevaram poems by Tamil SaiviteNayanarsTirugnanasambandar andTirunavukkarasar. Tirugnanasambandar describes the feature of the deity as:[7]
எழில்திக ழும்பொழி லின்னம்பர் மேவிய
நிழல்திகழ் மேனியி னீரே
நிழல்திகழ் மேனியீ னீருமை நினைபவர்குழறிய கொடுவினை யிலரே.
Tirunavukkarasar describes the feature of the deity as:[8]
மறியொரு கையர் போலும் மாதுமை யுடையர் போலும்
பறிதலைப் பிறவி நீக்கிப் பணிகொள வல்லர் போலும்
செறிவுடை யங்க மாலை சேர்திரு வுருவர் போலும்எறிபுனற் சடையர் போலும் இன்னம்ப ரீச னாரே.
