Devanathaswamy temple, or Thiruvanthipuram Temple, is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. This Hindu temple is situated at Thiruvananthapuram in the Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu. The temple has mentioned in the 108 Divyadesams. Divya Prabandha has glorified this temple as a part of 4000 Tamil verses that admire Lord Vishnu. There are three statues of Vishnu in this temple, all in different poses: standing, sitting, and sleeping.
There is an avatar of Vishnu, Lord Hayagriva, who is the horse-faced avatar of Vishnu. On the hillock, there is another shrine named Oushadhachalam. Devotees need to climb the 74 steps to reach this hillock and get Darshan of the shrine. There is a belief about this hillock. People believe that this is the same piece of the mountain where Sanjeevani booti existed that Hanuman wanted to carry and save the life of Laxman.
The Lord Hayagriva is the God of knowledge and wisdom, and this is the first temple for the Lord. Many devotees visit this temple, and many families come here to visit the temple and witness all the shrines. Doing so is believed to bless their kids in their education, and their knowledge grows. This is also why Lord Hayagriva is offered pens, pencils, and books, as the Lord is related to education.
There is a tank in the temple called Sesha Theertham. Devotees who suffer from ailments come to this tank and offer salt, pepper, milk, and jaggery to the tank. They drop these things into the tank and pray to it. This makes their ailments go away and gives them some relief.
Getting Darshan of the Lord is free, and there is a ticket of rupees 50 for getting the special Darshan of the Lord. People also light many lamps in the temple; doing so brings many benefits to the devotees, such as excellence in education, prosperity, blessings of Hayagriva, good job, victory against enemies, etc.
Features Of The Temple
This is an East-facing temple and consists of a 5 tier Rajagopuram. Immediately after the 5-tier Rajagopuram are Dwajasthambam, Palipedam, and Garudalwar. In the sanctum Sanctorum, you can view the Sanctum, antarala, Artha mandapam, and a mukha mandapam.
The architecture has a major influence of the Dravidian style, where there is a sanctum of Sri Devanathaswamy in a standing pose with Sridevi and Bhoodevi. Samadhis are there for Ramar and Vedantha Desikar, who are believed to serve for 40 years here.
History And Inscriptions
The temple has a history of built that takes us to the medieval Chozhas empire. Pandyas, Hoysalas, and Vijayanagara then expanded it. There are about 50 inscriptions about various kings in different years. These kings are Chozha Kings Kulothunga Chozha-I (1070 -1120 CE ), Vikrama Chozha ( 1118 – 1135 CE ), Rajaraja Chozha-III ( 1216-1256 CE ), Pandya Kings Jatavarman Sundara Pandyan (1251-1268 CE ), Vikrama Pandya, Vira Pandya-III, Vijayanagara King Achutha Deva Raya ( 1529 – 1542 CE ) and Koperunsingan.
These inscriptions describe the land and money given to the development of the temple by various kings. It also describes the regular poojas and the lamps lit.
Legends
Here Lord Vishnu came to give his glance to Adhiseshan, Markandeyan, and Indira.
Here the Hayagreevar avatar statue is built; this avatar is not a part of Vishnu’s ten avatars. Lord Vishnu took this avatar to recover the Vedas. He also made Saraswati and Brahma the Gods of knowledge and wisdom. Hence the Lord Hayagreevar is worshipped for education and wisdom other than Brahma and Saraswati.
Poojas And Celebrations
There are poojas performed in this temple at different times. Besides these poojas, the temple also celebrates many festivals such as Krishna Jayanthi, Ram Navami, Vaikunta Ekadasi, Deepavali, and Aadi pooram. The Chithirai festival is celebrated for ten days and also happens in this temple. A chariot procession also happens during the celebration.
Daily Routine:
Ushatkalam 07:00 AM
Kalashanti 08:00 AM
Uchikalam 12:00 PM
Sayarakshai 06:00 PM
Irandamkalam 07:00 PM
Ardha Jamam 10:00 PM
In the daily rituals, there are three steps, namely ankaram (decoration), naivedyam (food offering), and deepa aradhanai (waving of lamps).
Temple Timings:
06:00 AM to 12:00 PM
04:00 PM to 08:30 PM
Sri Hayagrivar Temple Timings:
07:30 AM to 12:00 PM
04:30 PM to 07:30 PM
These timings may differ whenever a special occasion is celebrated in the temple.
Temple Address:
Thiruvandipuram, Cuddalore District, Tamil Nadu 607401
Temple Contact Details:
Phone: 04142 287 515
How To Reach Thiruvananthapuram?
By Air:
The nearest airports are Chennai and Puducherry, 175 km and 35 km, respectively. After reaching the airport, you can take a bus to Puducherry, Cuddalore, Panruti, and Villupuram.
By Rail:
To reach via train, you can travel to Tirupadirippuliyur of Cuddalore, the nearest railway station.
By Road:
You can avail the bus from Cuddalore; from here, the temple is just 8 km. If you come from the Panruti bus stand, it is 20 km from the temple.
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