Kailasanathar temple

The oldest temple in Kanchipuram the Kailasanathar temple (Lord of the Cosmic mountain), is famed not only for beauty and grandeur but for its historical presence. It was built by the Pallava king, Rayasimha in the 7th century. This temple is built for the worship of Lord Shiva and is one of the best-preserved temples of such an age in India. Other temples of a similar vintage have been built upon or otherwise tampered with by the kings who ruled later. The Kailasanathar Temple is one of the nine Navagrahasthalas located at Thingaloor which is about 8 km from Tiruvaiyaru near Thanjavur in Tamilnadu. The presiding deity is Soma (moon). However, the main idol in the temple is that of “Kailasanathar” or Shiva.

The temple is often visited by unmarried men and women seeking a partner- woman ties a wedding knot directly to the Mother Goddess, while men do the same to the Nandi statue in front of Lord Shiva Circumambulation of this temple is slightly different from elsewhere as devotees have to crawl a few steps inside a passage which indicates the passage of life and the exit is through another passage which symbolizes death.

This Chandra NavagrahaStalam Thingaloor is named after the Tamil word, ‘Thingal’, which means Chandra or Moon. As most of the other Navagraha Temples of Tamilnadu, Kailasanathar Temple is also a Shiva Stalam and the main deities worshipped here are Kailasanathar(Lord Shiva) and Goddess Periyanakiamman(Goddess Parvati).

History

The Kanchi Kailasanathar temple was built between 650 and 705 CE by King Rayasimha Pallaveswaram and completed by his son Mahendra Varma Pallava. The temple is known for its sculptures and served as a haven during times of war. It also has a tunnel through which the people could escape.

This ancient Shaivite shrine reflects the early Dravidian architecture. A huge Nandi is seen in the front, facing the temple. The 16-sided Shiva lingam at the main shrine is made out of black granite. A unique feature of Thingaloor Temple is that during the months of Puratasi (September – October) and Panguni (March – April), the rays of the moon fall on the Shiva Lingam. The architectural style and the decorations carved on this temple are added features.