Kutralanathar Temple

The Kutralanathar Temple or Thirukutralam is located in the beautiful green surroundings of the Courtallam falls. It is dedicated to Sri Courtrallanathar, Thirukootachalapathi and Kuzhalvoimozhi Amman. The temple is one of the Pancha Sabhai Sthalams. There are mentions of the Kutralanathar Shiva Temple history in Tamil texts that date back to the 7th century.

History

Raja Rajan constructed the temple. The Pandyas then constructed the Karuvarai Artha Mandapam, Maha Mandapam, the Kuzhalvoimozhi Amman shrine and the Pillayan Kattalai Mandapam. The Nayakars built the Parashakthi shrine, wall and streets.

Legends

Sage Agasthiyar

When the divine wedding of Lord Shiva and Devi Parvathi took place in North India there were so many attendees that the balance of the earth would have been tilted. Therefore, Lord Shiva instructed Sage Agasthiyar to witness the wedding from Courtrallam. When he arrived at the temple the Dwarapalakas denied him entry. He then prayed to a Shiva Lingam that he made out of sand in the nearby Ilanji Kumaran temple. The Lord Murugan appeared before him and told him to enter the Kutralam temple as a Vaishnavite and then convert it into a Shiva temple. Devotees still visit this temple before proceeding to the Kutralanathar temple.

Sage Agasthiyar shrunk the image of Vishnu and made it a Shiva temple. The conch in Lord Vishnu’s hand became the temple and the Chakra transformed into the Sriharam. The Shiva Lingam still bears the marks of the sage’s hands. The shrinking of Lord Vishnu caused the deity to have a headache and the priests perform Abishekam with a concoction of oil and herbs. This is then distributed to the devotees as Prasadam. It is believed to cure headaches. The legends also state that when Lord Vishnu was changed into Kutralanathar, Sridevi became Kuzhalvoimozhi Amman and Bhoodevi became Parashakti. This is why there are two shrines to Devi in the temple.

During pooja, a mixture of Kadukai, pepper and other herbs and spices is offered to the Lord. It is meant to ward off colds and ill effects of always being by the Courtrallam waterfalls.

Arjuna – The Lost And Found Shiva Lingam

Arjuna lost a Shiva Lingam in Varanasi. He found it again in Courtrallam on a Panguni Uthirma day and worshipped it and left it where he found it. Devotees worship this Lingam to recover something they have lost. There is also a special pooja for this Lingam on Panguni Uthiram.

Deities

The principal deity at the temple is Lord Shiva as Kutralanathar. The temple also has a shrine for his consort Kuzhalvoimozhi Amman. There are also idols of Annavi Pillai, Kailasanathar and Goddess Sri Durga. The temple also has idols of many saints and numerous other deities. There is a large Sri Chakra, installed by Sage Agastya himself at this temple.

There is a small shrine for Siddha Agastya behind the main deity. One can also find a small statue of Mahavatar Babaji at the entrance of the Agastya shrine. This is quite rare in an ancient temple.

Festivals

The Kutralanathar Temple celebrates three festivals in a year. Each festival is ten days long. The festivals are Vishu in April, Aipassi Vishu in October as well as the Arudra festival in December-January. There is a Shenbaga Devi Amman Temple that is located on a mountain that is five kilometers away. The festivals at the Kutralam temple commence only after the pooja for the Goddess.

Since Bhoodevi was changed into Parashakti this temple is also significant as a Dharani Peetam. The temple performs a Navashakti Pooja every full moon night.