Anekadhangavadeswarar temple, Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu

Anekadhangavadeswarar temple, Kanchipuram

Dedicated to the Lord Shiva, Anekadhangavadeswarar Temple (also called Anegathangavadham) is located at Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu, India. This temple is situated on the way from the town to the Kanchi Kailasanathar Temple.  Anekadhangavadeswarar is revered in the 7th century Tamil Saiva canonical work, the Tevaram, written by Tamil saint poets known as the nayanars and classified as Paadal Petra Sthalam, the 275 temples revered in the canon.

Legend

According to legend, Maharshi Mareechi daughter Vallaba was a Shiva devotee. When she abducted by demon Kesi, she prayed to Lord Shiva for rescue. Lord Shiva sends Vinayaka to protect her and also told to worship him for victory against demon. Lord Vinayaka followed the advice and established Anegabeswarar in the form a Lingam. After destroying demon, Vinayaka married Vallaba after rescued her.  It is also believed that Kubera (the king of wealth) worshipped Angebeswarar.

Shrines of Vinayagar and Murugan
Ssriram mt, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Architecture

Anekadhangavadeswarar temple complex has a single prakarams (outer courtyard) and a small rajagopuram (gateway tower) facing North. The central shrine faces east and holds the image of Anekadhangavadeswarar (Shiva) in the form of lingam made of granite. As in other temples in Kanchipuram, there is no separate shrine of Parvathi as it is believed that Kamakshi of Kanchipuram is the common Parvathi shrine for all Shiva temples. The granite images of Nandi (the bull and vehicle of Shiva) is located axial to the sanctum. As in other Shiva temples of Tamil Nadu, the first precinct or the walls around the sanctum of Anekadhangavadeswarar has images of Dakshinamurthy (Shiva as the Teacher), Durga (warrior-goddess) and Chandikeswarar (a saint and devotee of Shiva). There is a separate shrine for Periya Vinayaga. The temple precinct is surrounded by granite walls.

Festivals

The Thirukarthikai during (November – December) and Maha Shivratri during February – March are the most famous festivals celebrated in the temple. There are weekly rituals like somavaram (Monday) and sukravaram (Friday), fortnightly rituals like pradosham and monthly festivals like amavasai (new moon day), kiruthigai, pournami (full moon day) and sathurthi.

Temple Timings:

The temple is open from 6.00 a.m. to 8.00 a.m. only.

Pooja Timings:

The temple priests perform the pooja twice a day, Kalasanthi at 8:00 a.m. and Sayarakshai at 6:00 p.m. Each ritual comprises four steps: abhisheka (sacred bath), alangaram (decoration), naivethanam (food offering) and deepa aradanai (waving of lamps) for both Anekadhangavadeswarar and Manonmani Amman.

Shrines of Vinayagar and Murugan
Ssriram mt, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

How to reach

By Air

Nearest airport Chennai International is 75 KM at distance

By Rail

The nearest Railway Station is Kanchipuram. From Kanchipuram, the temple is 2.7 KM away. Private taxis are available to reach this temple.

By Bus

The temple is 2 KM from Kanchipuram bus stand. Autos are available to reach there.

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