<< Our Photo Pages >> Srimushnam, Bhuvaraha-Vishnu and Shiva temple - Ancient Temple in India
Submitted by liesbethpankaja on Saturday, 30 October 2010 Page Views: 10483
Multi-periodSite Name: Srimushnam, Bhuvaraha-Vishnu and Shiva templeCountry: India
NOTE: This site is 22.438 km away from the location you searched for.
Type: Ancient Temple
Nearest Town: Srimushnam
Latitude: 11.401888N Longitude: 79.406463E
Condition:
5 | Perfect |
4 | Almost Perfect |
3 | Reasonable but with some damage |
2 | Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site |
1 | Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks |
0 | No data. |
-1 | Completely destroyed |
5 | Superb |
4 | Good |
3 | Ordinary |
2 | Not Good |
1 | Awful |
0 | No data. |
5 | Can be driven to, probably with disabled access |
4 | Short walk on a footpath |
3 | Requiring a bit more of a walk |
2 | A long walk |
1 | In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find |
0 | No data. |
5 | co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates |
4 | co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map |
3 | co-ordinates scaled from a bad map |
2 | co-ordinates of the nearest village |
1 | co-ordinates of the nearest town |
0 | no data |
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Srimushnam is a small town in Tamil Nadu located some 39 km west of Chidambaram and 19 km south east of Vridhachalam
In the center of Srimushnam two temples are situated back-to-back, which is very unusual. A temple to Vishnu in his Varaha Avatara faces West, and a Shiva temple at its back faces East. In line with both temples and fronting the Shiva temple is the thirtha or sacred tank, called Nithya Pushkarani and the sthala vriksha, the sacred tree which is an ashwatha tree. Both the tree and the tirtha are considered forms of Vishnu in this place.
Vishnu is worshipped as Bhuvaraha, in his incarnation as Varaha or Boar saving the Earth or Bhu in the form of a goddess from the clutches of demon Hiranyaksha. Therefore this temple is also known as Varaha Kshetra, the Place of the Boar. The murthi or sacred image is considered to be svayambhu, having come into existence by itself, not carved by human hands. It is a saligrama which is the fossil of an ammonite, considered an aniconic form of Vishnu. This lord is also called Yajna Varaha. The consort’s name is Ambujavalli Tayar. The utsavamurty, the icon which is carried around for festival processions is not a representation of the Boar avatara in acceptance to the wishes of his consort.
Traditionally it is said that lord Vishnu resides in this particular place in three forms. First in the form of Bhuvaraha, second in the form of the Ashwatha tree, and third as the Nithya Pushkarani, the sacred pond. The temple tank is known for its healing properties. The Ashwatha tree represents the cosmic tree and stands next to the sacred tank. It is believed that it has a beneficial effect of blessing sterile women with progeny. Meditation and the chanting of the Gayatri mantra under the tree after bathing in the holy tank will bestow on the devotee a place in heaven.
The main shrine is fronted by a beautiful pillared hall build by the Vijayanagara dynasty in the 16th century. Some of the donors and their wives are represented in sculpture.
The main shrine of the Shiva temple belongs to the Early Chola period of before 1000 CE.
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