Thirukazhukundram
Encyclopedia
For the village, Thirukazhukundram, refer Tirukalukundram
Thirukazhukundram or Thirukkalukundram is an ancient town in Kanchipuram district
of the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu
.
. The temple at the foothills is dedicated to Thirupurasundari amman, Parvathi, the consort. It is surrounded by four gopuram
s which resemble the temple architecture of Thiruvannamalai Annamalaiyaar temple.
s- that have reputedly visited the site for "centuries". These birds are traditionally fed by the temple priests and arrive before noon to feed on offerings made from rice, wheat, ghee
and sugar. Although punctual, the failure of the birds to turn up was attributed to the presence of "sinners" among the onlookers. Legend has it the vultures (or "eagles") represent eight sages who were punished by Shiva
with two of them leaving in each of a series of epochs. It has also been known as Uruthrakodi, Nandipuri, Indrapuri, Narayanapuri, Brahmapuri, Dinakarapuri, Muniganapuri in the past.
The Mythology - Sage Bharadwaja was engaged in Tapasya praying to Lord Shiva and when Lord Shiva appeared before him, wanted a boon. The boon was for a Long life, which could be used for learning the Vedas. The Lord in his own way showed his Hand and Lo!! and Behold - there appeared 3 Mountains each signifying a Veda (Rig/Yajur/Sama). The Lord took a hand ful of mud and said 'Dear Bharadwaja - The Vedas that you could learn are only this handful compared to the mountains present here, even if you live much much more longer and hence, learning is never ending and could possibly cannot be the route for Salvation".Thus spoke the Lord and also said that in Kaliyuga, the simplest and the surest form of attaining Mukthi is Bhakti or unfettered Devotion, service and Love towards the Lord and his creations and trying the same through learning and expertise on Vedic adhyayan is a non starter . And to this day the Mountains (Vedas)stand there, aptly called Veda Giri (Veda = Vedas and Giri - Mountains) and below them is the Vedagiri - eswarar temple signifying this episode.
collectively known as 'Naalvar' came to this place and sang the praises of Lord Siva and there is a separate temple dedicated to them in the place called 'Naalvar kovil'. Tamil devotional poet Arunagirinathar
composed many of his hymns of Thirupugazh in Thirukazhukundram.
and Tirutani, 70 km away from Chennai and 15 km away from the famous tourist town Mahabalipuram.
Tirukalukundram
-References:...
Thirukazhukundram or Thirukkalukundram is an ancient town in Kanchipuram district
Kanchipuram district
Kanchipuram district is a district in the northeast of the state of Tamil Nadu in India. It is bounded in the west by Vellore and Thiruvannamalai districts, in the north by Thiruvallur District and Chennai District, in the south by Viluppuram District and in the east by the Bay of Bengal. It lies...
of the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
.
The Temple
The town is famous for its Hindu temple, Vedagiriswarar temple, popularly known as Kazhugu koil (Eagle temple). There are two temples, one in the basement of the hill and other atop the hill. The main attraction here is the large temple located atop the mountain which houses the deity of Vedagiriswarar, Lord ShivaShiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
. The temple at the foothills is dedicated to Thirupurasundari amman, Parvathi, the consort. It is surrounded by four gopuram
Gopuram
A Gopuram or Gopura, is a monumental tower, usually ornate, at the entrance of any temple, especially in Southern India. This forms a prominent feature of Koils, Hindu temples of the Dravidian style. They are topped by the kalasam, a bulbous stone finial...
s which resemble the temple architecture of Thiruvannamalai Annamalaiyaar temple.
History
The word Thirukazhukundram comes from the Tamil words Thiru (Respectful), Kazhugu (Eagle), Kundram (mount). It was known as "Thirukazhugukundram" in ancient times which was changed to Thirukazhukundram in more recent times. The town is also known as Pakshi theertham because of a famed pair of birds( Pakshi in Sanskrit means Bird, Theertham means a holy lake or pond) - Most likely Egyptian VultureEgyptian Vulture
The Egyptian Vulture is a small Old World vulture, found widely distributed from southwestern Europe and northern Africa to southern Asia. It is the only living member of the genus Neophron. It has sometimes also been known as the White Scavenger Vulture or Pharaoh's Chicken...
s- that have reputedly visited the site for "centuries". These birds are traditionally fed by the temple priests and arrive before noon to feed on offerings made from rice, wheat, ghee
Ghee
Ghee is a class of clarified butter that originated in South Asia and is commonly used in South Asian cuisine....
and sugar. Although punctual, the failure of the birds to turn up was attributed to the presence of "sinners" among the onlookers. Legend has it the vultures (or "eagles") represent eight sages who were punished by Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
with two of them leaving in each of a series of epochs. It has also been known as Uruthrakodi, Nandipuri, Indrapuri, Narayanapuri, Brahmapuri, Dinakarapuri, Muniganapuri in the past.
The Mythology - Sage Bharadwaja was engaged in Tapasya praying to Lord Shiva and when Lord Shiva appeared before him, wanted a boon. The boon was for a Long life, which could be used for learning the Vedas. The Lord in his own way showed his Hand and Lo!! and Behold - there appeared 3 Mountains each signifying a Veda (Rig/Yajur/Sama). The Lord took a hand ful of mud and said 'Dear Bharadwaja - The Vedas that you could learn are only this handful compared to the mountains present here, even if you live much much more longer and hence, learning is never ending and could possibly cannot be the route for Salvation".Thus spoke the Lord and also said that in Kaliyuga, the simplest and the surest form of attaining Mukthi is Bhakti or unfettered Devotion, service and Love towards the Lord and his creations and trying the same through learning and expertise on Vedic adhyayan is a non starter . And to this day the Mountains (Vedas)stand there, aptly called Veda Giri (Veda = Vedas and Giri - Mountains) and below them is the Vedagiri - eswarar temple signifying this episode.
Poets
The four Naayanmaars and the greatest Saiva poets Appar, Sundarar, Manickavasagar, ThirugnanasamandharCampantar
Tirugnana Sampantar was a young Saiva poet-saint of Tamil Nadu who lived around the 7th century CE....
collectively known as 'Naalvar' came to this place and sang the praises of Lord Siva and there is a separate temple dedicated to them in the place called 'Naalvar kovil'. Tamil devotional poet Arunagirinathar
Arunagirinathar
Arunagirinathar was Tamil poet who lived during the 15th century in Tamil Nadu, India. He was the creator of Tiruppugazh, a book of poems in Tamil in praise of the Hindu God Murugan. He was a member of the Isai Vellalar community....
composed many of his hymns of Thirupugazh in Thirukazhukundram.
Location
Thirukazhukundram is located on State Highway 58 between SadrasSadras
Sadras is a fortress town located on India's Coromandel Coast in Kanchipuram District, 70 km south of Chennai in Tamil Nadu state. Sadras is the anglicized form of the ancient town of Chadhuranga Pattinam....
and Tirutani, 70 km away from Chennai and 15 km away from the famous tourist town Mahabalipuram.