Tirumogoor
Encyclopedia
Thirumohoor Chakarathalwar Temple (also known as Thirumohoor or Tirumogoor temple) is a hindu temple
near Melur
, Madurai district
, Tamil Nadu
, India
. The temple is one of the "108 divya desams
", and is located 12 km north-east of Madurai
. It is also known as Mohanapuram and Mohanakshetram. The temple is accessible by the town bus services available from Madurai.
. The temple is more than 2000 years old and has been referred to in akanaṉūṟu
, Padhitrupathu, maduraikanchi and also in one of the five great epics of Tamil literature
, silappatikaram. There are four prakarams(closed precincts of a temple) inside the temple. The main deity (Moolavar) is Kalamegaperumal in panchayudha kolam and in a standing posture, Thayar - Mogavalli, Utsavar - Thirumogur Aabthan, Theertham - Kshirabtha Pushkarini, Thala Viruksham - Vilvam and Vimanam - Kethaki Vimanam. The Prathanasayana appearance of the main deity is not found anywhere in 108 divya desam temples. The Sudarshana Chakra
of deity is famous.
were churning the ocean
for Amrut
, a drop of that Amrut is believed to have fallen into this temple tank and the lord appeared to the south of this tank.
Hindu temple
A Mandir, Devalayam, Devasthanam, or a Hindu temple is a place of worship for followers of Hinduism...
near Melur
Melur
Melur is a town and a municipality in the Madurai district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Melur is called Thaikramam . It is the biggest taluk within the Madurai District....
, Madurai district
Madurai District
Madurai district is one of the 32 districts of the state of Tamil Nadu, in southeastern India. The city of Madurai serves as the district headquarters. It houses the world famous Sri Meenakshi Sundareshwarar temple and is situated on the banks of river Vaigai. Thiruparankundram is one of the major...
, 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...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The temple is one of the "108 divya desams
Divya Desams
Divya Desams refer to 108 Vishnu temples that are mentioned in the works of the Tamil Azhvars . 105 of these are located in India, 1 in Nepal, while 2 are located outside of the Earthly realms. 'Divya' in Tamil language indicates premium and 'Desam' indicates place or temple.The two major deities...
", and is located 12 km north-east of Madurai
Madurai
Madurai is the third largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It served as the capital city of the Pandyan Kingdom. It is the administrative headquarters of Madurai District and is famous for its temples built by Pandyan and...
. It is also known as Mohanapuram and Mohanakshetram. The temple is accessible by the town bus services available from Madurai.
The Temple
Temple is situated on a 2.5 acres (10,117.2 m²) land area, and has a 5 tier rajagopuramGopuram
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...
. The temple is more than 2000 years old and has been referred to in akanaṉūṟu
Akananuru
Akananuru , a classical Tamil poetic work, is the seventh book in the Sangam literature anthology Ettuthokai. It contains 400 Akam poems dealing with matters of love and separation...
, Padhitrupathu, maduraikanchi and also in one of the five great epics of Tamil literature
The Five Great Epics of Tamil Literature
The Five Great Epics of Tamil Literature are five large narrative Tamil epics according to later Tamil literary tradition. The first mention of the "Aimperumkappiyam" occurs in Mayilainathar's commentary of Nannūl. However, Mayilainathar does not mention the names of the five epics...
, silappatikaram. There are four prakarams(closed precincts of a temple) inside the temple. The main deity (Moolavar) is Kalamegaperumal in panchayudha kolam and in a standing posture, Thayar - Mogavalli, Utsavar - Thirumogur Aabthan, Theertham - Kshirabtha Pushkarini, Thala Viruksham - Vilvam and Vimanam - Kethaki Vimanam. The Prathanasayana appearance of the main deity is not found anywhere in 108 divya desam temples. The Sudarshana Chakra
Sudarshana Chakra
The Sudarshana Chakra is a spinning, disk-like super weapon with 108 serrated edges used by Lord Vishnu. The Sudarshana Chakra is portrayed on the right rear hand of the four hands of Vishnu, who also holds a Shankha in his left rear hand, a Gada in his right fore hand, and a Padma in his left...
of deity is famous.
The Legend
As the legend goes, when the devasDeva (Hinduism)
' is the Sanskrit word for god or deity, its related feminine term is devi. In modern Hinduism, it can be loosely interpreted as any benevolent supernatural beings. The devs in Hinduism, also called Suras, are often juxtaposed to the Asuras, their half brothers. Devs are also the maintainers of...
were churning the ocean
Samudra manthan
In Hinduism, Samudra manthan or Ksheera Sagara Mathanam, Churning of the Ocean of Milk is one of the most famous episodes in the Puranas...
for Amrut
Amrita
Amrit is a Sanskrit word that literally means "immortality", and is often referred to in texts as nectar. The word's earliest occurrence is in the Rigveda where it is one of several synonyms of soma, the drink which confers immortality upon the gods. It is related etymologically to the Greek...
, a drop of that Amrut is believed to have fallen into this temple tank and the lord appeared to the south of this tank.