Agastheeswarar Temple

Tirunelveli - The City of Culture 

Thirunelveli Agastheeshwarar Temple, Ambasamudram 

Located at Ambasamudram in the Thirunelveli District of Tamil Nadu, a Saivite temple is the Agastheeshwarar Temple. It is supposed to be 1,000 years old. Agastheeshwarar is the name of the presiding deity, while Lopamudra is the name of the mother. Agastya is the main god in this sizeable temple, and the Lord rides on Nandi, the sacred bull. Tirunelveli Today is the best website to gain in-depth knowledge on Agastheeswarar temple.

An Overview About the Legends of Agastheeshwarar Temple

Agastheeshwarar shrine is situated in the center of Ambasamudram. With two gates facing the sides east and north, it is a large temple. Both entrances have simple towers. The north gate is closer to the main road and is used more frequently than the east gate as the main entrance. The existing building cannot be more than fifty years old, even though the legend states that the temple is ancient.

In Tamilnadu, there are several temples with the name "Agastheeshwarar temples." The word Agastheeshwarar refers to sage Agastya in Ambasamudram and Kallidaikurichi. He is honored in this temple at Ambasamudram, the only god worshipped.

All You Need to Know About the Shrines

The most important shrine was built using an exclusive architectural design called maada kovil. Agasthya and his wife are revered in this shrine in the names of Lopamudra and Agastheeshwarar. Kurumuni is in a different shrine and holds a Rudraksha chain in his right hand and palm leaves, on the other hand, representing the union of Jeevatma and Paramatma.

Outside the Main Sanctum

Goddess Lopamudra's shrine is situated outside the main sanctum. She is standing with a bloomed flower, similar to the conventional Uma/Parvati/Amman posture in Shiva temples. The Bali peetha, Nandhi, and flagpole are placed in front of the Agastya sanctum.

Sub-shrines

The secondary shrines of Lord Chandikeswara and Dhakshinamoorthi are located outside the sanctum sanctorum. The large metal statues of Sivakami and Nataraja are located in a large sub-shrine. There is a statue of Sri Chandikeswara near the prakara. There are pujas offered to God Shiva on the day of Shivaratri. At the front of the temple, one can see Goddess Parvati and Lord Shiva riding Nandi, Lord Shiva's mighty bull, and being worshipped by sage Agastya. Impressive wall paintings of Lopamudra, Agastya, and others can be seen in a secondary shrine facing north.

This temple also has another secondary shrine facing east called "Anna Mandapa," where a nice metal statue of sage Agastya is kept. Rice that is cooked is inserted into the sanctum through a window in the rear side wall on the 28th day of Panguni month, according to the Tamil calendar. The next morning, people could see the footprints of sage Agastya as well as the footprint of Kamandalu in that chamber.

Another sub-shrine contains two striking metal statues of Lopamudra and sage Agastya. This temple contains beautiful idols of Subramanya-Valli-Devasena, Shankara Narayana, Ganesha, Nalvar, Gomati, and Shankaralinga. Saint Thirunavukkarasar, Manickavasagar, Thirugnana Sambandar, Kanni Vinayaka, Lord Nataraja, Subramanya-Valli-Devasena, Sani Bhagwan, and Bhairava have their own temples. Besides the shrines for God Nataraja, the prakara also has those for the revered Saivite saints Nalvar-four Thirugnana Sambandar, Sundarar, Thirunavukkarasar, Sani Bhagwan, Manickavasagar, and Bhairava. Prayers are offered to achieve success in all endeavors as well as to remove barriers to the wedding. Lord Agastheeshwarar receives abishek in exchange for vastras.

A Brief on the Connectivity Details for Agastheeswarar Temple

The Ambasamudram bus terminal is not far from the temple. Ambasamudram is 206 kilometers from Madurai, 143 kilometers from Thiruvananthapuram, 47 kilometers from Thirunelveli, 12 kilometers from Veeravanallur, and 37 kilometers from Tenkasi. The closest railway station is at Ambasamudram. The nearest airports are in Thiruvananthapuram and Madurai.

The Bottom-line

Tirunelveli Today is one of the premium websites to give elaborate information about the wonders of Agastheeswarar temple. Keep watching our space for more updates.

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