SivaSailam Temple

Alwarkurichi is a small town 35 km or 45 Min travel from west of Tirunelveli town and 25 km from Tenkasi town and located near western ghats (Ambasamudram – Tenkasi highway) surrounded by paddy fields. Sivasailam is a small village located in Alwarkurichi.

 

 It is surrounded by Velli Malai (Siver Hill), in Western Ghats. a perennial river called Gadananathi River flows and makes the place greenish. Sivasailam is known for a famous temple Sivasailanathar Paramakalyani Amman Kovil  located 3 miles from Alwarkurichi.

 This temple is my Husband's family deity. So I've visited this place several times. Green fields on three sides and a river on the fourth, mountains in the distance and a wonderful breeze almost all the time. A calm and quiet temple; you can generally hear the only sounds of  the breeze and the birds chirping and the river quietly bubbling along.

Sivasailanathar and Paramakalyani Amman:

Main Deity is Swayambu Lingam known as Arul Migu Sivasaila Nadhar and his consort Parama Kalyani Amman. Teertham is known as Athri teertham. We see Dwajasthambam and Nandi facing towards the main sanctum. Nandi devar of this place is very famous for its beauty. I love this temple for its beauty and peaceful surroundings.

Appearance of Shivalingam

It is told that a landlord had many cows in his house. Usually, he made his labourers milk the cows, but one day all the cows refused to give milk. The labourers complained about this leading the owner to get angry and he chased all his cows and labourers from his house. All the cows gathered on a hill with a rock upon it and flooded their milk upon the rock. On the place of this flooding of milk a shivalingam appeared. He is known as Sivasailanathar. Sivasailanathar is the main God for the temple. The statue is said to have been made without any touch of chisel. The statue of Suyambuligam (Shivan) is said to have been formed naturally.

Sivasailanathar saved a priest

It is told that once a pandya king came to the temple and received prasadam from the priest. The priest gave him a garland in which there was a hair. The king got angry with the priest. However, as the priest was pure and truly devoted to Sivasailanathar, Sivasailanathar thought to save the priest Lord told the king I had a hair in back.The next king came to temple and saw jadamudi(long tresses) back of the lingam and The king became very happy and appreciated the priest bhakthi and gave him a vision of shivalingam.. the back of the statue, there are lines that appear like hair, so he is also called Sadaiappar.

This can be seen though a hole while circumambulating at the back of the main sanctum from where one can see the lines from top like hairs falling down at the back of Siva Lingam. This is visible only when the Archakar gives Aarathi at the back of Siva Lingam. There is a legend that to save his daily priest from death Siva did this. When my first visit to this temple My Father in law asked Archakar to show the hair of Sivan exclusively for me.

 

Other deities in the temple are Vinayakar, Murugan, 63 Nyanmars, Dakshina Moorthy, and Natarjar in different sanctums. Paramakalyani Amman with Emerald green cheek gives grace to Devotees.In the south of Mani mandapam, Nadaraja Perumal Statue is placed.

Structure of Nandhi:

Nandi in temple looks beautiful .Nandikeshvarar Statue looks like an Ox sitting by folding its tail. This statue shows the special of Tamil and artistic work of the artist. The speciality of the temple being the beautiful Nandhi. It is one of the most beautiful Nandhis I have ever seen. I am told that the Nandhi was created by the celestal sculptor as per the instructions of Vedas and as soon as the sculptor completed work, he used to get up to the surprise of the sculptor.

 

 More than once when this has happened, he was worried and the Lord Shiva came into his dream and advised him to make punch on the back of the Nandhi so that he will stay. The Nandhi is supposed to have been created many thousands years back but it looks perfect, beautiful and fresh as if was done with all the latest machinery just a few days back. I still can’t believe it.

The priest explains a lot of beautiful legends associated with this temple and its a pleasure to listen to them . The temple is huge with lot of madapam, pillars with sculpture(painted a bit garishly though) . whenever  we visit  to this temple I do meditation and chant Om namashivaya in front of Lord. I feel immense Peace It was a divine feeling and somehow I experienced a divine vibration all around inside this temple.