Thiruvanaikaval Jambukeswarar Temple

An illustrious Shiva temple located in the small suburban area of Trichy called Thiruvanaikaval is located just 2.2 km away from the island of Srirangam, Thiruvanaikaval Jambukeswarar Temple is undoubtedly the next stop for devotees who visit Srirangam Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple.


In point of fact, Jambukeswarar Temple is just a stretch of road away from the Srirangam temple. Sometimes referred as Thiruvanaikoil, the Thiruvanaikaval Jambukeswarar Temple is regarded as one of the ancient Shiva temples in Trichy, as the temple was constructed around 1,800 years ago.

Significance of Thiruvanaikaval Jambukeswarar Temple

The temple absolutely needs no introduction as it is one among the 'Pancha Bhootha Sthalams' and is one of the long-familiar names among the Shiva devotees living across the country. Thiruvanaikaval Jambukeswarar Temple represents the element of nature - Water (neer in Tamil). Therefore, the temple is also popularly called as 'Appu Sthalam'.

The sanctum sanctorum of this historic temple houses Arulmigu Jambukeswarar (presiding deity/moolavar). The sanctum (karuvarai/moolasthanam) of Jambukeswara Swamy has a visible water flow underneath the ground. Devotees rushing through the crowds to have a glimpse of the unusual sight of water flow in the sanctum are a common sight at this temple.


The not-so-commonly-encountered sight of water streaming inside the sanctum of a temple is nothing short of a divine intervention! In spite of water being pumped out regularly, the Jambukeswarar karuvarai is filled with water all the time. The temple is also notable for the fact that it is one among the 275 Paadal Petra Sthalams.


The four most devotional Saivite Saints of Lord Shiva - Appar, Sundarar, Sambandar, Manikkavacakar have done voluminous glorification of Arulmigu Jambukeswarar in their work. The goddess of the temple is Devi Akilandeswari Amman (thayar). The name Akhilandeshwari implies 'Ruler of the Universe' which can be explicated as 'Akilam' meaning Universe, 'Aanda' meaning 'Ruler', 'Eshari' meaning 'Goddess'.

Thiruvanaikaval Temple is also considered as an 'Upadesa Sthalam' as the Goddess Akhilandeshwari took lessons from Arulmigu Jambukeswarar in this temple. According to sacred scriptures, Goddess Parvati in her avatar as Goddess Akhilandeshwari carried out a penance in Thiruvanaikaval. The Goddess made a Shiva Lingam using only the holy waters of River Kaveri and kept the Lingam under a 'Venn Naval Maram'. Acknowledging her earnest worship, Lord Shiva gave darshan to the Goddess and gave lessons on Shiva Gnana. Hence, Thiruvanaikaval Temple is an ‘Upadesa Sthalam'.


As Goddess Akhilandeshwari worshipped Arulmigu Jambukeswarar in this temple, even today an unusual divine formality is followed. That is to say, the temple priest attires like a woman and performs poojas to Arulmigu Jambukeswarar and the holy temple cow (karaam pasu). As Lord Shiva was like a teacher and Goddess Akhilandeshwari was like a student who took lessons, there is no divine marriage (thirukalyanam) ritual conducted in this temple (unlike other Shiva temples).

Architecture of Thiruvanaikaval Jambukeswarar Temple

The temple features five massive enclosures. The outer most walls also known as Vibudi Prakara extends for about 1.6 km and stands majestically for over 7.5 meters tall. The quaternary enclosure comprises of a small temple tank and a massive hall with almost 800 hefty pillars.


The tertiary precinct comprises of a vast coconut field, a minuscule temple tank and two royal towers. The next enclosure features a 65 feet tall, beautiful gopuram and a lot of more modest sannidhis. The last precinct, that is the innermost enclosure houses the holy sanctum sanctorum with Arulmigu Jambukeswarar offering his blessings to devotees.

Tidbits for Devotees:

Location:
Arulmigu Jambukeswarar Akhilandeswari Temple, Thiruvanaikkaval, Trichy - 620005
Contact Details: (0431) 2230257

Temple Timings:
5:30 AM to 1:00 PM & 3:00 PM to 8:30 PM

Pooja Timings:
Ushakkala Pooja: 6:30 AM to 7:30 AM
Kaalasandhi Pooja: 8:00 AM to 8:45 AM
Uchikkala Pooja: 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Saayaraksha Pooja: 5:00 PM to 5:45 PM
Ardhajama Pooja: 9:00 PM

Approx. Visit Duration:
3 to 4 hours

Important Festivals:
Vasantha Urchavam: Tamil month Vaikasi - 10 days
Thai Theppam: Tamil month Thai - Float festival
Brahmotchavam: Tamil month Panguni - 40 days
Aadipooram: Tamil month Aadi - 10 days (Aadi Fridays are special)
Navarathiri: Tamil month Purattasi - 10 days
Panchaprakara festival, Shivarathiri and Car festival are some of the other important festivals

Temple Information:
Presiding Deity (Moolavar): Arulmigu Jambukeswarar
Festival Deity (Urchavar): Chandrasekharar, Somaskandar
Goddess (Thayar): Sri Akhilandeswari
Temple Tree (Thala Virutcham): Venn Naval Maram
Temple Tank (Theertham): Nava Theertham
Pooja (Agamam): Saivagama, Sri Vidya Vaideega Pooja
Other Important Shrines (Sannidhis): Saraswathi, Panchamukha Vinayaka, Shani Baghawan with Jeshtadevi, Kubera Lingam and so on