Sri Kalyana Sundarar Temple, Thiruvelvikkudi, Mayiladuthurai - 275 Shiva Temples

23. Sri Kalyana Sundarar Temple, Thiruvelvikkudi, Mayiladuthurai (Chola Nadu - North of Kaveri):

Names of God : Sri Gowthageeswarar, Sri Kalyanasundareswarar, Sri Manavaaleeswarar
Name of Goddess : Sri Parimala Sugantha Nayagi, Sri Kouthakesinarumchanthu Nayagi
Holy water (Theertham) : Mangala Theertham.
Sacred Tree (Sthala Vriksham) : -
Thevaram : Sambandar, Sundarar
District : Nagapattinam.
Location : Mayiladuthurai.
Timings : 06:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon and from 04:00 p.m. to 08:00 p.m.

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This is the 23rd sthalam on the northern side of river Cauvery. This temple has got Thiruganasambandar and Sundarar Devara Pathikam. The temple is not a huge one as the temples around this village. It is a medium one with 3 tiers Gopuram (main entrance structure). Tiruvelvikkudi temple has 2 prakarams, an inner one and an outer one. A prakaram is an outer part to the Sanctum (the holy shrine where the deities are installed). This can be a closed one or an open one. While many temples have a closed one, some are having open prakaram or pragaram and some will have partially closed one. The Prakaram will have a path for circumambulation (walk around the shrine) for the devotees. It will also have normally at least a partially closed (wall and roof but not fully enclosed) place for doing namaskarams (prostrations), chanting stotras, cooking the offerings to the deities, dress chanting place for the Archaks (priests, poojaris), an office or counters for offering/prasad tickets etc. In addition to this prakaram there is also an outer pragaram (outer pathway around the temple complex) which is open around the prakaram around the shrine.

The outer walls of the sanctum have the carved images of the sub deities of the temple, Lord Ganapathy, Agasthya Maharishi, Dakshinamurthy (an aspect of Lord Siva representing the planet Guru - Jupiter), Lingodhbhavar (manifestation as Linga the symbol of Lord Siva), Chandrasekharar (Lord Siva with the crescent moon) and Ardhanareeswar (half woman and half man form of the Lord Siva symbolizing the unity of Siva and Sakti (power – energy). The temple walls have the inscriptions from the periods of Sembian, Mahadevi, Rajaraja and Parantaka Cholas.

Tiruvelvikkudi means thiru (a salutation attached to divine or holy or great personalities) velvi (wedding or marriage) kudi (house, dwelling place, temples). The temple place where a holy marriage took place. Whose marriage was that, that took place here? The earthly marriage of Lord Shiva as Kalyanasundarar and goddess Parvathy (goddess Uma) as Parimalasugandha Nayaki was the one referred. Kalyanasundarar means handsome personality in marriage attire. Parimalasugandha Nayaki means the great fragrant female personality. Parimala and sugandha means same thing as fragrance, scent.

History / Legend:

Though the name suggests that the marriage of the Lord Kalyana Sundarar (Siva) and goddess Parimalasugandha Nayaki (Uma) took place here, the marriage was performed at a nearby place called Thirumananjeri. However, the pre wedding Vedic rituals mainly of Homa related to wedding were done in the place Tiruvelvikkudi for the marriage of the divine couple – the Lord Siva and Goddess Parvathy. A temple was built in the place as it was sanctified by the Homa done which purified this place. Those who built the temple wanted the benefit of the divinity of the place to be available to all devotees who come here to offer worship. This is one of the ancient Siva temples in whose honour praising songs were composed and sung by the great Siva devotees Sambandar and Sundarar who along with about 64 are known as the ‘Nayanmar’. Naturally the main deities of this temple are the Kalyanasundarar and Parimalasugandha Nayaki.

As the place has the reputation of being the wedding venue of Lord, there is no shrine for Navagrahas the nine planets. Instead, Lord Himself is sitting the Easanya –northeast corner. Those facing delays in marriage due to planetary adversities, pray here lighting 48 lamps for relief.

Location: This temple is located near Tirumananjeri, another padal petra sthalam. It is situated at a distance of 5 Kms from Kutthalam which is on the Mayiladuthurai - Kumbakonam road. Bus services to Tiruvelvikkudi and Tirumananjeri are available from Mayiladuthurai. By engaging an auto at Kuththalam, one can visit all the 4 temples viz., Tiruthuruthi, Tiruvelvikudi, Tiruedhirkolpadi and Tirumananjeri easily within half a day.