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Kovoor is one of the 1008 holy Shiva Sthalas, which has been immortalised by Saint Tygaraja in his "Kovoor Pancharatna kritis". However, the temple needs immediate repairs.
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"PRADOSHA POOJAI" or the prayers offered to Lord Shiva on the Thrayodasi day (before the full moon or the new moon) is regularly observed in all Siva temples but some are famous for this kind of prayer, one among them is the Thirumeneeswarar Temple in Kovoor, near Mangadu. Situated on the Chennai-Porur road near Kundrathur, Mangadu is also famous for its Amman temple. The Lord in the Thirumeneeswarar Temple is also known as Sundareswarar and the Goddess as Soundarambigai.
The "Pradosha poojai" is observed in Shiva temples to remind the world how compassionate the Lord is towards humanity as He consumed the "Aalahaala" poison that emerged when the celestials and demons churned the ocean for getting the Amrita (nectar). Goddess Parvathi, who was by His side, held His neck tight so that the poison did not get further into the body, and thus He got the name Neelakant.
The Lord then danced between the two horns of Nandideva (the Lord's mount) and the Goddess and the celestials hailed His gesture. As this took place on a Saturday. The Pradoshams coming on Saturdays (Sani Pradoshams)are considered to be more auspicious and prayers are offered between 4.30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Kovoor is one of the 1008 holy Shiva Sthalas, which has been immortalised by Saint Tyagaraja in his "Kovoor Pancharatna kritis". In these kritis, Tygaraja hails Shiva as "Kovoori Sundaresa girisa" and "Soundaryanayaki pathi". The kirtanas are in Panthuvarali, Sahana, Kalyani, Karagarapriya and Sankarabaranam ragas and they are mellifluous, describing the glory of the Lord and the Goddess enshrined in the temple.
According to legend, when Goddess Kamakshi did penance in the nearby Mangadu, the entire world trembled, as the heat that emerged was unbearable for all living beings. Then Goddess Mahalakshmi took the form of the celestial cow, Kamadhenu, and pacified Kamakshi. As a result, the intensity of the heat got reduced and the entire world heaved a sigh of relief. To add to this Lord Shiva showed the real swaroopam in the Linga along with Parvathi and came to be known as Thirumeneeswarar.
The temple has a seven-tier Rajagopuram on the southern entrance and the sanctum sanctorum, like in many Shiva temples, is in "Gajabrushta" (elephant's back) form. As Mahalakshmi appeared here as a cow the place came to be known as Kovoor ("Ko" in Sanskrit means cow). The holy water source is Sivaganga Theertham. Apart from the main shrines for the Lord and His Consort, there are shrines for Vinayaka, Subramanya, Dakshinamoorthy, Lingodbhavar, Brahma, Chandikeswarar, Durgai and Mahavishnu, known as Karunakara Perumal along with His Consorts.
Pooja is offered five times in the temple, famous for its "Thiruvembavai" festival and the "Arudhra" festival in the Tamil month of Margazhi. Skanda Sashti Soora Samharam and Sivarathri festivals are also celebrated in the temple, which is flocked by thousands of devotees during the Thirukkalyanam Festival held on Vaikasi Visakam day. The presiding deities as well as the Panchamurthis will be taken in procession on that day.
The Vilvam tree in the temple is famous for its "Panchakshara" leaves. However, the temple is in a neglected state and needs immediate repairs and consecration.
T.A. SRINIVASAN
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