WRITTEN BY LONDON SWAMINATHAN

Post No. 11,020

Date uploaded in London – –    16 JUNE 2022         

Contact – swami_48@yahoo.com

Pictures are taken from various sources for spreading knowledge.

this is a non- commercial blog. Thanks for your great pictures.

tamilandvedas.com, swamiindology.blogspot.com

IF U DONT SEE THE PICTURES HERE, GO TO MY OTHER BLOG, swamiindology.blogspot.com

Those who go to Rameswaram from Madurai can get four birds in one stone. I mean you can visit four temples in half a day. On 31^st of May 2022, we went to Rameswaram at 11-30 am, a three-hour drive from Madurai. After Dharsan of Ramanatha Swamy in the Shiva temple we went to Dhanuskoti. From there we went to Thiruppullani and Thiru Uttara Kosa managai on our return journey. It is approximately 20 kilometres from Ramanathapuram.

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1.Religious significance

The shrine is mentioned 38 times by great Saivite saint Manikkavasagar in his Tiruvasagam

This is a Shiva temple with a rare six foot tall Nataraja statue. It is called Maragatha Nataraja , literally translated Emerald Nataraja. But I think it is made up of green stone, not emerald. They cover it with sandal paste all through the year except Arudra Day. They bathe the statue with all types of spices, sandal etc on that day. Other days the bathing called Abhisheka is done to Spatika linga (linga made up of crystal).

Linga is the formless shape of Lord Shiva.

Nataraja is the dancing form of Shiva.

Another unique feature is the Dakshinamurthy inside the temple Prakara/ corridor. Dakshinamurthy is always shown as meditating under a banyan tree. But here he is shown without a banyan tree. It is Medha Dakshinamurthy.

Another unique thing is there is a shrine for the saint Manikkavasagar.

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The temple is atleast 1000 year old, may be 1500 years old, because Manikkavasagar is placed between sixth and ninth centuries.

Lord Shiva is called Mangalanathar here

Goddess is called Mangaleswary (Parvathy)

When Parvathy wanted to know the spiritual secrets, Shiva gave her (Mangai) the Upadesa (Uttara) of the secrets (Kosa).

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Architectural wonder

Yali statue in the temple (yali is a lion like mythical animal) has a rolling stone ball inside its mouth. It cannot be taken out. English word Leo for Lion came from Yali. If you reverse Yali you will get Liya. It is called a mirror image in linguistics)

The towers of the temple were built by Pandya kings and Nayak Kings.

It is maintained by Ramnad Samasthanam. The huge temple is undergrowing renovation at the moment.

The temple is associated with Mandothari, wife of demon king Ravana of Sri Lanka. There is a tank called Agni Theertha, where Lord Siva appeared as Agni/ fire ball.

One more strange thing is Thaazam Pu (aloe flower) is used in the worship of god here; normally it is banned inside the temples.

–subham—

Tags- Uttarakosa mangai, Mangalanatha swami, Mandothari, Maragatha Nataraja, Manikavasagar