Sangeetha Yatra - EP 03 - Tiruvanaika - Akhilandeswari | Gayathri Venkataraghavan

Sangeetha Yatra is a simple attempt to recollect a kshetra in the mind’s eye and transport ourselves for a few minutes to that divine place. There are many hundreds of kritis and shlokas associated with these Kshetras, we have chosen one or two of these to depict the Stala Purana or the presiding Deity.

0:00-Shloka on Jambukeshwara
1:05-About the Kshetra
1:35-Akhilandeshwari Dwijavanthi - Muthuswamy Dikshitar

I have always been awestruck with Sri Muthuswamy Dikshitar’s Akilandeswari in Raga Dwijavanthi. The detailing , the meditative bliss that this composition embodies! (Especially when sung by Bharat Ratna Smt.M.S.Subbulakshmi)
We have also taken a shloka from Sri Parashara Muni’s Jambukeswara Stotram.

Tiruvanaikaval or Tiruvanaikka is revered as one of the Pancha Bhuta kshetras where Lord Shiva manifests himself as one of the five basic elements of nature, namely Water.

Here He is worshipped as Jambukeshwara and blesses the universe with His divine consort Akhilandeswari.

One of the legends has it that, Goddess Parvati came down to Earth for penance. She in the form of Akhilandeswari moulded a lingam out of Cauvery river and commenced her Pujas under the Jambu Tree. Hence the lingam here is called Appu (water) lingam.
As Lord Shiva pleased with Akhilandeswari's austerities and penance, appeared under the Jambu tree, He is known as Jambukeshwara.

According to another legend, a couple of disciples of Lord shiva were cursed to be born as an elephant and spider. Both of them worshipped the Lord. The elephant would perform Abhishekam with the holy Cauvery water and the spider would weave webs to protect the lingam from dirt and dust. As the webs got destroyed repeatedly due to the Abhishekam, the spider in blind rage enters the trunk of the elephant and bites it resulting in their death. Seeing this kind of Bhakthi fervor Lord Shiva appeared before them and relieved them of the curse. It is said the spider was reborn as Kochengot Chola or Chengannan who built many Shiva temples in his territory. It is interesting to note that the entrance to this temple is just about 4 feet high and 2.5 feet wide making sure no elephant can enter the sanctum sanctorum, making our mythological stories even more intriguing.

This temple is an embodiment of Chola-style architectural grandeur
with its majestic gopura , magnificient prakaras (corridors) and one of the most beautiful temple gardens.

Recorded by Rakesh Pazhedam at Sahrydaya Studios
Violin -Vidwan Mysore Srikanth

#carnatic #temple #gopuram #Akhilandeswari #Tiruvanaikaval #gv #SangeethaYatra