Nellaiappar Temple

Nellaiappar Temple (நெல்லைஅப்பர் திருக்கோவில்)
Name
Other names	Venuvanam, Nellur, Saliveli, Salivadi, SaliNagar,Tharugavanam, KeezhaVempu Naattu Kulasekara Sathurvethi Mangalam (as per the ancient stone inscriptions of the temple)
Proper name	Nellaiappar Thirukovil
Geography
Country	India
State	Tamil Nadu
Location	Tirunelveli
Culture
Primary deity	Nellaiappar (Shiva)
Consort	Kanthimathi amman (Parvathi)
Architecture
Architectural styles	Tamil architecture
History and governance
Date built	700 AD
Creator	Pandyas
Website	http://kanthimathinellaiappar.tnhrce.in/

Nellaiappar Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the deity Shiva, located in Tirunelveli, a city in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Shiva is worshipped as Nellaiappar (also called Venuvananathar) represented by the lingam and his consort Parvati is depicted as Kanthimathi Amman. The temple is located on the northern banks of Tamiraparani River in Tirunelveli district. The presiding deity is revered in the 7th century Tamil Saiva canonical work, the Tevaram, written by Tamil saint poets known as the nayanmars and classified as Paadal Petra Sthalam.

The temple complex covers an area of six acres and all its shrines are enclosed with concentric rectangular walls. The temple has a number of shrines, with those of Nelliappar, Natarajar and his consort Kanthimathi being the most prominent.

The temple has three six rituals at various times from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., and six yearly festivals on its calendar. Brahmotsavam festival during the Tamil month of Thai (January - February) is the most prominent festival celebrated in the temple.

The original complex is believed to have been built by Pandyas, while the present masonry structure was built during the 16th century by Madurai Nayaks. In modern times, the temple is maintained and administered by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu.

According to the puranas, both the Gopurams were built by Muluthukanda Rama konar and the other important parts of the temple were constructed by Nindraseer Nedumaran who reigned in the 7th century. The mani mandapam with its famous musical pillar was built by Nindaraseer Nedumaran in the 7th century. Originally the Nellaiappar and Kanthimathi temples were two independent structures with spaces in between. It was in 1647 that Thiru Vadamalaiappa Pillaiyan, a great devotee of Siva linked the two temples by building the "Chain mandapam" (In Tamil Sangili Mandapam). To the western portion of the chain mandapam is the flower garden that was set up in 1756 by Thiruvengadakrishna Mudaliar. In the centre of the Flower Garden is a square vasantha mandapm with 100 pillars. The Nandi mandapam is said to have been built by Sivanthiappa Nayak in 1654. The flag stand near the Nandi was set up in 1155.

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Wikipedia