Thanthondreeswarar Temple (Belur, Salem)
| Thanthondreeswarar Temple | |
|---|---|
| Name | |
| Other names | Thanthondrieswarar |
| Proper name |
Sri Thanthondreeswarar Temple |
| Geography | |
| Country | India |
| State | Tamil Nadu |
| District | Salem District |
| Locale | Belur |
| Culture | |
| Primary deity | Lord Shiva as Thanthondreeswarar |
| Important festivals | Maha Shivratri |
| Architecture | |
| Architectural styles | In this village old name=thiruvelviur |
| History and governance | |
| Date built | 12th century AD |
| Creator | Paranthaka Chola |
| Temple board | Hindu Religious Charitable Endowment Department |
Sri Thanthondreeswarar Temple
Sri Thanthondreeswarar Temple or Sri Thanthondrieswarar Temple (Tamil: ஸ்ரீ தான்தோன்றீஸ்வரர் கோவில், Thanthondreeswarar Temple ?) is at Belur in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
The temple was built by the Cholas kingdom in the 12th century AD. The main deity is Lord Thanthondreeswarar (Lord Shiva) and the female deity is Goddess Dharmasamvarthini.
Thanthondreeswarar Temple is located on the banks of Vasishta Nadi (Vasishta River). The temple has a serene atmosphere and is surrounded by beautiful hillocks.
This temple comes under the Hindu Religious Charitable Endowment Department.
The inner sanctum was constructed by 'Milagu Chetty' and the rest were constructed by King Paranthaga Chola (Paranthaka Chola). Construction of Rajagopuram was started during the 12th century by King Paranthaka Chola, but was left incomplete.
It also showcases the Dravidian architecture and is representative of the Chola Empire's Ideology and the Tamil civilisation.
Manickam Chetty, a pepper merchant was living near a village close to the temple. His job was carrying loads of pepper and selling it in the market place. One day he was crossing this dense forest where the shrine is located at present. As darkness sunk in, he wanted to take rest. In order to eat, he crossed pea aubergine (Sundaikai, an edible vegetable) with a stone. Suddenly he heard a voice saying, "The stone hurts my head. Apply some pepper on my head. Bewildered by this incident, the merchant said that he did not have any pepper and added that he had only Black Gram (Ulundu). Next day he proceeded to the market place and opened his baggage. He was shocked to find black gram instead of pepper. He worshipped God and prayed for His forgiveness. God asked him to bring some mud from the place where he had crushed pea aubergine (sundaikai) and spray it in the baggage containing black gram. He followed His instructions and black gram transformed into pepper again.
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Wikipedia