Mahadevar Sivagiri

Mahadevar, Sivagiri

Saivite Temples, Kanyakumari District

God

Sivagirinathar, facing east

Goddess

None

Other Deities

Ganesha, Naagar, Ashtalingam

Mahadevar Sivagiri is a small east facing rock cut cave temple. The Lingam is carved out of the rock and inside a cave. A small hill with a shallow cave on its eastern face has been converted into a shrine and later a temple has been built projecting from it. The temple itself is situated amidst beautiful fields and serene surroundings. On the southern side of the temple and on the face of the hill are beautiful carvings of Ashtalingams. A small temple tank is present facing these carvings. The temple has no gopurams. The entrance door leads into a large Mantapa where on the left is present Ganesha. A big Nandi faces the lord. There is a Cloister Mantapam and a Mukha Mantapam. The pillars are ornamented with beautiful Yali carvings. There are three entrances, the east being the one is use. The north door is closed and the south one, also closed, leads to the Madapalli. Three steps leaf to the sanctum sanctorum on a raised plinth. The sanctum is about 1.7 meters in length, width and height with the door leading inside about the same height and a lesser width. the aavudayar of the Lingam is square and would measure about 2 feet on all sides.

Holy Water – Temple tank

Sacred Tree (Sthala Vriksham) – No information

History

Mahadevar Sivagiri is an ancient temple which must have been in existence before the time of King Veera Marthanda Varma who used to visit the temple while living in the palace at Eraniel. Eraniel was once the Capital of the Venad Dynasty. Stone Inscriptions found in the Vishnu Temple in Eraniel belonging to about 1403 CE mention large land donations to the temple, donations made for feeding people and a recent one (1081 ME) about the construction of the shed by Muthaiya Pillay, Arunachalam Pillai and others. An inscription inside the Mantapam of the temple as yet undated mentions the contribution of a Brahmin lady, Kandan Thiruvikrami, wife of Pungaman Aiyyan, a native of Palakode in Tiruvidankode for geeding Agnihotrins assembling in the temple of Mahadevar Sivagiri, for offerings to the god and for feding othe Brahmins on a specific day in the month of Kanni every year. The inscription delegates the responsibility of executing this to others, clearly mentioning the penal clauses.

Legend

Mahadevar Sivagiri is connected with the legend of the Marthandeeswarar temple at Eraniel. Marthanda Varma used to visit this temple regularly and once the nearby Valiyaru flooded the entire area making access impossible. This was when he is believed to have built the temple at Eraniel.

Directions

Mahadevar Sivagiri is in a village called Alwarkuruchi which is 2 kilometers north-east of Eraniel and about 3.5 kilometers south of Thucalay.

Stay and Food

None locally. Closest place for food is Thucalay and stay is Nagercoil.

Saivite Temples - Kanyakumari District

Tamilnadu Temples