Ardhanareeswarar Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Salem Airport is the nearest, and Coimbatore and Tiruchirappalli airports are farther away.

• By train

  The two nearest railway stations are Sankari Durg and Erode Cauvery.

• By road

  State and private buses connect Tiruchengode with Chennai, Coimbatore, Trichy, Erode, Salem, Namakkal and Bangalore.

Why devotees come here

Ardhanareeswarar Temple stands on a sacred hill in Tiruchengode, in Namakkal district of Tamil Nadu. It is dedicated to Ardhanarishvara, the form of Shiva and Parvati combined, and it houses an emerald lingam. It is one of the 275 Paadal Petra Sthalams praised in the Tevaram hymns.

The temple is dedicated to Ardhanarishvara, a composite form of Shiva and his consort Parvati. It is believed that Adi Kesava Perumal, a form of Vishnu enshrined here, taught Parvati the Kedara Gowri Vratam, a vow she kept to unite with Shiva. Another legend tells of a battle between the serpent Adishesha and the wind deity Vayu for superiority.

The temple is among the 275 Paadal Petra Sthalams praised in the Tevaram hymns of the Saivite saints, and it houses an emerald, or Maragatha, lingam. The sacred hill is about 650 ft high, and 1156 steps climb to the temple at its peak. The north-facing Thirumalai Gopuram, 84.5 ft tall, was built by Krishna Devarayar in 1512.

Inscriptions here date from Chola, Vijayanagar and Nayak times. Chola, Pandya and Nayak kings carried out renovations, and so did a British officer, Davis, whose image can be seen in the Mukkoottu Vinayaka temple.

Festivals

• Tamil month of VaikasiArthanareeswarar Car Festival

  Known as Vaigasi Visakam, it runs for 15 days, with separate cars carrying Sengottuvelavar, Arthanareeswarar and smaller deities.

Tips for your visit

• Girivalam, the 7 km walk around the hill, takes about 1.5 hours and draws large crowds on full-moon days.
• The hilltop temple is reached by a motorable road, so you can drive up instead of climbing the steps.
• The Chenkottu Velavar temple to Murugan is on the same hill, and a Ganesha shrine, the Ucchi Pillaiyar Kovil, stands beside the main complex.

Questions people ask