Tiruneelakkudi Neelakandeswarar Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Tiruchirappalli International Airport is about 61 km from Thanjavur city.

• By train

  Thanjavur Junction is in Thanjavur city. Tiruchirappalli Railway Station is about 55 km from Thanjavur city.

• By road

  Buses from Coimbatore, Chennai, Madurai, Tiruchirappalli, Thiruvarur and Pudukkottai run to Thanjavur, both government and private.

Why devotees come here

Tiruneelakkudi Neelakandeswarar Temple is a Shiva shrine in Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu. It is one of the 275 Paadal Petra Sthalam shrines praised in the Tevaram poems, and its lingam is tied to several legends.

Shiva is worshipped here as Neelakandeswarar, with his consort Oppilamulaiyal. Legend says he drank the poison that rose from the churning of the ocean while Parvati held his throat. Legend also says Parvati anointed him with oil here to ease his pain.

Other legends place other figures at this shrine. Brahma is believed to have worshipped the lingam in the front hall of the central shrine, to be freed from sins he committed with the celestial dancer Urvasi. Markandeya is believed to have carried the deity in a palanquin to gain long life. The sacred cow Kamadenu is believed to have worshipped Shiva here to be released from a curse, and the Saiva saint Appar is believed to have sung the deity's praises on his way to the Thyagarajaswamy Temple at Tiruvarur.

The lingam is about 2 ft high, with unusual square projections and a rough surface. The Tevaram poems by Tirunavukkarasar praise the shrine. During the Saptastanam festival, the festival images of seven neighbouring temples are brought here.

Festivals

• On the festival daySaptastanam

  Festival images of seven neighbouring temples are brought to this shrine.

• ChittiraiChittirai festival

  During the Chittirai festival, the gingelly oil used for the ablution is absorbed by the lingam.

Tips for your visit

• Plan the visit for the Chittirai festival if you want to see the gingelly oil ablution.
• Visit on Saptastanam day to see the festival images of seven neighbouring temples brought here.

Questions people ask