The village Thiruvenkadu derived its name from two Tamil words, ‘Ven’, which means white and ‘Kadu’ means forest. Translated in sanskrit, white means ‘Sweta’ and forest means ‘aranyam’, with Swetharanyeswarar meaning the ‘sacred white forest’. This temple is known for having three murthis, three theerthams, three shaktis and three vrikshams.
In this temple the prime deity is Lord shiva and goddess Parvati. Deity of lord Shiva in this temple is a Swayambumurti. There are many other deities of Vinayakar, Murugan ,Vallabha Ganpati, Swetha Mahakali, Bhairava in the sanctum sanctorum.
There is also a shrine of Vishnu, near the shrine of Natrajar. This is one of the most famous Navagraha pariharam sthalam of lord Budhan (Mercury). This is one of the six Shiva sthalams on the banks of river Cauvery and holds equal significance as Kasi (Banaras). The temple has 5 corridor and main tower (rajagopuram) has 5 tiers. It is believed that Budhan performed his penance here and was relieved from his “Ali dosham” (malefic effects of budha dosha).
The temple is popular in many other names such as Swetaranyam, Adi Chidambaram, Patala Kailas and Jyanaranya. It is also believed that Lord Shiva performed seven of his Tandavam here, Ananda, Tripuranta, Sandhya, Bhujanga, Lalita and Samhara. The tanks or the theerthams are blessed by Chandra, Surya and Agni, the three eyes of Lord Shiva, they are called Soma, Surya and Agni theerthams.
The Swetharanyeswarar temple is located in Thiruvenkadu a village in Mayiladuthurai district in Tamil Nadu. This temple is on the banks of river Cauvery, about 10 km from Sirkazi, 24 km east of Mahuram and 59 km from Kumbakonam.
Thiruvayyaru, Mayiladuthurai, Thiruvidaimaruthur, Thiruvenkadu, Chayavanam and Srivanchiyam are considered equivalents of Kasi. Like in Kasi, where the city is centered around Kashi Vishwanath Temple, the temples in these towns along the banks of river Cauvery, namely:
Aiyarappar temple in Thiruvaiyaru
Mahalingeswarar temple in Thiruvidaimarudur
Mayuranathaswamy temple in Mayiladuthurai
Chayavaneswarar temple in Sayavanam
Swetharanyeswarar temple in Thiruvenkadu
Srivanchinadhaswamy Koil in Srivanchiyam
are the centerpieces of the towns.
சபபாத கரோ பூமன் தஹ்யமான சராக்னி நருத்ரேநேவ வினிர்தக்த சுவேதாரண்யே யதாந்தகஹா
This temple is one of the popular Navagraha temple it has deity of Budha (Mercury). It is considered very auspicious to worship the lord here after taking a dip in the three threethams – Soma, Surya and Agni. Devotees believe that by doing this they will be blessed with prosperity and also will be relieved from any child related problems. It is also said to be good for the betterment of children.
Saint Thirugnansambanthar sang hymns explaining the benefits of worshipping the Lord here. Sri Vallabha Ganpati (Sri Vallabha Devi with Sri Ganapati) deity is housed in such a way that it looks like an old traditional house. It is actually a storage place for cereals and paddy. Worshipping this Vinayaka lifts one from the clutches of poverty and starvation. Moreover, since Vinayaka is seen with his wife Vallaha Devi, devotees believe that worshipping here eases and reduces hurdles in marriage proposals and marital relationships.
6.00 A.M to 12.00 noon
5.30 P.M to 9.30 P.M
The temple performs 6 daily pujas through out the day between 6:00 am to 8:00 pm.
Kalasanthi 8:30 am
Rendankalam 10:30 am
Uchikalam 12:30 am
Sandi 6:00 pm
Sayarakshai 8:00 pm
Special poojas called “Agorapoojai” are performed during midnight on the 3rd Sunday in the Tamil month of Karthigai (Nov-Dec) to Lord Agoramurthy. Wednesday, the day of Budha, are of special importance in this temple.
Originally built in the times of Chola dynasty, with a lot of contribution from Aditya Chola and Rajaraja Chola, the present monument was built by Vijayanagar kings in the 16th century. The temple has stone inscriptions from various dynasties of Cholas, Pandyas and Vijanayagar empire. The kings that have said to have bestowed their genius on this temple are Rajaraja Chola I, Rajendra Chola, Virarajendra Chola, Kulothunga Pandya, Kulasekara Pandya, Vikrama Pandya and Vijayanagar king Krishnadevaraya.
Built during the Chola dynasty, the present structure is that of 16th century, built by Vijayanagar king Krishnadevaraya. The temple is east facing and has entrances on the west and east side with seven-tiered gopurams. The temple has 5 corridor and a main tower (rajagopuram). The walls of the temple depict important historical information on chola dynasty and Vijayanagar dynasty.
Temple is built in Dravidian style of architecture. The stone-built temple is huge with vast and long courtyards with sculpted pillars all around. A unique feature about this temple is Lord Shiva’s deity that has five faces, each representing a distinct aspect of the Lord. There are many shrines in the temple. The shrine of Budha is opposite to one of the theerthams in the third precinct.
By Air:
The nearest airport to the temple is Trichy airport at 150 km. Pondicherry and Chennai airports are 104 km and 250 km from the temple respectively.
By Rail:
Kumbakonam is 60 km from the temple. There are trains connecting the major cities of Tamil Nadu to Kumbakonam.
By Road:
The temple is 14 km and 25 km from Sirkazhi and Mayiladuthurai respectively from which adequate buses are available
PAMS – Mayiladuthurai
Hotel Sadhabishegam – Nagapattinam
Grand Neyatt Hotel – Nagapattinam
Nagore Residency – Nagapattinam
Three main festivals are celebrated every year in this temple.
Brahmotsavam in February – March
Vinayakar Chaturthi in August – September
Navratri in September – October
Apart from these, Pradosham is also observed regularly.
Budha signifies a person’s speaking skills. So if you want to be a great orator or leader, this temple becomes a must visit for you. Also known as Jnyanaranya, the temple of wisdom, the temple brings wisdom, knowledge, education and excellence. Known for marriage and child boon, this temple is of great importance to people who want to tie the nuptial knot or want to bring a new life into this planet.
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