Basic information about the temple

Moolavar:	Jagannatha Easwarar	Ambal / Thayar:	Abhirami
Deity:	Siva	Historical name:
Vriksham:		Teertham:
Agamam:		Age (years):
Timing:	– to – & – to –	Parikaram:
Temple group:		–
Sung by:		Temple set:
Navagraham:		Nakshatram:
City / town:	Annukudi	District:	Thanjavur
Maps from (click):	Current location	Kumbakonam (16 km)	Thanjavur (28 km)
	Ariyalur (40 km)	Tiruvarur (51 km)

Location

Sthala puranam and temple information

The tiny hamlet of Annukudi is located southeast of Papanasam, on the Papanasam-Avoor road. The village of literally four streets, boasts of two temples of its own – the Lakshmi Narayana Perumal temple for Vishnu, and the Jagannatha Easwarar temple for Lord Siva. The two temples are located almost adjacent to each other.

There is no known sthala puranam for the temple, but it does appear that this place was once a village granted to brahmins, perhaps those who lived in nearby Papanasam.

This temple is likely from the late Chola period – perhaps the 12^th century, and perhaps also from the same time as the Perumal temple next door.

When we visited this temple, the process for kumbhabhishekam had started, and so most shrines were closed and/or vigrahams were covered, as is the practice.

The moolavar – Jagannatha Easwarar – faces west. There is however no entrance from the west, as a pond is located on that side. Hence, the entrance to the temple is from a small gate on the eastern side. An ancient Nandi faces Lord Siva from west to east. Inside the maha mandapam, is a separate south-facing shrine form Abhirami Amman.

In the southwest is the shrine for Vinayakar, Murugan with his consorts Valli and Deivanai are in a shrine on the west, and Mahalakshmi has a separate shrine in the northwest part of the temple. In the koshtams there are only Durga (facing north) and a stunning bas relief of Dakshinamurti facing south. There are separate shrines for Chandikeswarar, navagraham, Bhairavar, Suryan and Chandran.

The village of Annukudi is important as the gateway to various temples in a collection of nearby villages. The neighbouring village of Uttamanathapuram or Uttamadhanapuram, in addition to having its own temples, is also the birthplace of U Ve Swaminatha Iyer, the Tamil scholar and researcher who was instrumental in bringing many long-forgotten works of classical Tamil literature to light. The “U” in the great man’s name stands for Uttamadhanapuram.

Other information for your visit

Contact

Sri R Vadivelu, a retired member of the police force, lives on the street opposite the Perumal temple, and can be reached at 9944130881. He was instrumental in organising the kumbhabhishekam of both the Perumal and Sivan temple of this village.

Gallery