A man who delivered milk to the royal household, while one his way to the palace stumbled upon a stone and inadvertently spilt all the milk onto the stone. This incident occurred repeatedly over several days, leading to his growing anxiety. He approached the king and shared his unusual experience. The king, intrigued, gathered his men and journeyed to the site of the stone. The king's men attempted to dislodge the stone with their sharp axes. They were astonished to see the stone bleed upon the first strike. The king and his entourage were startled by a celestial voice, imploring them to excavate the very spot where the stone had stood. when they shoved the ground around the stone, the stone turned out to be a sacred Shiva Linga, which had a distinct cut-mark left by the axe. The temple was built after consecrating this self manifested Linga, and the cut-mark can be seen on the Linga even today.
The origin of the name 'Tirunelveli' is linked to a fascinating narrative involving Vedha Bhattar. Bhattar was an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva. He would diligently collect paddy from various households and would offer the collected paddy to Lord Shiva. On a fateful day, Vedha Bhattar left the collected paddy out to dry under the sun and went to take bath in the river. While bathing, Vedha Bhattar became anxious as a sudden downpour threatened to wash away the paddy gathered as an offering. When he rushed to the spot to save the paddy from rains, he was astonished to find a circle of sunlight illuminating the paddy, while rain fell just outside its perimeter. Stunned by what he saw, Bhattar rushed to the king Rama Pandiyan. The king too arrived at the spot to see the rains fencing around the paddy. The king was mesmerised by the greatness of the deity who flourished the world with rains but kept the paddy of Vedha Bhattar from getting wet. The presiding deity was called Nelvelinathar (the one who guarded the paddy)from that day and the area which was called Venuvanam till then was called Nelveli.
In the south-eastern corner of the prakaram, we can see a Shiva Lingam in the name of Anavarata Khan. When a Nawab's wife was suffering from a severe illness, it is said that to recover she was adviced to worship Nellaiappar. The queen as adviced, performed rituals through temple priests and was miraculously recovered, giving birth to a son named Anavarata Khan. In honor of the queen and the prince, a sannidhi with a Shiva Linga named Anavarata Khan was constructed in a corner of the prakaram, with an opening in the outer wall for the Nawab and his son to worship.
Aboout the temple: Tirunelveli district in Tamil Nadu is home to two significant Sabhas, where God Shiva, in his form as Nataraja, performs his divine dance. Gandhimati-Nellayapar Temple is referred to as 'Tamira Sabha', while Kutranathar Temple is known as 'Chitra Sabha'. Gandhimati-Nellaiappar Temple, located in Tirunelveli, is one of the largest temples in the district, covering an area of approximately 14 acres. It stretches 756 feet in the North-south direction and 378 feet in the east-west direction, with separate temples dedicated to the male and female deity, connected by a stone hall. The main deity in this temple is Nellayapar, while the female deity is known as Gandhimati. Historical records indicate that this place was once called Venuvanam The temple is famous for its thousand-pillared hall and and it is here the 'Kalyana Urchavam' of Kanthimathi Ammai with Nellaiappar takes place every year during the Tamil month of Aippasi corresponding to October 15th to November 15th.
A magnificent white Nandi, towering over 10 feet in height, greets us as we enter the temple. Walking around the dwajasthambam that is adjacent to the Nandi and proceeding further, we find the sanctum of the presiding deity.
A grand and impressive 9 feet tall Ganesha, can be seen before reaching the sanctum. The sanctum is surrounded by three concentric prakarams. Similar to most temples, the Goshta Murtha's of Dakshinamurthy, Brahma, Durgai and sannidhis of Chandikeswarar, Mahishasuramarthini and Bhairava are in the inner most prakaram. The sannidhi of Govinda Raja Perumal is adjacent to the sannidhi of the presiding deity. The second prakaram is slightly larger and features musical pillars at its entrance, producing the sound of seven musical notes when tapped. The Tamira Sabha is situated within this prakaram, along with idols of 63 Nayanmars, Ashtalakshmi, Saneeswarar, and Sahasralingam. The third prakaram, the outer-most is notably vast and spacious. From this area, one can access the sannidhi of the female deity, through an enclosure called 'Amma Mandapam'. There is an alternative exit from the sannidhi of the female deity. The vast outer prakaram is also home to a sizable south-facing sannidhi dedicated to God Muruga known as Arumukha Nainar, depicted as a six-faced, twelve-armed figure seated on a peacock, accompanied by Valli, Deivanai on either side.
Juradevar, depicted with three heads, three legs, and three arms, holding a rod, a bell, and a trident is unique to this temple. It is believed that anointing Juradevar with ground pepper and hot water can cure fever. Tamira(copper) sabha, one of the 'Pancha Sabhas' where Nataraja danced, is located in a separate enclosure within the temple. Nataraja in this enclosure, is referred to as 'Thamira Sabapati'. This enclosure is cladded with a copper plate on the ceiling, and the floor is tiled in wood. Nataraja is surrounded by Rudra Vishnu, the Vedas, and Rishis. The seven-tiered temple is adorned with beautiful pictorial works, and the image of Nataraja in the background is known as Sandana Sabapati.
Unlike other temples, this temple does not open at dawn in the Tamil month of Margazhi. Alternatively, the temple opens for darshan at 4 am in the tamil month of Karthikai. Special prayers are offered on Mondays during the month of Karthikai.
Temple entrance
SAptha Matha
63 Nayanmars
Vinayaka
Temple tree bamboo
Sahasralingam
Nataraja
Sculptures
Mahalingam
Periyanayagi shrine
Juradevar