பாடலேசுவரர் அல்லது பாடலீசுவரர் திருக்கோயில், திருப்பாதிரிப்புலியூர்
This very ancient Sivan temple is south of Pondicherry in the Tamil Nadu town of Cuddalore. It is steeped in Saivite history and lore and is a very important temple. They say that to worship here once is equal to worshiping 16 times in Kashi, 8 times in Thiruvannamalai and 3 times in Chidambaram. It is a Paadal Petra Sthalam.
When Thirunavukkarasar renounced Jainism and became Saivite again, it made the Jain monks very angry. They complained to the Pallava king Mahendravarman who was the ruler at that time and was a devout Jain. Thirunavukkarasar was arrested and tortured. First they tried to poison him and then they threw him into a lime kiln. Nothing happened to him. Finally they tied him to a stone pillar and threw him into the sea. The pillar became buoyant and he floated up the Kedilam river and came ashore close to this temple. Here he sang the well known pathikam, the Namashivaya Pathikam, "Sotrunai Vethiyan Sothi Vaanavan" that is so familiar to most of us
சொற்றுணை வேதியன் சோதி வானவன்
பொற்றுணைத் திருந்தடி பொருந்தக் கைதொழக்
கற்றுணைப் பூட்டியோர் கடலிற் பாய்ச்சினும்
நற்றுணை யாவது நமச்சி வாயவே.
The place where he came ashore is still venerated. A small temple has been built there and the place is called Karaiyeravittakuppam (கரையேறவிட்டகுப்பம்) in the area of Cuddalore called Puthuvandipaalayam. We had some difficulty finding it. But it was a rewarding experience.
This temple has many stories and legends. The boy saint Thirugnanasampanthar addressed Thirunavukkarasar as Appar for the first time here. The tiger footed Rishi Vyagrapada worshipped here. Hence the name puliyur.
The temple itself has been present before the time of Appar. The Pallavas and then the Cholas did a lot of the initial building and the core still has elements from those times. But it has been renovated and rebuilt so many times during Nayakkan times and most recently by the Pudukottai Nagarathar (Chettiar) in 1917 and by local people in 1973, that the current structures are a combination of many different architectural styles. The Nayakkan architecture stands out the most. It had suffered a lot of damage due to wars and invasion given its strategic location. It was damaged badly by the Anglo - French wars of the 18th century.
It is a large and a very busy temple. Given its location in an urban setting and its importance, a lot of people visit here. It was difficult to take pictures. It is located in the town of Cuddaore in Tamil Nadu, about 25 km or 45 minutes by car south of Pondicherry. The place is often referred to as Thirupapuliyur for short. We visited in May 2023. We stayed in Pondicherry.
Credits: Google Maps
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