Kuchanur Saneeshwarar Temple

Kuchanur is a small village, 20 kms. from Theni town and the temple here is dedicated to the planet Saturn i.e Lord Saneeshwarar. People flock to this temple to ward off any ill effects due to the transit of Saturn by offering worship to the deity here. This place is second to Tirunallar in Kumbakonam district which is also famous for the Saneeshwarar temple. The temple in Kuchanur is small and the idol is resembling a Lingam which is considered to be a swaymbhu. It is believed that the idol is growing in size over the years and turmeric is applied everyday on the idol. A small Utstavar is also near the main deity. Behind the temple is the shrine for Vigneshawara and here too I found a sthala vricksham. It was not crowded when we went and we could get the darshan easily. The pilgrims were lighting lamps made of sesame seeds and gingely oil, in front of the temple.

There is a small sculpture of a crow, the mount of Saneeshwarar in front of the temple. Offering food to crow is considered auspicious and is very common here.

A small rivulet, Surabhi flows near the temple and I could see many were taking bath in the same before offering worship to the deity.

After offering prayers to Saneeshwarar we went to the nearby temple of Guru bhagawan .There is also a separate shrine for Siva here. The Guru's temple is believed to be very old and it is believed that Lord Indra himself worshiped the deity. Pilgrims perform various poojas to fulfill their wishes. This temple is under renovation and there are two new small temples outside the Guru temple dedicated to Lord Anjaneyar and Pancha Mukha Ganapathi.

How to reach: Nearest railway station is Madurai which 75 kms. from Theni.

Bus services are available from all parts of Tamil Nadu to Theni and from there regular buses ply to Kuchanur.

Accommodation- Theni has good hotels and lodges for comfortable stay.

Guru Temple- Kuruvithurai, Sholavandan

Guru temple and Perumal temple in Kuruvithurai near Sholavandan is very ancient and famous. From Sholavandan town it is only 8 Kms. The road to the temple is through small villages and we could see banana plantations on either side of the road. We could really enjoy the greenery of the pristine surroundings.

The temple here is dedicated to Guru Bhagavan and along with him is the deity Chakrathazhvar. Opposite to this small temple is the Chithra Ratha Vallabhar Koil and the deity here is Chithra Ratha Vallabhar as Perumal came riding on a decorated ratham in the Tamil month of Chithirai to grant the wishes of the Guru Bhagavan who meditated sitting on the banks of river Vaigai.

First we rushed to the Perumal temple as we feared the temple would get closed as it was nearing noon. Luckily for us the temple was open and the priest told us that the temple remains open till 12.30 pm. The main idol of Perumal in the sanctum sanctorum is sculpted in granite. On either side are Bhooma Devi and Sree Devi but I could see only their crowns as they were in a sitting position. A red cloth was tied across the main idol and only the chest of Perumal and above was visible. Outside the sanctum sanctorum small panchaloha idols were kept and the priest was performing archana for those. Opposite to the main deity is the Garudalwar sannidhi and on the south side facing east is the shrine of Lord's consort Shanmughavalli Thayar.

The legend is that the Guru bhagavan performed his penance on the banks of Vegavathi ( Vaigai) to redeem his son from dosham and Perumal appeared to him in this place and granted him the boon. Guru requested him to stay in this place to fulfill the wishes of all devotees . The priest informed me to pray fervently to God if I had any wish to be granted.

Outside this temple is the seat of Guru. Here we could see Chakrathazhwar, both are swayambhus. Chakrathazhwar was guarding Guru when he performed the penance and they are on the floor of the temple. Two idols are on top of this which were adorned with kavachams. Here also the priest was asking the devotees to make their wishes to Guru as he would help to fulfill them by requesting to Perumal. This temple gets thronged with pilgrims during Gurupeyarchi ( transit of Jupiter).

How to reach : The nearest airport and railway station is Madurai and this place is about 26 Kms. from Madurai. Regular transportation is available from the town.

Accomodation : All types of accommodation budget and luxury hotels are available n Madurai town.