Thirunallar facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Thirunallar
Panchayat Town
Thirunallar Dharbaranyeeswarar temple and tank
Thirunallar Location in Tamil Nadu
Country	India
Union Territory	Puducherry
District	Karaikal
Region	Chola Nadu
Government
• Body	Town Panchayat
Languages
• Official	Tamil
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)

Thirunallar is a small town located in Karaikal, India. It is part of the Puducherry Union Territory. You can reach Thirunallar by road from the town of Karaikal. Karaikal is a small area surrounded by the state of Tamil Nadu.

Thirunallar is famous for its special temple. This temple has a shrine dedicated to Lord Sani (also known as Saturn). This shrine is inside the main temple, which is for Lord Darbharanyeswaran, a form of Lord Shiva.

Lord Shani: The Planet Saturn God

This temple is the only one mainly dedicated to Lord Shani (Saneeswaran in Tamil). Lord Shani is linked to the planet Saturn. Many people visit this temple when the planet Saturn moves from one zodiac sign to another. This happens about every 2.5 years.

People believe that King Nala was once suffering from bad luck caused by Saturn. He visited this temple and prayed. After his prayers, he was freed from his troubles.

The temple has many sacred bathing places called theertams. The most important one is the Nala theertam. People believe that bathing here can wash away bad luck and problems from past actions. Lord Shani is thought to bring both good and bad results based on a person's actions. However, people believe that his blessings at this temple can help remove bad luck or make it easier to handle.

Literature: The Pachchai Padigam

Thirunallar is also known for a great piece of Tamil literature. It is called "Pachchai Padigam." In Tamil, "Pachchai" means evergreen, and "Padigam" means a poem with ten verses. This hymn praises Lord Darbharanyeswaran.

The Temple's Ancient Story

There is an old story about how the temple became famous. It happened in the 7th century CE (Common Era) in Madurai. Madurai was the capital of the Pandian Kingdom. The king, Ninra-seer-nedumaran, had become a follower of Jainism. At that time, Jainism was becoming very popular in South India.

Almost everyone, except the queen Mangaiyarkarasi and her minister Kulacchirai Nayanar, had become Jains. The queen and minister were strong followers of Saivism (worshipping Lord Shiva). They were very sad and wanted to bring the king and kingdom back to their traditional religion.

They heard that a saint named Thirugnana Sambandar was staying nearby. He was known for performing miracles. So, they quickly invited him to Madurai. They hoped he could help the king and his people return to Saivism.

The Jains were not happy when the Saivite saint arrived. It is said that they set fire to his holy home. But Saint Sambandar used his special powers. He made the heat transfer to the king, who then suffered greatly.

The queen asked the young saint for help. Sambandar sang a hymn called 'Mandiramavadu Neeru'. He sprinkled some holy ash on the right side of the king's body. This helped to ease the king's pain. The Jains then tried their own chants and used peacock feathers on the king's left side. But this only made the pain worse!

The king and his ministers begged Sambandar for more help. So, Sambandar put more sacred ash on the king's left side too. The king, who had been in great pain, suddenly smiled. He was completely free from his burns.

Still, the Jains challenged the Saivites. They suggested writing their religious chants on palm leaves. Then, they would put the leaves into a fire to see which one survived. This would show which religion was stronger. The Jains put their palm leaf into the fire first, but it quickly burned up.

Saint Thirugnana Sambandar then placed a leaf into the flames. This leaf contained the forty-ninth hymn from the Tevaram collection. This hymn was sung at the shrine of Lord Darbharanyeswaran Shiva at Thirunallar. The leaf did not burn at all. It stayed fresh and green, proving that Saivism was the true religion in the Pandian capital. This is why the Thirunallar temple is so famous.

What Does the Name Thirunallar Mean?

The name ThiruNallar(u) is thought to be linked to King Nala. He was from the Nishadha country. He was saved from the bad effects of Saturn (Shani) by praying to the Lord here. The name comes from "Nala" and "Aru." "Aru" here means "to heal." So, "Nallaru" means the place where Nala was healed from Saturn's bad influence through the Lord's kindness.

Some people think "Nal-Aru" means "between rivers." This is because the place is located between the Noolaru and Vanchiaru rivers in the north. The Arasalaru river is to the south.

Getting to Thirunallar

ThiruNallar is about 7 kilometers away from Karaikal, the main town of the district. It is easy to reach from Karaikal and Kumbakonam by road.

There is no train station directly in Thirunallar. However, you can go to Karaikal railway station, which is about 7 kilometers from the temple. From Karaikal, there are daily train services to cities like Bangalore, Chennai, Ernakulam, Thanjavur, and Trichy. There is also a weekly train to Mumbai LT.

In the past, there was a meter gauge (MG) train line from the time of French rule. This line connected Karaikal to Peralam Junction, passing through Kovilpatthu, Thirunallar, Selur, Pattucoudy, and Ambaragathur. There are plans to bring this old train line back.

If you are coming from Chennai or Andhra Pradesh, you can easily reach Karaikal by going through Chidambaram and Sirkali. There are frequent buses from Chidambaram to Karaikal bus stand.

The closest airport is Trichy, which is about 154 kilometers from Thirunallar temple. From Trichy, you can reach the temple by train, bus, car, or other vehicles, usually by going through Thanjavur and Kumbakonam.