A Swathi Nakshathira Temple – Chithukadu Sri Thatheeswarar Temple !!
The temple that is considered to be auspicious for Swathi Nakshathira is Sri Thatheeswarar Temple in a place called Chithukadu near Chennai. The main God of this temple is Lord Shiva and the Goddess is Poonguzhali.
The sacred word Swathi has the power of Lord Shiva in itself. The letter ‘Va’ is in Namah Shivaya Mantra. Swathi Nakshathira is considered as a star of learning. So the people who are born on Swathi Nakshathira are sharp in thinking and action. They enjoy deep sleep with pleasant dreams. (I believe that’s what most of them long for !! 🙂 ) They also love luxuries. It is strongly advised that they should visit Sri Thatheeswarar Temple at least once in a year or on their birth star days, in order to overcome the adverse effects of the planetary positions.
As per the Sthala Purana, the two Siddhas Padukkai Jadamudi Siddhar and Prana Deepika Siddhar performed deep Tapas in this place. They installed a Shiva Linga under a GooseBerry tree and named that as Nelliappar (Nelli means Gooseberry in Tamil). In Sanskrit, Gooseberry is called Thathiri. Hence the Lord is called Sri Thatheeswarar. Since the Siddhas performed Penance and the place is rich in vegetation, the town was called Siddarkadu. In later years, it turned out to be Chithukadu. We can find some carvings of the Padukkai Jadamudi Siddhar and Prana Deepika Siddhar in the pillars of the temple. This ensures the longevity to the devotees who worship them wholeheartedly.
Another specialty of the temple is the structure of Nandi, the Vaahana of Lord Shiva. The Nandi that is seen in this temple does not have the nose rope tied to it. It is said that the Nandi appears to be calm and relaxed on its own. This temple is also famous for Wedding worship. It was said that once a King was trying to renovate this temple and at that time, he found an idol of a Goddess. He named Her Poonguzhali and built a shrine for Her. It is strongly believed that by doing special Abishekam and pooja for the Goddess and the Lord would remove all the obstacles in the marriage. People who are seeking early marriage are advised to do Abishekam to Lord with Gooseberry Powder, juice and seeds, offer green vastras and Bangles to Goddess and light Ghee Lamps.
The temple is also closely associated with Lord Muruga. Special poojas will be performed to Lord Muruga on the day of Karthika Nakshathira. People who are born on Swathi Nakshathira will have a lot of benefits if they worship the Lord wholeheartedly. Chithukadu temple is believed to be a temple with the combined grace of Lord Shiva and Vishnu. So the Swathi Starers are recommended to visit this temple and offer Curd Rice, Gooseberry Pickle, and Tamarind Rice as Nivedana to Lord and offer the same to the poor people to get a very happy and prosperous life.
Stay Tuned for the Next Nakshathira (Vishakam) Temple.
