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Devanathaswamy Temple, Hayagriva Temple – Thiruvanthipuram
Devanathaswamy temple, also known as Thiruvanthipuram Temple, is an ancient hindu temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu. It is located at Thiruvanthipuram in Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu. This temple is one of the 108 Divyadesams that is glorified in the hymns of Divya Prabandha, a collection of 4000 tamil versus in the praise of Lord Vishnu. The presiding deity is Vishnu as Devanathaswamy and his consort Lakshmi as Hemabhujavalli. The temple also houses three postures of Vishnu namely standing, sitting and sleeping.
A popular deity at this temple is Lord Hayagriva, the horse faced avatar of Vishnu, in a separate shrine on the top of a hillock named Oushadhachalam with 74 steps to climb on. This hillock is believed to be a piece of Sanjeevi mountain that dropped down when Lord Hanuman carried the mountain to Lanka. The temple holds the credit of being the first temple ever built for Hayagriva, the god of knowledge and wisdom. Devotees throng the temple with their kids for excellence in education. Pens, Pencils, books of kids are placed at the foot of Lord Hayagriva for his blessings and then used by them.
The temple tank is called as Sesha Theertham. Devotees drop salt, pepper, milk and jaggery into the well for relief from various ailments and skin diseases.
Free darshan and special darshan for Rs.50 are available at the temple. Devotees throng the temple for various benefits by lighting lamps. The number of lamps to be lit differs for various benefits as follows,
Improvement/excellence in education(5), family prosperity(5), to fulfill our requests and wishes(51), blessings of Hayagriva(11), relief from delay and obstacles in marriage(21), Business prosperity(21), relief from sevvai dosham(27), good job offers(27), relief from shani dosha(5), sarpa dosha(21), kaala sarpa dosha(21), Mangalya dosha(108), Puthra dosha(51), to alleviate fear against rivals(27).
*The number in brackets indicate the number of lamps to be lit in the temple.
Daily Routine:
| Ushatkalam | 07:00 AM |
| Kalashanti | 08:00 AM |
| Uchikalam | 12:00 PM |
| Sayarakshai | 06:00 PM |
| Irandamkalam | 07:00 PM |
| Ardha Jamam | 10:00 PM |
Each ritual has three steps: alankaram (decoration), naivedyam (food offering) and deepa aradhanai (waving of lamps) for both Neelamegha Perumal and Tirukannapura Nayagi.
Devanathaswamy Temple Timings:
06:00 AM to 12:00 PM
04:00 PM to 08:30 PM
Sri Hayagrivar Temple Timings:
07:30 AM to 12:00 PM
04:30 PM to 07:30 PM
*Timings are subject to change on special occasions.
Temple Address:
Thiruvandipuram, Cuddalore District, Tamil Nadu 607401
Temple Contact Details:
Phone: 04142 287 515
How to reach Thiruvanthipuram:
By Air:
The airports nearer to the temple are that of Chennai and Puducherry. Chennai is 175 km and Puducherry is 35 km to the temple respectively. Buses are available from Chennai to Puducherry, Cuddalore, Panruti and Villupuram from where the temple can be easily reached.
By Rail:
The nearest railway station to the temple is that of Tirupadirippuliyur of Cuddalore.
By Road:
Buses are available from Cuddalore. The temple is 8 km from Cuddalore, 20 km from Panruti bus stand and 40 km from Villupuram.