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Thejo sthalam (Fire) - Tiruvannamalai
\nPrithvi sthalam (Earth) - Kanchipuram
\nAppu sthalam (Water) - Tiruvanaikaval
\nVayu sthalam (Air) - Kalahasti
\nAkasa sthalam (Space) – Chidambaram
\nGroups of temples constitute pilgrimage clusters all over India. The Pancha Bhoota shrines dedicated to Shiva constitute a set of five Saivite temples in South India held in reverence for centuries. Indigenous belief holds life as a synthesis of the five basic elements (the pancha Bhootams) wind, water, fire, earth and space. Shiva is worshipped as the embodiment of each of the five elements in the vast temples at Sri Kalahasti, Tiruvanaikkaval, Tiruvannamalai, Kanchipuram and Chidambaram. Each of these temples is rich in legend, history, sculptural wealth and festival traditions.
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Kalahasti - This ancient temple dedicated to Shiva is one of the Pancha Bhoota Stalams (temples celebrating Shiva as the embodiment of the primary elements), air being the element in case here, the other five temples being Tiruvannamalai (Fire), Chidambaram (Space),Tiruvanaikkaval (Water) and Kanchipuram (Earth) respectively.
Kalahasti is located near the pilgrimage town of Tirupati and is visited by thousands of pilgrims. This temple is also associated with Rahu and Ketu, (of the nine grahams or celestial bodies in the Indian astrological scheme). The Tamil Cholas and the Vijayanagara Rulers have made several endowments to this temple. Adi Sankara is said to have visited this temple and offered worship here. Krishnadevaraya built a huge gopuram, a few feet away from the entrance to the temple. The entrance to the temple is crowned with a smaller tower. There is an underground Ganapati shrine in the outer prakaram, while in the innermost prakaram are the shrines of Shiva and Parvati.
Kannappa Nayanaar, a hunter is said to have been a great devotee of Kalahasteeswarar. Legend has it that he offered his own eyes to the Shivalingam, and for this reason earned the name Kannappan (his original name being Thinnan), and the distinction of having his statue adorn the sanctum. Nakkiradevar, Indra, Rama, Muchukunda and others are believed to have worshipped Shiva at this temple.
Thiruvanaikaval - This is one of the most revered temples to Shiva; it is one of the Panchabhoota Stalams signifying water. The primordial element water, is represented by an undying natural spring in the sanctum.
This temple has records of patronage from the Chola Pandya, Hoysala and the Madurai Naik kings.
Adi Sankara is said to have visited the Akhilandeswari shrine. He is said to have adorned her with ear-rings bearing the symbol of the chakram. There is a shrine to Adi Sankara in this temple.
This is a vast temple (18 acres) with lofty gopurams, 5 prakarams and ornate mandapams. The second and third prakarams date back to the 13th century.
The Akhilandeswari shrine is located in the fourth prakaram. The Eastern tower with seven levels has fine sculptural specimen of musical scenes, while the Western tower has nine levels.
Kanchipuram - VARADARAJA PERUMAL KOIL This is one of the most revered temples to Shiva; it is one of the Panchabhoota Stalams signifying earth (Kanchipuram) . It is a vast temple.
This vast temple with high rising Gopurams dominates the skyline of Kanchipuram the historic capital of the Pallavas. Kanchipuram - a temple town is considered to be the foremost among the seven prime pilgrimage centers in India.
The Pallavas, Cholas and the Vijayanagar Kings especially Krishna Deva Raya have contributed to this temple. The temple covers an area of over 40 acres. The Raja Gopuram or the entrance tower to the temple which rises to a height of 172 feet was built by the Vijayanagar Monarch Krishnadevaraya. The pillared hall in front of the sanctum was also built by the Vijayanagar Kings.
The presiding deity here is Ekambareswarar or Shiva, worshipped as the Prithivi Lingam. A Somaskanda panel featuring Shiva, Parvati and Skanda adorns the rear of the main shrine, which has been held in worship for centuries together.
As mentioned before, there is no separate shrine for Ambal or the Goddess in the temple as she is worshipped along with Shiva, as in every other Shiva temple in the precincts of the town of Kanchipuram.
There is another shrine of Shiva and Kamakshi under the Stala Vruksham or the Temple tree, which is a mango tree said to be 3500 years old. The mango tree is said to be the embodiment of the four Vedas and the tree is said to bear fruits of four different tastes each season here.
The Saint poet Sundaramoorthy Nayanar is said to have recovered his eyesight (left eye) after offering worship here.
Chidambaram - In terms of its antiquity, richness in terms of worship & festival traditions, in architectural & sculptural splendour, in its association with music & dance, Chidambaram is a center second to none in representing the rich cultural heritage of India.
Chidambaram is famed as the land of one of the most ancient Shiva temples referred in Puranas and Mythologies. As per Hindu belief there are five natural elements forming the whole world and there are five Shiva temples representing each of these elements. Chidambaram is one among the five temples and represents the ether (space), one of the five natural elements creating the body and world.
Lord Shiva appears in the form of the cosmic dancer Nataraja in this temple. This temple has a Nataraja idol as the prime deity, a distinct feature from other temples where Shivalingam is worshiped as the prime deity. This ancient temple, visited by thousands and thousands from all over the world every year, was constructed by Chola Kings. The temple has imposing architecturally built gopurams (towers) on each side and has five spacious courts. The temple also has a deity of Lord Govindaraja Perumal, a form of Lord Vishnu. This temple is one of the few temples in which both Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva are worshiped. The Pallava king Simhavarman, Hiranyavarman of 5th century CE, had renovated this temple with Dravida style of architecture. The sculptures and images display the mesmeric talents of South Indian and Dravidian creativity and artistic talents.
Thiruvannamalai - Thiruvannamalai is one of the Pancha Bootha Sthalangal representing the fire element along with Chidambaram, Sri Kalahasti, Thiruvanaikoil and Kanchipuram representing sky, air, water and earth respectively.
Four Brahmotsavams are celebrated every year, the most famous of which is the one celebrated during the Tamil month of Karthikai (November/December). The ten day event culminates on the day of Karthigai Deepam. On that evening, a huge lamp is lit in a cauldron with three tons of ghee at the top of the Annamalai hill.
Every full moon night, tens of thousands of pilgrims worship Shiva by circumambulating the Arunachala hill barefoot. The circumambulation covers a distance of about 14 km. On the yearly Chitra Powrnami (full moon) night in the Tamil calendar year, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from across the world visit the town.
Advaita Vedanta guru Ramana Maharshi lived in Thiruvannamalai for fifty three years until his death in 1950. His ashram, Ramanasramam, is located at the foot of the Arunachala hill, to the west of the town. Seshadri Swamigal and Yogi RamSurat Kumar are examples of two other gurus who lived in this city.
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