About trip

About Temple: This is one of the 276 Devara Paadal Petra Shiva Sthalams and 96th Shiva Sthalam on the Southern bank of the river Cauveri in Chozha Nadu (Thenkarai).Lord Shiva in this temple is a Swayambumurthi (self-manifested).

• Moolavar: Sri Gnanaparameswarar, Sri Mayanathu Paramaswamy, Sri Mayanathu Moolathanathu Peruman.
• Ambal: Sri Gnanambigai
• Theertham (Holy water):Gnana Theertham.
• Sthala Vriksham (Sacred Tree):Vilvam tree.
• Pathigam (Hymn) rendered by :Saint Thirugnanasambanthar-1 
• Location:Thirumeignanam,Thanjavur,Tamil Nadu.

History:

• This east facing temple has no main tower (Rajagopuram) but has a beautiful entrance with sculptures of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathy.
• The last consecration ceremony (Maha Kumbabishekam) took place on 24.01.2007.
• It is believed that this temple was originally built in the early Chola period and later on it was built using granite by Aditya Chola-I.
• There are 23 stone inscriptions in this temple which date back to the periods of various Chola kings starting from Paranthaka Chola-I.
• The historical names of this place are Chaturvedi Mangalam, Thirumayanam and Thirumeignanam.
• Other than the shrines of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathy, shrines and idols of Vinayagar, Murugan, a few Nagars, Chandikeswarar (2), Dakshinamurthy (2), Athma Lingam, Saneeswarar, Bairavar, Suryan and Navagraham can be seen in the hall and the corridors.
• There is a separate shrine for Saint Thirugnanasambanthar in the main hall.
• Shivalingams in the names of Sri Amirthakadeswarar, Sri Sattanathar, Sri Ekambareswarar and Veezhiazhagar can also be seen in the corridor.
• In the “koshtam” (place surrounding the sanctum sanctorum), idols of Vinayakar, Pitchandavar, Natarajar, Karaikkal Ammaiyar, Dakshinamurthy, Mahavishnu, Brahma and Vishnu Durgai can be seen.
• Devotees pray to the lord here for removal of obstacles from their marriage proposals. They also pray to the lord such that they may be blessed with success in their educational pursuits and prosperity in their lives. 

Itinerary

Day 1 - Thanjavur Sightseeing

Morning pick up from Theni. Proceed towards Thanjavur. Hotel Check in. Brahadeshwara Temple. Gangaikonda Cholapuram. Siva Ganga Garden. Vijayanagar Fort. Come back to Hotel. Overnight stay at Thanjavur.

Day 2 - Thanjavur Sightseeing

Morning Breakfast at Hotel. Bangaru Kamakshi Temple. Schwartz church. Swami Malai temple. Come back to Hotel. Overnight stay at Thanjavur.

Day 3 - Thanjavur Sightseeing

Morning Breakfast at Hotel. Check out from Hotel. To visit Sarasvati Mahal. Thanjavur Maratha Palace. Sri Gnanaparameswarar Swamy Temple at Naalur Mayanam (Thirumeignanam). Then proceed towards Theni. Finally drop at Theni.