About trip

About Temple: Ardhanareeswarar temple is an ancient Hindu temple, located in Tiruchengode, in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The temple is dedicated to Ardhanareeswarar, the unique half-male half-female of Lord Shiva. 

• Moolavar:Sri Arthanareeswarar / Sri Mathoru Pagar
• Ambal: Sri Bagam Priyal
• Theertham:Devatheertham
• Sthala Vriksham (Sacred Tree):Iluppai Tree
• Pathigam (Hymn) rendered by Saint: Thirugnanasambanthar   
• Location: Tiruchengode, Namakkal, Tamil Nadu.

History:

• This is one of the 276 Devara Paadal Petra Shiva Sthalams and 4th Shiva Sthalam in Kongu Nadu.
• Moolavar is Swayambhumurthy (self-manifested) constituted of Nava Bashanam.
• This temple is located at the top of a hill, at a height of about 1900 feet and there are about 1200 steps to reach the top. You can either choose to climb the stairs or take the motorable road. Vehicles are going right up to the entrance of the temple.
• The moolavar sannathi is facing the west.
• Lord Mahavishnu and Adiseshan are believed to have worshiped this Moolavar.
• This is an ancient temple and according to the inscriptions on the walls it must have been built about 2000 years ago.
• The hill, that this temple is on top of, is mainly composed of sand stone and is reddish (senniram) in colour. This is why the place is called Sencode. Another reason for the name Sencode could be that the hill is a straight formation (Senguthana malai). Other names of this hill are Nagagiri (nagam meaning snake and giri meaning malai) and Vayumalai (wind).
• There is a small “Neer Ootru” (fresh water spring) under the Swami’s foot which has water in it always. This is called Devatheertham and is distributed to the devotees as prasadam.
• Here Lord Murugan is called “Senkottu Velavar” and is also a self-manifested idol constituted of “Vellai pashanam” (white poison).
• According to the legend, once, in a contest between his brother Ganesha and himself, Lord Muruga lost the prize of the divine fruit (Gnana pazham). Angry with his parents, Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathi, Lord Muruga left Mount Kailash and came to south India and reached Thiruvavinankudi and thereafter reached Nagachala Hills (Tiruchengode) and took residence here and blesses devotees as Sengottu Velavar.
• A sixty feet long relief of Adiseshan inscribed in the hill on the way to the temple is very famous here. This relief of Adiseshan is revered by people hoping to mitigate the ill effects of “Sarbha Dosham”, Raghu Dosham, Kala Sarbha Dosham and Kalathira Dosham.
• The sculptures found in the hallway in front of the Senkottu Velavar shrine have intricate design and exquisite workmanship.
• The pillars in the hallway are beautifully chiselled with a number of rock reliefs. Overall this temple exemplifies the artistic expertise of ancient Tamil Nadu.
• Arthanareeswarar is considered to be the lord of the star “Sadayam” so special poojas are conducted on the days of Sadaya Nakshatram.
• It is believed that if one walks around the hill on a full moon day, he will get the benefit of visiting Mount Kailash and Vaikunth.
• It is also believed that serpent related Doshams are relieved by worshiping the Adiseshan here.

Itinerary

Day 1 - Namakkal Sightseeing

Pick up From Theni/Dindigul. Then Proceed towards Namakkal. Hotel Check in. Then proceed to visit Kolli Hills. Siddhar caves. Botanic gardens. Come back to Hotel. Overnight stay at Hotel.

Day 2 - Namakkal Sightseeing

After Refreshment and Breakfast. Then proceed to visit Thathagiri Murugan temple. Anjaneya Temple. Muthugapathy periya Swamy temple. Selur view point. Come back to Hotel. Overnight stay at Hotel.

Day 3 - Namakkal Sightseeing

After Refreshment and Breakfast. Check out the hotel. Then proceed to visit Koolippatti Murugan temple. Rock fort. Ardhanareeswarar Temple. Then Starting Our Journey Towards Theni/Dindigul with Sweet Memories of Namakkal.