About trip

About Temple:Odhanavaneswarar Temple (Also called as Oppillaselvar Temple) is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord
Shiva located near Tiruvaiyaru, Tamilnadu, India. The temple is incarnated by the hymns of Appar and is
classified as Paadal Petra Sthalam. The temple is located 5 km east of Tiruvaiyaru and 4 km away
from Thirukkandiyur. The temple is revered by the hymns of 7th century Tamil saint poet, Appar. The
temple is built in the early Chola style of 9th century made of granite.

• Moolavar :Odhavaneswarar, Chottru Thurai Nather,Tholaya Selva Nathar
• Amman / Thayar : Annapoorani, Tholayaselvi
  
• Thala Virutcham : Vilwa
• Theertham : Cauvery, Suryatheertham
• Old year : 1000-2000 years old
  
• Historical Name : Tiru Chottru Thurai
• Location : Thiruchottruthurai, Thanjavur,Tamil Nadu.

History:

• It is considered as the 13th among the Tevara Paadal Petra Stalams (276 most important temples of Lord Shiva) located in Chola region south of Cauvery river.
• The east facing temple built during the Chola period does not have tower. The main shrine is long
  divided into three divisions - sanctum sanctorum (moolasthanam), Ardha mandapa and Maha mandapa.
  Lord Odhanavaneswarar in a big Shiva Linga form is found in the sanctum.
  
• Maha Mandapam has Nandi idol facing the sanctum. In addition, the idols of Ganesha, Kasi Linga and the
  couple who got Akshaya bowl from the Lord, are all located in Maha mandapa.
  
• The inner prakara (corridor) has the sub shrine of a beautiful Maha Ganapati. There are a lot of idols
  located across the entire prakara such as a beautiful sculpture of Adikara Nandi, Lingothbava,
  Navagraha, Surya, Bhairava, Sapta Mata, Pancha Lingams, Sapta Stana Lingams, three more Shiva Lingas,
  two Ganesha’s, Ayyanar, etc.
• Ganesha, Dakshinamurthy, Vishnu, Brahma and Durga along with Chandikeshwarar in a sub-shrine are present as Koshta deities on the outer wall of sanctum. The vimana and the outer wall look old and attractive.
• The right side of sanctum has two big shrines - one dedicated to Arumuga Nayanar - Subramanya with six heads and another to Maha Siddhar.
• The open area outside the main shrine has flag staff, Bali peeta and a Nandi idol facing towards the
  main deity.
  
• There is a separate shrine for Goddess Anna Poorani aka Oppilambigai. She is found in her wedding
  attire. A separate Nandi idol is found facing her shrine too. Small idols of Ganesha and Subramanya are
  placed at the entrance of the shrine.
• There are inscriptions of Chola period starting from Aditya Chola I found in this temple complex.

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 Odhavaneswarar, Chottru Thurai Nather, Tholaya Selva Nathar temple. Then proceed towards Theni. Finally drop at Theni.