Other Sannidhis at Thirunallar Temple

Sannidhi of Dharparanyeswarar
The Lingam of Lord Dharparanyeswarar is a Suyambu Lingam. The belief if that the Lingam manifested at Thirunallar temple so that Lord Bramha could offer his worship. It is at this place that Lord Shiva in the form of Lord Dharparanyeswarar showered Bramha the creator with blessings. Holy saints like Sambandar, Appar and Sundarar have sung praises of Lord Dharparaneswarar.

Ambal Sannidhi
This is situated in the first corridor, facing the south. In front of the Ambal Sannidhi there is a mandapam called ‘Sopana Mandapam’. This Goddess at Thirunallar temple is considered the very life of Saiva cult and is hence known as Parameshwari. This is one of the Shakti Peetams.

Lord Saneeswara Bhagavan Sannidhi
Lord Saniswara Bhagawan is the main glory of this temple. He is facing east and the sannidhi is situated in front of Ambal Sannidhi. What is unusual about this is the fact that in most temples Lord Saniswara Bhagawan usually faces south, however as an exception in this temple he faces east. Another unusual fact is that while most idols of Saniswara Bhagawan have four hands the idol at the Thirunallar Temple has only two hands. Since Lord Saturn is the main deity of this temple at Thirunallar there are no other sanctums for other planets.

Other Sannidhis at Thirunallar Temple

Vidangar Sannidhi
There are a total of seven Thiyagar temples dedicated to Lord Thiyagarajar also known as Vidnaga temples. Thirunallar temple is one amongst these seven vidanga temples. The other six temples are situated at Thiruvavur, Thiru Nagaikaronam, Thirukavil, Thirukolil, Thiruvoimur and Thirumaraikodu. In Thirunallar Thiyagarajar is seen on the southern side of Sri Daprparanyeswarar Sannidhi and in Thitunallar Thiyagar is known as 'Vidanga Thiyagar'

Vinayakar Sannidhi
According to popular legend it was Adhi Vinayakar who supported king Nala with financial assistance when he modified and improved the temple. The Sannidhi for Vinayakar is situated in the southern corridor of Thirunallar temple.

Sixty Three Nayanmars Sannidhi (sixty three Shivite Saints)
On the divine corridor towards the beginning of the southern corridor we can find the idol of the four saints who promoted tamil literature. Besides them the idols of the sixty three Nayanmars are located. The details of each Saint like his name, birth star etc are indicated behind the idols.

Nala’s Idol
Along with the sixty three Nayanmars the idol of king Nala can also be found. In King Nala’s life Thirunallar proved to be a turning point. It is only when he came to this place he got salvation from ‘harsh gaze of shani’. This pleased Nala immensely and he took great efforts to improve the temple in many ways. Because of his efforts towards the temple his statue was installed along with the sixty three Nayanmars. There is a lingam next to Nala’s statue. This indicates that Nala is eternally enjoying Divine Bliss.

Lord Muruga Sannidhi
Situated in the western corridor Muruga here is seen with his ‘Vel’ accompanied by Valli and Devyani his two consorts.

Goddess Lakshmi Sannidhi
Situated in the western corridor next to the Murugan Sannidhi, Goddess Lakshmi in Thirunallar assumes the forms of enchanting 'Sial' and 'Sudha' incarnations.

Elangothpavar Sannidhi
It is usual for each Shiva temple to have Dakshinamurthy on the southern side, Elangothpavar on the western side and Goddess Durga on the northern side. Similarly in Thirunallar Elangotpavar can be found in the western corridor. Small idols of Thirumal and Ayan are found on either side of Elangothpavar. Legend says that Thirumal and Ayan had searched for the head and the foot of the Almighty.

Goddess Durgai
Sri Durgai is an integral part of the Goddess Ambikai and is worshipped in every Shiva temple. In Thirunallar her idol is seen in all its glory in the northern side of the temple next to Pitchatanamurthy. A large number of ‘sumangalies’ (women whose husbands are alive) throng her Sannidhi to offer their prayers most devotedly. This is one of the significant Sannidhis in the temple.

Pitchatanamurthy
This idol indicates that the temple is an ancient one and is seen next to the ‘dharpai’ (kusa grass) bushes in the northen side of the temple next to Durgai Sannidhi.

Bairavar
In the North East part of this temple, Bairavar is seen along with his ‘vahanam’ a dog. As per traditions in all Shiva Temples in Thirunallar too midnight puja in the temple concludes with the pooja of Bairavar. Here the idol of Bairavar and his vahanam the Dog are quite large and impressive.

Kalathi Appar Sannidhi
In the north-east extreme of the temple Kalathi Appar Sannidhi can be seen in a separate mandapam. If we offer our prayers to this deity we can free ourselves from adverse effects of Raghu and Ketu. Statues of serpants are also installed in this Sannidhi.