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Kallazhagar Temple.
Kallazhagar Temple is one of the famous temples in Tamil Nadu. It is 20 km fromMadurai and well-connected from the temple city. The main deity is also known as Paramaswamy and the Thayaar is called Sreedevi and Bhoodevi. The utsava murthy goes by the name Sundararaja Perumal and the utsava Thayaar's name is Kalyana Sundaravalli. Jyothi vritcham and the Sandal tree are thesthala trees, while Noopura Ganga is the sacred water here.Temple historyOnce upon a time, Lord Yama was cursed. To relieve himself from the curse, he performed penance at the Vrishabagiri mountain(now it is known as Azhagarmalai). This massive mountain consists of seven mountains. Impressed with Yama'spenance, Perumal appeared before him. Yama told Him he wished to perform pooja to the Lord at least once a day and his wish was granted.So it is believed that the ‘Arthajama pooja’ performed daily in the temple is done by Lord Yama.According toDharmaraja's desire, Visvakarma built the ‘Somaskanda vimanam’ (turret) inside the temple. There is historical proof thatBhuddists, Samanars (Jains) and Muslims offered worship here. It should be mentioned that there is no distinction between Saivites and Vaishnavites when aradhana is celebrated.Speciality of the temple 
Karuppannaswamy, who is worshipped as a protector, is believed to be very powerful. He is also affectionately called ‘Padhinettampadiyan’. A huge shrine devoted to this local deity is found before one enters the main Kallazhagar Temple. The doors of this shrine are opened only once a year and for the rest of year poojas are offered to the two massive doors that stand between the guardian and the devotees. Another speciality of the temple is that farmers living in the nearby areas offer their grains from a particular area of their fields before harvest to Azhagar. The grains thus offered are ground into flour and the ‘dosais’ made out of it are given to the devotees as prasadam. This dosai is as special as Palani panchamirdham and Tirupati Laddu. There is a river called ‘Silambaaru’ that starts from above the Azhagar temple. It is said the water from the river comes out of the Amman’s anklet in the Rakkayi Amman temple here. It is believed that one who takes bath in this river or sprinkles the sacred water is relieved from diseases. The main deity in this temple is said to be a ‘Deiva Pradishtai’ and not a human one. Andal who appears in the standing posture in other temples, can be seen in a sitting posture, and Perumal appears with ‘Panchayudham’ (chanku, chakram, gadhai, bow and sword). There is also a nanda vilakku (ever-burning lamp) in this temple. Important festivals 
One of the important festivals is the Azhagar thiruvizha. This is celebrated for 10 days in the month of Chithirai (April) in a grand manner. Chithirai thiruvizha celebrated in Madurai. On May 3 this year, Edhir sevai utsavam will be celebrated at Madurai Thallakulam. On May 4, Azhagar will descend in river Vaigai. This is a yearly ritual that draws thousands of people. In the same way, Aadi perukku is celebrated for 13 days and Panguni Uthiram for five days. If one worships Azhagar, he/she is bestowed with agricultural prosperity, peace in domestic life and healthy living. RitualsApart from offering hair, devotees offer coins or grains according to their weight as ‘thulabharam’. One can offer cloth to Azhagar and offer agarbathi, butter, small lamps and tulasi garland also. Periyazhwar, Andal, Peyazhwar, Tirumangaiazhwar, Bhoodhathazhwar and Nammazhwar are some of the Azhwars who have sung ‘Pasurams’ on Azhagar and attained greatness.
Sarnath |
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