The Sri Vanchinathar Temple In Tamilnadu

A very unique temple in Tamil Nadu dedicated to Lord Shiva, where devotees first worship Lord Yama before offering prayers to the main Deity. Read on...

- Srikant

The temple is located near a village called Achutamangalam and is at about 35 Kms from Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu. Lord Shiva is worshipped as Lord Vanchinathar and Goddess Parvathi is worshipped as Goddess Mangalanayaki in this temple which is considered equivalent to the Lord Shiva temple in Varanasi. The holy Ganga river is present here as ‘Gupt Ganga Theertham’’ on the northern side of the outer Prakaram (enclosure) of this temple. A holy bath in the Gupt Ganga Theertham of this temple is said to give devotees the same merit as a bath in Varanasi, Rameswaram and the Maha Maham tank in Kumbakonam!