Panch Bhoota Sthalams- Five Temples Representing Five Elements of Nature
According to Hinduism, life and the various species originated by the planetary globes and the five manifestations of nature, namely — Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Ether. ‘Bhoota’ is Sanskrit means ‘compound’ and ‘Maha Bhoota’ indicates ‘big compound’.
‘Panch Bhoota Sthalam’ where ‘Pancha’ means five, Bhoota’ means elements, and ‘Sthalam’ means place, refers to the five beautiful temples located in South India. Out of these five temples, four are in Tamil Nadu and one is in Andhra Pradesh. These temples are dedicated to Lord Shiva, who is worshipped in South India as the presiding deity of the ‘five elements’ of nature and is called Bhootpati or Bhootnath. Lord Shiva is the upholder of the five elements which are the building blocks of everything in creation, including the human being.
In honor of the aspect that ‘not even a blade of grass can move without the permission of Lord Shiva’ who upholds the five elements are the Panch Bhoota Sthalams- the five Shiva temples, each of which represents one of the five elements of nature. Here is a small attempt to take you to these:
One among the Panch Bhoota Sthalams, located in Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, it is one of the most sacred Shiva temples. The temple is represented by the and His idol is referred to as ‘Prithvi lingam’ as this temple represents the element Earth. The temple has one of the tallest temple towers in India, covers an area of 25 acres, and is one of the largest in India. It houses many halls and the most notable is the one thousand pillared hall. The presiding deity is Shiva, who is known here as Ekambareswarar.
This temple in Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, one of the Panch Bhoota Sthalams is dedicated to Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. Legend has it that Shiva asked Parvati to go to earth to perform her penance. Parvati found Jambu forest to conduct her penance. Hence, she made a lingam out of the water of River Cauvery and commenced her worship. Therefore the lingam is called ‘Appu lingam’ or the ‘Water lingam’. Lord Shiva is worshipped here as Jambukeshwar and Goddess Parvati as Akhilandeshwari. There are five enclosures in the temple. The massive wall covering the fifth precinct stretches over a mile is 2 feet thick and is around 25 feet high. It is said the wall was built by Lord Shiva working with the laborers.
The temple lies in the town of Tiruvannamalai in Tamil Nadu. The Shiva lingam here represents the element Agni (Fire). The temple believed to be one of the largest is said to be ‘truly the holy place’ of all the holy places. Shiva is worshipped here as Arunachaleswar or Annamalaiyar, and is represented by the lingam, with His idol referred to as ‘Agni lingam’. It is believed to be the most sacred as this place Arunachala is Lord Shiva Himself as Shiva Shiva appeared here in the form of Ardhnarishwar to bless His devotees.
The temple is the most famous Shiva temple in the Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh. The Shiva linga here represents the element Vayu (Air). Built in the 5th century, Shiva in His aspect of Vayu is worshipped here as Kalahasteeswara and Goddess Parvati as Gnanaprasunambica. It is one of the most ancient and historical ancient temples (2000 years or more). The temple is also regarded as ‘ Rahu- Ketu kshetra’ and ‘ Dakshina Kailasam ‘ (Kailas of South).
Also referred to as the Chidambaram Natraja Temple, this temple located in the Chidambaram city of Tamil Nadu is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Natraja (a form of Lord Shiva) — the Lord of Dance. The temple is also referred to as ‘Akasasthalam’ as the Shiva linga here represents element Akasha (Sky). It is one of the oldest surviving and active temple complexes in India. Shiva, Himself is presented as Natraja performing the ‘ Anand Natya’ or the ‘Dance of Delight’ and the linga is known as Aagaya lingam or the Akasha lingam.
Pics & Inputs: Google, Art of Living, Wikipedia
Originally published at https://www.envigblogs.com on February 13, 2022.
