Uthirakosamangai Temple

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India /Tamil Nadu /Ramanathapuram /Rameshwaram

Uthirakosamangai is a Shaiva temple situated near Ramanathapuram in the Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu. Edit

Detail InformationEdit

The main attraction of Uthirakosamangai Temple is a statue of Natarajar made of emerlad which is about 51/2 feet tall. This idol is known as Margatha Natarajar and the deity is always covered with sandal paste. Only in the Tamil month of Margazhi on Tiruvathira nakshtram (latest was on Dec. 22nd 2010) the sandal paste gets removed and there is abhishekam for the idol and this special darshan is known as Arudhra darishanam. Lakhs of devotees visit the temple on this day and on the next day again the idol gets smeared with sandal paste. To have a darshan of this deity, one must be there around 12.00 noon on regular days. On the way to Natarajar temple we find other sub shrines dedicated to Sahasra Lingam ,which has thousands of tiny Lingams carved on a single Shiva Linga and a separate shrine for Manikka Vasagar(the saint poet who was a regular visitor to this temple) near the Agnitheertham (tank) . The sthala vricksham is also considered as old as the temple. The base of this tree has a huge hollow in which I could find some images of serpents.

Uthirakosamangai Temple

HistoryEdit

Uthira Kosa Mangai is a tiny hamlet, famous for the Siva temple considered to be 3000 years old. This is the place where Siva transferred the secrets of Vedas to Parvati. Uthiram means (updesham) kosam(secrets) Parvati (Mangai) hence this place is known as Uthira Kosa Mangai. The main deity here is Mangalanathar (Siva) and his consort is Mangleshwari. There is a Nandi just outside the sanctum and a bigger Nandi in the outer prakaram known here as Pradosha Nandi. Special poojas are conducted here on Pradosham days in the evenings as it is believed that Siva dances between the horns of Nandi during that time. There are also shrines for Kalabhairavar and Sanishwarar here. Each pillar in this temple has beautiful carvings and the ceiling is painted in myriad hues.

Must SeeEdit

Attraction

Visiting TimeEdit

N.A.

Closed OnEdit

N.A.

Best Season to VisitEdit

October to April.

Best Time To VisitEdit

Morning, Afternoon, Evening.

Time Required for SightseeingEdit

30 minutes to 1 hour.

Ticket Required : No Edit

Individual National Adult Rs. : N.A.

Kids Rs. : N.A.

Individual Foreigner Adult Rs. : N.A.

Kids Rs. : N.A.

Still Photo Camera Rs. : N.A.

Video Camera Rs. : N.A.

Guide Required : No Edit

Approximate cost: N.A.

Dress Code (If Any) : No Edit

Dress Require: N.A.

Restaurants NearbyAdd / Edit

How to ReachEdit

Taxi : Tourist taxi are also available.The taxi charges for a small car (Indica) is around Rupees 5 per Km.

Bus : Tamil Nadu Road Transport Corporation buses connect Rameshwaram with all cities in Tamil Nadu, including Kanyakumari, Madurai, Trichy and Thanajvur. Overnight deluxe super fast buses connect Chennai and Bangalore with Rameshwarm, both cities are nearly 600 km away.

Train : Traveling to Rameshwaram by train is one of the easiest ways of reaching the city. The city is well connected to many other prominent places of the state of Tamil Nadu. Therefore, the tourists often prefer rail to the other means of communication in order to travel to Rameshwaram.

Air : The Holy land of Rameshwaram is well connected to other major cities of India. The nearest airport is at Madurai, about 163 kilometers away. This connects you to all the major cities of India. After you get down, you can have both public and private transport to take you to Rameshwaram.

Others : While traveling within the township, you may hire jeeps, auto rickshaws, horse carts and even cycle rickshaw.