Kanjanoor -The Temple For Sri Sukra Bhagavan

Invocative sloka

“Sri shukra Bhagavantam bajeham chintayami santhatham

Sakaala thathvakam “

“I chant the name of Sri sukra Bhagavan ;I meditate on Him who is the giver of all wealth & happiness"

Name Of the Temple: Sri Karpagambal sametha Sri Agneeswarar temple

Popular Deity: Sri Shukra[ planet Venus], one of the Navagrahas[9 planets].

As Venus is the brightest planet next to the Moon, white is the colour associated with it. As such a piece of white cloth [vasthrais] is offered to the Deity when archana is performed. This is returned to the devotee who is supposed to place it in his puja room. Gem for Sukra is diamond , grain is bean seed ,vehicle is Garuda,& flower is white lotus.

Special feature

Prarthana sthalam for people with the planet Sukra in a disadvantageous position in their horoscope .

Location

About 15 kms north east of Kumbakonam and about 25 kms from Mayiladuthurai, Kanjanoor is is on the northern banks of river Kaveri in Tanjore district.

How to get there

Approachable by road from any direction,there are unlimited bus services available. Tourist companies organize regular economical conducted tours of the Navagraha temples to be visited in one day . The railway stations nearby are Mayiladuthurai ,Kumbakonam & Tanjavur. The nearest airport is Trichy.

Boarding & lodging

One has to stay at Kumbakonam and Mayiladuthurai & travel to Kanjanoor.

The Temple

It is estimated to be around 1000 years old.A beautiful dravidian type of gopuram with 5 tiers faces east. As one enters the temple ,one can smell the antiquity of the kshetra while wondering how such marvels in granite could be built thousands of years ago.

The Sannidhis

Though it is said to be Sri Sukra;s temple there is no separate sannidhi for Him . Lord Shiva Himself manifests as Sri Sukra Bhagavan in the main sannidhi. This is where devotees offer archanas & abhishekams to get relief from problems caused by adverse position of Shukra Graha in their birth charts . As such this is always crowded .

The sannidhi of Shiva in the name of Sri Agneeswarar stands peacefully on the right of this .

On the left is the beautiful sannidhi of Devi Sri Karpagambal standing in all her dazzling splendour showering Her motherly grace on the bhaktas.

The Sthala vruksham is Puraskaram & the theertham is Agnitheertham.

Legend

Sri Shukra , also known as Sri Shukracharya has a major role in the Vamanavataram as the Guru of the Asuras .He strongly advised King Mahabali not to agree to give away the 3 steps of land asked in charity by Vamana [Mahavishnu].He took the form of a bee and blocked the nozzle of the “kamandalu” of the King when he was giving away what Vamana demanded. Vamana realised the trick & took out a piece of “darbha grass” & poked the nozzle. subsequently Sri sukra lost one of His eyes.Shukracharya it is said , cursed mahavishnu. Kanjanoor sthala purana ,says that Mahavishnu came to Kanjanoor & prayed to Sri Agneeswarar to get relief from this curse & ultimately was relieved.

It is also said that Kanjanoor is the place where Lord Brahma was blessed with a darshan of Siva Parvati’s Thirukalyanam [wedding]

Festivals

Fridays are special puja days at Kanjanoor. Thousands of pilgrims visit kanjanoor on fridays which is called “Sukra vara “ in Sanskrit .”WE” had the good fortune to participate in the very auspicious archana performed on a friday to Sureshwara . The hereditary priest Sri Vaidyanatha Gurukkal performed the archana, chanting soulfully . the 108 names of the Deity in the raga Hindolam . It was interesting to see his 2 young sons, dressed in the traditional veshti so special to our archakas & helping their father in picking up the coconuts untiringly from the dozens of puja plates . All festivals related to Saivism are celebrated on a grand scale at this timeless temple for Sri Sukra at Kanjanoor

Alerts

Since unlimited pilgrims do the yatra to these Navagraha temples through the year ,rates

of parking vehicles & puja materials are exorbitant.1 tray of coconut ,4 bananas ,2 betal leaves ,1 foot of the common “Arali” flower & 1 foot of white piece of cloth osts 180 Rs as on date . Tourism & pilgrimage should in our opinion be reachable for the common man . So may be one can collect all thes for one fourth the price on the way to the kshetra. Also one can park a little far away & get the vehicle on calling . WE feels that parking should be made even free for such temples .

Mangala Sloka

"Om Ashvathvajaaya Vidhmahe ;

Dhanur hasthaaya dheemahi;

Thanno Shukrap prajodhayaath.”

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