Saraswathi Temple Koothanur, is located in the Thiruvarur district of Tamilnadu, is roughly 19 kilometers from Thiruvarur and 25 km from Mailaduthurai. Sitting atop a white lotus, the Goddess spouse of Lord Brahma embodies all grace, splendor, and divinity. In saraswathi temple in tamilnadu she is wearing all white, and the Veena, a musical instrument she is holding, symbolizes her mastery of both music and art.
Typically, she is depicted with four arms, signifying the four facets of an individual’s personality that pertain to learning: awareness, intellect, thought, and ego. Her right lower hand is in a protective blessing position, while her left lower hand is holding a volume of scriptures (the Vedas), which stand for knowledge and wisdom. It is stated that she is holding a jug of holy water in her two upper hands, together with a beaded mala (chain) that symbolizes her abilities in creativity, spirituality, and meditation.
Benefits of Special Parihara Puja to Maha Sarawathi:
Goddess Saraswathi is worshipped with Kumkum and a pen at her feet during the Special Parihara Archana. At the Koothanur Temple, a Vedic ceremony is conducted to bestow knowledge and wisdom upon the devotees.
History of Koothanur Temple:
This temple is situated in the village of Koothanur, roughly 21 kilometers away from Mayiladuthurai and Thiruvarur. This koothanur saraswathi temple is also accessible from Kumbakonam, which is around 35 kilometers distant.
According to folklore, this temple dates back more than fifteen hundred years. The Chola King Raja Rajan (II) gave this village to Ottakoothar, a highly esteemed poet employed in his court. For the goddess Saraswathi, the poet erected this temple. According to mythology, the names of this place, Koothanur, come from Ottakoothar, which is Koothan in Tamil, and Oor, which is a Tamil hamlet or town. There was an ego battle between Brahma and his consort, the Goddess Saraswathi. They fought and cursed one another, which ultimately caused them to have a sibling relationship throughout the Chola Dynasty.
Both of them realized their true selves when their parents decided to marry them off, and they told their parents as much. However, because they were born as brothers and sisters, their parents rejected their marriage proposal.
When they were unable to come up with a solution, they prayed to Lord Shiva for assistance in reuniting. Almighty. In her dream, Goddess Sarawathi saw Siva, who urged her to remain on Earth as an unmarried girl for this yuga. She grants her followers blessings from her Koothanur residence.
Aim of the Koothanur Temple:
The Ganges, Yamuna, and Saraswathi rivers converge in a location known as “Thiriveni Sangamam” in Koothanur. The only shrine exclusively devoted to Goddess Saraswathi in the entire state of Tamilnadu, this temple is quite old.
This saraswathi temple koothanur “Goddess Maha Saraswathi” is invoked for wisdom, wealth, and brilliance in the arts, sciences, music, and, last but not least, music instruction.
In order to obtain the Goddess’ blessings, devotees might offer Pujas and Abishekam to her here prior to allowing their children to attend school as well as before or during exam season.
The legend goes that Ottakoothar, a famous poet, received this temple as a gift from King Rajaraja Chola so that he may write in peace. As a result, the name Koothanur (Koothan, the poet) + oor (village) was given to this town.
According to legend, there was once a disagreement between Saraswathi and Lord Brahma. They were born as siblings on Earth, and when their argument grew worse, it served as a lesson for them both. Their parents remembered their first romance and went to Lord Shiva for help when they began searching for compatible partners. Saraswathi was created by Lord Shiva and brought to Koothanur as the Arasalar River. She turned into Lord Shiva’s Sacred Water. She was also granted a temple in Koothanur for herself. Dakshina Triveni Sangamam is the name given to this location, which is the confluence of three sacred rivers since Lord Shiva also traveled down the Ganga and Yamuna rivers to meet the Saraswati River in the Arasalar.
There is a lot of grandeur and pomp associated with the Navratri Festival, particularly the Saraswati Puja. Children flock to this temple on Vijayadasami in order to receive blessings for Vidyarambam. They proceed to get entry after asking for her blessings by writing on paper, slate, or a plate coated with rice.
The Goddess bestows wisdom on her followers, but her benefits also enable them to shine brightly throughout their lives. Once the children have visited this saraswathi temple and performed a puja, they are brought to the school to be admitted. Higher education, the arts, crafts, and music aspirants also offer up prayers to succeed in their chosen fields.
It was encouraging to see so many children sitting respectfully before the Goddess and diligently writing alphabets on slates or in notebooks, with or without assistance from their parents, as the schools are scheduled to return in the first and second week of June. Temples in Tamilnadu is popularly called as the Land of Temples that are scattered across the state.