Tirukkodikkaval, is a remote village situated seven km North East of Aduthurai and two km north of Thiruvalankadu on the banks of Cauvery. It has a centuries-old temple dedicated to Lord Siva, reconstructed by Sembian Mahadevi, by converting the then existing brick structure into a granite structure.
Saivite saints Thirunavukkarasar and Thiru Gnana Sambandhar have sung in praise of this temple and this is one of the Thevara Padal Petra Sthalam. While Appar sings that which ever temple he visits, he feels the presiding deity is Lord Siva of Thirukkodikkaval, and Thiru Gnana Sambandar says that any day is a good day to visit Kodikkaval and seek the blessings of Tirukotteeswarar.
In centuries gone by, several festivals were celebrated in a grand manner at the temple, including the Brahmotsavam, the Maha Utsavam in Maasi and Vasantotsavam in Vaikasi. Many legendary episodes are associated with this temple such as Lord Saniswarar’s penance and the visit of Lord Yama and Chitragupta.
The deities on separate Rishabha vahanams
As part of Brahmotsavam, there used to be a grand procession of Thirukotteeswarar on Yama vahanam and Ambal Tribhuvanasundari on Yamini vahanam. Unfortunately, for over a century, Brahmotsavam had come to a halt and no other big festivals were taking place at this temple. With the renovation of this temple in 2014 (https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-fridayreview/doctrine-of-truth/article5351991.ece), a few of the festivals that were once popular are being revived, most notably Brahmotsavam, which took place this year, thanks to the efforts of 75-year-old N. Ganesan, great grandson of renowned violinist Thirukkodikkaval Krishna Iyer. The village of Tirukkodikkaval was populated by Vedic scholars and musicians well-versed in Carnatic music.
The mounts of the diety are yet to be refurbished and hence the temple outsourced all the vahanams from the Kanjanur temple. The plan is to rebuild almost all of them for the Brahmotsavam next year.
On Friday last (April 19), Chitra Pournami and on the concluding day of Brahmotsavam, Lord Thirukotteeswarar and His Consort provided darshan to devotees on separate Rishabha vahanams. This was happening after nearly a century.
‘Theradi’ at the far Eastern end of the Mada Street stands as a reminder of the chariot festival, which used to take place. A chriot had been made for the occasion and devotees were happy to pull the Ratham. Kalyana Utsavam was marked by Annadanam.
Thirukotteeswarar temple has in its possession over 100 acres of land. However, dwindling income from these lands has forced devotees like Ganesan to look out for other resources to revive and conduct the traditional festivals. Bringing together the natives of Thirukkodikkaval, Ganesan managed to raise ₹10 lakhs for the 10-day Brahmotsavam.
On Friday morning, Thyagaraja Gurukal, along with his team that supported him through the Brahmotsavam, went about decorating the Lord and Ambal ahead of the Rishabha vahanam procession.
The concluding day of the Brahmotsavam began with an abishekam for the Lord and Goddess. Shortly after 8 a.m., Lord Nataraja and Goddess Sivakami were taken out in a procession to ‘Theradi’ thus bringing the curtain down on the festival. By 10 a.m., the villagers gathered at the temple to witness the Rishabha Vahanam procession.
Just after 11 a.m., the deities — Ambal Tribhuvanasundari and Lord Thiru Kotteeswarar, mounted on two separate Rishabha Vahanams, were taken out in a procession around the four streets of Thirukodikkaval. Teertavari, which followed the procession, took place at the sacred tank, indicating the conclusion of the Brahmotsavam.
