Element "WATER"

Element "WATER" as Sri Jumbukeshwarar

According to the mythology, two Ganas (Siva's disciples who live in Kailash,that is Mount Himalaya) used to quarrel with each other for one thing or other. During one such duel,they cursed each other as to become an elephant and a spider on earth.

The elephant and the spider came to Jambukeswaram near the River Cauvery in Tamilnadu,India and continued their Shiva worship: the elephant brought water from the river to conduct daily ablution to the lingam under the Jambu tree and the spider tried to cover the lingam from the dry leaves and the sunlight falling on it .

One day the elephant noticed the webs and thought it was dust spoiling the glory of lingam. So immediately tore them and cleaned the lingam by pouring water.

These episodes of spreading the web by the spider and the removal of same by elephant continued became a routine.

The spider got so annoyed on one day that it crawled into the trunk of the elephant and bit the animal to death.

God Shiva, in the form of Jambukeswara, moved by the deep devotion of the the elephant and the spider, relieved them from the curses.

In the next birth, the spider was born as the King Kochengot Chola who built 70 temples including this temple. Remembering his enmity with the elephant in his previous birth, he built the Shiva Shrine (sanctum) such that not even a small elephant can enter. The entrance on the sanctorum of Jambukeswara is only 4 foot high and 2.5 foot wide

As an elephant worshipped Shiva here, this place came to be called as Thiru Aanai Kaa ("Thiru "means "holy"," Aana"i is elephant, "kaa means forest). ]Later the name ‘Thiruaanaikaa’ becomes 'Thiruvanaikaval' and 'Thiruvanaikoil'.

See this temple    Courtesy:You Tube