Thiruvanaikaval Jambukeswarar Temple is a famous Lord Shiva temple at Thiruvarangam or Srirangam river island, Thiruchirapally district, Tamilnadu, India. This ancient temple was built by Kochchenganan or Kochengat Cholan or Senganan, an early Chola king. This temple is one among the five major Lord Shiva temples spread across Tamilnadu and Andhra Pradesh states, known as “Pancha Bhoota Stalam”.
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Srirangam island is surrounded by the Kaveri River and the Kollidam river. Kollidam river splits as a separate river from the Kaveri River at Srirangam. It is wider and deeper than the Kaveri river. There is a regulator dam which regulates the water supply to both rivers. This dam is known as Upper Anaicut or Mukkombu, constructed between 1836 and 1838. It is located 18 kilometres west of Trichy and 2 kilometres ahead of the point where the Kaveri river splits into two and the Kollidam river originates. Ranganathaswamy Temple is another famous temple on the same river island, Srirangam, constructed during the same period.
Mukha Mantapa is a large hall close to the sanctum that has got four pillars. It has got a bronze idol of Nandi. Apart from the main entrance, it has got two more entrances. You have to get down three steps from the Mukha Mantapa to decent to the sanctum sanctorum. The main deity here is Jambukeshwara (Lord Shiva). The deity is viewed from the western side of the sanctum through a stone window with nine viewing apertures.
Another deity at the Jambukeswarar temple is that of Akilandeswari (Goddess Parvati). It is located opposite to that of the main deity.
It is one of the oldest temples having inscriptions from the Chola period. It shows the grants given to the temple. These inscriptions date back to the 11th and 12th centuries.
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A beautiful sculpture of a cow feeding or doing “abishekam” to a “lingam” with milk can be seen here.
There is five enclosures for the temple. The sanctum area is in the shape of a square. It is located in the innermost enclosure. It has an underground stream, which is always filled with water, in spite of it being pumped out using a motor.
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