Alangudi Abathsahyeswarar Temple

Pooja for Navagraha's

In the Abathsahayeswarar Temple of Alangudi, Lord Shiva is worshipped as the master of supreme knowledge.Guru Bhagwan. Guru translates to teacher and thus this aspect of him is considered to be the preacher of music, wisdom, yoga, textual knowledge and everything else. In this context, the temple is said to be the abode of the Guru graha Brihaspati or Jupiter who is considered to be the Guru of the gods. It is one of the nine Navagraha temples scattered across Tamil Nadu - each of them devoted to one of the Grahas of the universe.

Devotees flock here to offer their respects to the all-knowledgeable deity for good education, long life, prosperity and valour in life. Offering yellow clothes and yellow lentils to Guru Bhagwan is a tradition here. Devotees light 24 ghee lamps and do pradakshina of the Shiva shrine 24 times. Thursdays being Guru-var or the days of Guru, are quite crowded. For the same reason, the Guru Peyarchi festival is also celebrated here in a big way. It is the day of transition of the planet Jupiter from one zodiac symbol's constellation to another's.