Pancha Bhoota Stalam
Pancha Bhoota Sthalam refers to five temples dedicated to Shiva,[1] each representing a manifestation of the five prime
elements of nature: land, water, air, sky, and fire.[2] Pancha indicates "five," Bhoota means "elements," and Sthala means "place."
The temples are located in South India, four in Tamil Nadu and one in Andhra Pradesh. The five elements are believed to be
enshrined in the five lingams[1] of the temples, with each lingam named based on the element represented.
Contents
Pancha Bhootam
The Five Temples
Gallery
Notes
References
Pancha Bhootam
According to Hinduism, life and the various species originated by the combination of planetary globes and the five manifestations
of nature namely air, water, fire, land and sky. Bhoota(Sanskrit:भूत) in Sanskrit means compound and maha bhoota indicates a
big compound.[3] According to Ayurveda, an ancient Indian medical system, the equilibrium of the body with the pancha bhoota
is governed by the principles of tridoshas -kaph(phlegm), pitta(bile), vayu(gas), dhātu and malas(waste products).[4]
Rabindranath Tagore, a nobel laureate for literature, in his book, Pancha bhoota, has explained the emotional faculty of the
human mind is keenly sensitive to all objects of light, colour, sound, effect of speed, sun, moon and stars.[5]
The Five Temples
In Tiruvannamalai temple, Shiva is said to have manifested himself in the form of massive column of fire, whose crown and feet
could not be found by the Hindu God of creation, Brahma and Hindu God of preservation (or maintainer) Vishnu. A celebration
of this manifestation is seen even today in the age old traditions observed during the festivals of Sivarathri and Karthigai
Deepam. Agni Lingam explains the mythics of life - duty, virtue, self-sacrifice and finally liberation by and through ascetic life at
the end of Agni kalpa.[6]
In Thiruvanaikaval temple, Shiva represents water element where the appu lingam is submerged in water[1] and a perennial sub
terrain spring gushes around the lingam.[7]
In Chidambaram, empty space is worshiped as Shiva (akasha lingam) to signify God is beyond human comprehension. Unlike
the other temples, this one does not contain a physical stone lingam.[8]
Imagemap:https://goo.gl/maps/BuCyXP7wCY32
Category Lingam Temple Location Coordinates
Earth Prithivi Lingam[8] Ekambareswarar Temple[9] Kanchipuram 12°50′51″N 79°42′00″E
Appu Lingam Jambukeshwarar Temple, Thiruvanaikaval,
Water 10°51′12″N 78°42′20″E
(Jambu Lingam)[1] Thiruvanaikaval near Trichy
Agni Lingam (Jyothi 12°13′53.76″N
Fire Arunachaleswara Temple Thiruvannamalai
Lingam)[6] 79°4′1.92″E
Kalahasthi,
Air Vayu Lingam Kalahasti temple[10] 13°44′58″N 79°41′54″E
Andhra Pradesh
Aagaya Lingam
Space Thillai Natarajar Temple Chidambaram 11°23′58″N 79°41′36″E
(Akasha Lingam)[11]
Gallery
Ekambareswarar Thiruvanaikaval temple, Arunachaleshwarar Kalahasti Temple,
Temple, Kanchipuram, Trichy, Tamil Nadu Temple, Srikalahasti, Andhra
Tamil Nadu (Land) (Water) Thiruvannamalai, Tamil Pradesh (Air)
Nadu (Fire)
Natarajar Temple,
Chidambaram, Tamil
Nadu (Sky)
Notes
1. Ramaswamy 2007, pp. 301-302
2. A dictionary, Canarese and EnglishWilliam Reeve, Daniel Sanderson
3. Daivajña 1996, p. 12
4. J. 2008, p. 215
5. Tymieniecka 2002, p. 40
6. Blabatsky 1981, p. 176
7. Tourist Guide to Tamil Nadu.P.76
8. Tirtha: holy pilgrim centres of the Hindus : saptapuri & chaar dhaam, Subhadra Sen Gupta, p. 66
9. https://shaivam.org/siddhanta/bootha.html
10. Bajwa 2007, p. 271
11. M.K.V 2007, p. 37
References
Bajwa, Jagir Singh; Ravinder Kaur (2007), Tourism M.K.V., Narayan (2007), Flipside of Hindu
Management, New Delhi: S.B. Nangia, ISBN 81- Symbolism: Sociological and Scientific Linkages in
313-0047-1. Hinduism, California: Fultus Corporation, ISBN 1-
Knapp, Stephen (2005), The Heart of Hinduism: The 59682-117-5.
Eastern Path to Freedom, Empowerment and Daivajña, Veṅkaṭeśa (1996), Sri
Illumination, NE: iUniverse, ISBN 978-0-595-35075- Sarwarthachintamani: English translation, Volume 1,
9. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Private
Ramaswamy, Vijaya (2007), Historical dictionary of Limited, ISBN 81-208-1352-9.
the Tamils, United States: Scarecrow Press, INC., J., Agarwal (2008), I Am Proud to be a Hindu, Delhi:
ISBN 978-0-470-82958-5 Hindoology Books, ISBN 978-81-223-1022-1.
Tourist guide to Tamil Nadu (2007), Tourist guide to Tymieniecka, Anna-Teresa (2002), Analecta
Tamil Nadu, Chennai: T. Krishna Press, ISBN 81- Huseerliana The Year Book of Phenomenal
7478-177-3. Research, Volume LXXVI - Life, truth in its various
The Theosophical Glossary (1918), The perspectives: cognition, self-knowledge, Creativity,
Theosophical Glossary, California: Theosophical Scientific Research, Sharing-in-Life, Economics...,
Publishing House, ISBN 81-7478-177-3. Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers, ISBN 1-
4020-0071-5.
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