The Navagraha Temples refer to a group of nine temples that are found near Kumbakkonam region of Tamil Nadu. Each of these temples is considered an abode of one of the Navagrahams. However, the majority of these temples are dedicated to Lord Shiva. The Surya temple is the only one dedicated to the Graham. This region was under the Chola rulers at one point of time. The Navagrahas are not the nine planets as is generally misunderstood. On the contrary they are nine celestial bodies comprising of the sun, the moon, the planets – Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn and the two shadow planets – Rahu and Ketu. These heavenly bodies have a profound implication on astronomical calculations.
Many temples in South India contain a shrine dedicated to the Navagrahas. However, the term Navagraha Temples refers to a cluster of nine seperate temples , each an abode of one of the Navagrahams.
The following are the Navagraha temples :
- Sun - Surya -- Suryanar Kovil
- Moon - Chandra -- Tingaloor
- Mars - Angaarakan -- Puttirukku Velur (or) Vaitheeswaran Kovil
- Mercury - Budhan -- Tiruvenkaadu
- Jupiter - Guru -- Aalangudi
- Venus - Sukran -- Kanjanoor
- Saturn - Shani - Tirunallar
- Raahu - Tirunageswaram
- Ketu -- Keezhperumpallam
Will post about each temple in detail...
Source : Wikipedia.
