Pancha Bhoota Sthalams- The 5 Shiva Temples

All about this tour: In South India Lord Shiva is worshipped as the presiding deity of the 5-elements of Nature, and is called Bhootapati or Bhootnath.

Na | Ma | Shi | Va | Ya – these five syllables indicate the five elements (known as Bhoota in Sanskrit) – Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Ether. The 5-elements are the building blocks of everything in Creation, including the human body, and Lord Shiva is the upholder of the 5-elements.

There is an ancient saying in India – without the permission of Lord Shiva, even a blade of grass couldn’t sway to the wind. Honouring this aspect of Lord Shiva (as the upholder of the five elements) are the Pancha Bhoota Sthalams – the 5-Shiva temples, each of which represent one of the 5-elements of Nature. All of these temples are located in the Southern part of India and each temple has a unique story to tell with a distinct spiritual essence.

Pancha Bhoota temples are:

Air Element | Srikalahasti, Andra Pradesh – Kalahastheeshwara Temple

Earth Element | Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu – Ekambareshwarar Temple

Fire Element | Annamalai Hills, Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu – Arunachaleshwarar Temple

Ether Element | Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu – Thillai Nataraja Temple

Water Element | Thiruvanaikaval, Trichy, Tamil Nadu – Jambukeshwarar Temple