About Navagraha Temples

The Navagrahas are under the control and command of Mother Parameswari. Planets impact upon each individual’s life, right from the moment of birth. Our fate is determined by the movement the planets from one constellation to another. Each man lives to experience the strengths and weaknesses of the planet’s position at the time of birth. This in turn is determined by the man’s own karma in his past life. Thus planets are agents of divine will; they determine a man’s happiness and sorrow, joy and grief, failures and success, attainment and desolation.

Planets visible to the naked eye are the Sun, Moon and the Earth; Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn are not to be seen by unaided sight. Raghu and Kethu move counter clockwise, unlike the other planets. Each planet has great influence on our lives in their own way. The position they hold in the chart determines the end of our endeavors.

It is of course impossible to escape from one’s karma; but it is eminently possible to palliate its ill effects. This is done by propitiating the navagrahas. Our ancients traced this by experience and we are blessed to have the light of their knowledge. They guide us to visit the holy temples dedicated to the Nine Movers of Human fate, to take bath in holy waters, to give alms, to recite holy verses and to wear proper Gem stones and ward off the evil fruits of our past activities.

The extent to which we propitiate the navagrahas determines the success of our undertakings. He who does not propitiate, lives to suffer his karma. These facts are proved in verses of out poet-saints. The worship of navagrahas benefits the devout and dedicated person. Every temple has its own mode of worship; its own tank, where holy water cleans, the dippers. When one does these, or gives food and money to needy, or sings, praises in verse, or wears holy gemstones, one needs to be sincere in one’s effort. Devotion to the lord is of the foremost importance. Without this virtuous element of worship, it is impossible to obtain relief from suffering.

We give here the names of the nine temples of navagrahas, details of their location, the history of their greatness, the structure of the temples, the significance of the reigni9ng deities, the holy waters, the holy trees, some facts of those who benefitted by worshipping the lord in these temples and some notes on the Poets who have praised these temples. All this is done in the fond hope that the suffering of humanity be alleviated, we prayed to lord Ganesha, the remover of obstructions, to Mother Kadambari who feeds us with wisdom and Lord Siva who destroys our ignorance. May we have peace.