On the island of Srirangam near Tiruchirapalli in Tamil Nadu, the Jambukeswarar temple at Thiruvanaikaval enshrines Shiva as the Appu Linga, representing the element of water among the five Pancha Bhoota Sthalas. The water-element is made manifest in the sanctum itself, where an underground spring keeps the base of the linga perpetually moist, welling up as though from the earth's own source. The Goddess here is worshipped as Akilandeswari, she who rules the whole universe.
The temple's name recalls the sage Jambu and the jambu (rose-apple) tree, and a beloved legend of a spider and an elephant (aanai) who each worshipped the Lord — giving the place its Tamil name Thiru-aanai-kaval. Sung in the Tevaram hymns and built, by tradition, over eighteen centuries ago by an early Chola king, Jambukeswarar is the great shrine of the water-element, where Shiva and the ever-flowing spring are one.
