Certain places are regarded as holy places and merely by being associated with them, one attains liberation. The sthalapuranam says one can attain salvation by being born in Tiruvarur, by meeting death in Kashi, by worshipping in Chidambaram and by merely thinking of Arunachala in Tiruvannamalai.
Followers of Saivite religion love to cherish these five temples enshrining five different types of linga representing each of the five elements: earth, air, fire, water and sky. At Kanchi, Siva-Sankara is worshipped in the form of prithvi linga; in Tiruvanaikovil is the water (Appu) lingam, enshrined under a jambu tree and is therefore called jambu lingam; at Sri Kalahasti, the linga is represented as air or vayu; Chidambaram is the abode of akash linga; and in Tiruvannamalai is said to deify fire, is jyotir linga.
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