the Ultimate Web on Indian Gods & Temples

 by Padmani,

Abodes of Shiva

The legend is that Sages Pathanjali and Vyaagrapaathar had performed penance in Chidambaram. Pleased with their devotion, Lord Shiva blessed them with a vision of his cosmic dance. However, they prayed to the lord and requested that they wanted to also witness his Ajaba dance and Rudra thandavam as well. They also requested the lord to show his Thiruvadi (foot). Lord Shiva advised them to go to Thiruvarur to witness it. At Thiruvarur, Goddess Parvathy advised them to worship the lord at this place (Vilamal). Sage Pathanjali installed a Shivalingam made of sand and worshiped it. This lingam is known as Sri Pathannjali Manohar. After their worship, Lord Shiva blessed them with a vision of his Ajaba dance and showed his feet (Thiruvadi). The place where the lord danced came to be known as Vilamal and the place where the lord’s feet was seen came to be known as Rudrapatham. Vilamal means Thiruvadi (holy feet of Lord Shiva). It is believed that Mahavishnu, Brahma, Devas and king Muchukunda Chakravarthy have also witnessed the lord’s dance. It is believed that this is one of the temples where King Dasarath worshiped the lord seeking child boon.

This is one of the 276 Devara Paadal Petra Shiva Sthalams and 90th Shiva Sthalam on the Southern bank of the river Cauveri in Chozha Nadu (Thenkarai).Lord Shiva in this temple is a Swayambumurthi (self-manifested). This east facing temple has two corridors. This temple’s main tower is not tiered. In place of the Gopuram, there is a beautiful sculpture depicting Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathy. This ancient temple is situated on the southern bank of the river Oodampokki Aru. The historical names of this place are Thiruvadi Kshethram, Sivapatha Sthalam and Thiru Vilamar. However, now this place is locally known as Vilamal. There is no Navagraham in this temple as the Bairavar here is the head of the nine planets and is known as the Kshetrabalakar. There is a separate shrine for Goddess Madurabashini in the main hall. The idols of Sages Pathanjali and Vyaagrapaathar can also be seen in the main hall. At the front entrance of the temple, shrines of lords Vinayakar and Murugan are located on either side. In the sanctum, an idol of Natarajar is placed behind the main deity and the image of lord’s foot (Rudrapatham) is placed in front of the main deity. Devotees have the benefit of worshiping all the three at the same time. Goddess Madurabashini is very famous here. She is considered as the goddess who oversees all academic pursuits. Hence this place is considered as Vidya Peet (fountainhead of education). Goddess Parvathy is praised here as Sri Then Mozhi Ammai meaning voice as sweet as honey. She is also praised as Sri Yaazhinum men mozhiyalammai meaning her voice is sweeter than Yazh (a musical instrument). There is a separate shrine for Bairavar in the corridor. This idol is big in size and looks very beautiful. There is another idol of Bairavar in the hall. This idol is also big and has a Chandra Pirai on his head. The uniqueness of this temple is that the idol of Mahavishnu is seen holding Lord Shiva’s foot on his head. Lord Chandikeswarar’s idol is also different from his usual form. It is believed that Sage Agasthiyar has praised this Goddess Madurabashini as Sreeratharini, Rajasimmasaneswari and Sree Lalithambigai. Goddess Durgai here is depicted as having eight hands and is praised as Sri Raja Durgai. It is believed that the main Shivalingam is made of sand and at the time of the arthi, this idol glitters in the light. It is believed that by worshiping the face of Lord Thiyagaraja in Thiruvarur and the lord’s foot in this temple on the same day, devotees will be blessed with salvation (they will be freed from the cycle of death and rebirth). Normally, Annabishekam is celebrated in all Shiva temples on the full moon day in the Tamil month of Aippasi whereas in this temple Annabishekam is performed on all new moon days. Especially, Mahalaya Amavasya - new moon day in the Tamil month of Purattasi (Sept-Oct) is very famous here. It is believed that those seeking Santhana Prapthi (child boon) can pray to the lord here. Devotees can get relief from the adverse effects of planets Raahu and Kethu by worshiping the lord here. Those facing speech impairment (stammering) can visit this temple, place honey at the feet of Goddess Parvathy and consume the honey after performing poojas. It is believed that by doing so, devotees can be cured of their speech problems.

Some of the important festivals celebrated in this temple are – Aani Thirumanjanam in the Tamil month of Aani (June-July), Aadi Pooram in the Tamil month of Aadi (July-Aug), Vinayakar Chaturthi in the Tamil month of Aavani (Aug-Sept), Navarathri in the Tamil month of Purattasi (Sept-Oct), Skanda Shashti and Annabishekam in the Tamil month of Aippasi (Oct–Nov), Thiru Karthikai and Somavaram in the Tamil month of Karthikai (Nov-Dec), Thiruvadhirai in the Tamil month of Markazhi (Dec-Jan), Makara Sankranthi in the Tamil month of Thai (Jan-Feb), Shivrathri in the Tamil month of Masi (Feb-Mar) and Panguni Uthiram in the Tamil month of Panguni (Mar-Apr). Pradosham is also observed regularly.