Famous Temples in India

Religious Significance

Sage Agasthya worshipped Lord Shiva here: During the marriage of Lord Siva and Parvathy the land tilted to one side, due to the weight of complete Mankind and Devas who gathered to see the function. So, Lord Siva asked Agasthya Muni to travel towards south to balance. As the sage was traveling he installed Siva Lingam in many places for his worship. Once when he came to this place he had severe stomach ache and he prayed to Lord Siva. He tried to make a Lingam of sand which was available there. He was not able to do the Lingam. He realized Lord was testing him. He finally used some herbs found nearby and extracted juice from it and mixed them to sand and made a Lingam out of it. The Lingam has palm print of sage Agasthya when he installed it. He was relieved from stomach ache.

Mangalapureeswarar: The lord here is called Sri Mangalapureeswarar because it is believed that Goddess Parvathi became one with the Lingam when Agasthya Maharishi installed it. This is the reason why, unlike regular offerings made to Lord Shiva, turmeric and kumkum are used in the worship of this Lord. Both these offerings are usually made to the goddess and are considered very auspicious (“Mangalam” in Tamil).  

Thambiran Kanda Koil: According to legend, this temple was once completely covered by sand dunes. About two hundred years ago, a saint by the name of saint, Ramalinga Yogi (Thambiran) from the Madurai Thirugnanasambanthar Adheenam discovered this temple. All the villagers with the help of Thambiran started removing the sand. After removing the sand, it was observed that the lamp near the Shiva deity was burning. This shows that regular pooja was conducted by Devars / Sages even though the moolavar was completely covered with sand. He took the help of many people from nearby villages and began the arduous task of renovating this temple. Therefore, the temple is also called “Thambiran Kanda Koil” (the temple found by Thambiran).  

Thiyagavalli: Another version of the story is that this temple was renovated by the Chola King Kulothungan and his wife, Thiyagavalli. Hence the village around this temple is named “Cholarpuram” and “Thiyagavalli”. Idols of the king and queen can also be found in the corridors of the temple.