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Vaitheeswaran Koil is about 24 km from
Chidambaram. Vaitheeswaran
temple is known in Hindu scriptures as Pullirukkuvelur, (Pul - Irukku -
Vel - Ur, the words in Tamil meaning Bird (Jatayu), Rig Veda, Lord Murugan
and Sun respectively) is one of the important Shiva temples in the South.
The Legend
There are many legends associated with this temple. It is said that Lord
Murugan received his Vel in order to vanquish the demon King Soorapathman
in this place. It is also believed that Lord Shiva himself appeared at
this place with Goddess Thaiyalnayaki carrying the "Sanjeevi Thailam"
(panacea for all ills) and the soil from the roots of the vilva tree in
order to cure all illnesses of mankind.
A King by the name of Veerasena was a devotee of Lord Shiva and he found
that his son Chithrasena was suffering from an incurable illness. So he
took the advice of his Guru and arrived at this place, and after offering
puja to the deity smeared his body and that of his son Chitrasena with the
sacred ash viboodhi found in the Jatayu kundam where upon he found that
his son was cured of his illness.
The tank in front of the temple of Goddess Thaiyalnayaki is a very holy
Theertham (also spelt as Teertha). It is said that this water cured the
white leprosy of a devotee called "Suntharan" and red leprosy of
Ankaragan, and when this Theertham was sprinkled on the severed head and
body of Thakkan, the two pieces miraculously joined together and he was
brought back to life.
The Deity
In other temples only the main deity is considered to be potent, here
three deities the Ishwara, The Devi and Muruga are very powerful in
bestowing grace. Muruga here known as "Muthu Kumaraswami" is the
most charming figure and innumerable legends have arisen to reveal his
grace. It was this Kumara, who taught saint Kumaragurupara, the opening
sentence for his devotional lyrics.
The spear is inseparable from Muruga and he is also called "Vel-Muruga".
It was the spear that pierced the chest of Surapadma and put an end to all
his evil deeds. And this spear was bestowed to Muruga here only by his
mother Parvati.
The Temple
As we enter the town two tall Gopurams eastern and western Gopurams can
be seen. The south entrance is not so magnificent, which leads to the
temple tank Siddamrita Teertham, a very sacred pool. This picturesque pool
is surrounded by a covered corridor with fine flight of steps to the
water, which ripple around a water pavilion in its midst. Its waters are
said to contain medicinal properties and peculiarity is that it harbours
no fogs. People with various illnesses come here to get cured and hence
this place is called "Vaitheeswaran" - the one who cures of
illnesses.
Three important sanctums, one for Vaidyanada facing west and for Devi
Thayalnayaki and selva Muthukumaraswami facing south adorns the interior.
In the north corridor abutting the Shiva's sanctum is the shrine of Avudai
Amman the Bhadrakali.
Another salient feature of the temple is the presence of Planet Angaraka
(Tuesday) and Jvaraharesvara (Lord of fevers). Even for every fatal ill
like Smallpox, application of neem leaves is considered to be effective
and this temples holy tree (Thalamaram) is neem, seen near the eastern
Gopuram, with a sturdy trunk and sprawling branches.
The sanctum of the Ishwara has a corridor around it, with the festival
icons of Adikara Nandi and Jatayu. The Navagraha images stationed in the
east corridor are devoid of Angaraka and Sun. The south corridor has the
Jatayu Kunda, the place where Rama performed the last rites to Jatayu,
with images of Rama, Lakshamana, Visvamithra, Vasista and Jatayu over that
Kunda. Another unusual thing here is the presence of Sattanada above
Dakshinamurti.
Services And Festivities
There are six daily worships and the temple is closed in the afternoon
between 12 noon and 5 pm. There are festivals throughout the year. A
special puja is conducted every month during karthikai with the main
festival falls in the month of Thai (Jan/Feb) to Sri Selvamuththukumarar.
Puja for Ankaragan is conducted on Tuesdays and he is taken in procession.
On these days large numbers of devotees bathe in the water of the
Siththamirtha Theertham (also spelt as Teertha) and offer their prayers to
the deities in order to receive divine blessing.
Air: The nearest airport is at
Trichy.
Rail: The nearest railway station is at
Kumbakonam. There are
frequent trains from Mayladuthurai,
Kumbakonam and Ariyalur.
Road: There are regular buses from
Kumbakonam almost every hour
and a few other buses to Trichy and Chidambaram. Tourists who wish to
drive from Chennai
can reach the temple via the Chennai-Kumbakonam-Thanjavur
highway. It is 245 km from
Chennai, 74 km from
Thanjavur and 34 km from
Kumbakonam.
Accommodation is available at the moderate class and small budgeted hotels, lodges and choultries in Chidambaram.
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