SPECIAL KOVILKAL

LALGUDI SRI SABTHARISHEESWARAR /MAHASAMPATHGOWRI AMBAL

This place is known as Thiruthavathurai means place where thavam has been done by saptharishis. Athri,Brugu,Pulasthiyar,vasishtar,Gowthamar, Angeerasar, Marisee are the sabtha rishis who did thavam here and got mukthi.When Child Murugan was kept here and cried for milk the Rishis shouted & chsed out their pathinis why didnt they give milk to the Child.While returning after destroying Suran, having heard this story gave saabam to the Rishis. Thejaavidankar created fire from his head and give mukthi to Saptharishis here.


KAMARASAVALLI  RATHIDEVI  TEMPLE, THIRUMANUR,ARIYALUR

When Manmatha shot arrows on Shiva, the Lord burnt him into ashes and Rathi,the wife of Manmatha(Kaama) begged pardon and prayed to Shiva for giving life to the departed soul of her husband.The Lord blessed her and said that her husband would be visible only to her and that would take place when Shiva married Parvathi.Rathi was asked to have a dip in Ganga at Kashi and come back.Rathi pleaded that the distance was too much for her and requested the Lord to suggest an alternative. Lord Shiva said that the river Coleroon that flowed nearby is equal to Ganga and she could go for it.Rathi had a dip in the river and the place was called Nadhiyaavur after that.The Lord appeared in front of her as Kasi Viswanatha.The nearby places Mathur where there is a shine for Kailasa Vinayaka and Peria Marai where there is a temple for Vedapureeswara are connected with the legend of Kamarasavalli.Rathi also had a dip in the tank,Sundara Theertham,in front of the temple and got back her husband.About 3.5 feet high statue of Rathi,seated on a peacock is kept at a corner as it is slightly damaged.People say that the original name of this place was Kaama Rathi Valli which got transformed into Kamarasavalli later. Kama Dhahana Utsavam was conducted in the month of Maasi long time ago.

The legend also says that King Parikshit cursed the Great Serpant,Karkodaka ,suffering from serious illness worshipped theLord here.His skin disease got cured and he gave an assurance that all illeffects in the horoscopes of persons who visit this place would be removed instantly and nobody would die of snake bite in this village. Hence the Lord was known as Karkotakeswara.An idol of Karkodaka is seen near the entrance of the sanctum.

The condition of the temple is so pathetic. It will bring tears when we look at the ruins caused by vandalism. The compound wall has collapsed at many places and it is open to antisocial elements.Any further delay in protecting the monument would accelerate the ruins.The locals say that the ruins are there for centuries. During his visit to Ganapathy agraharam some sixty years back ,Kanchi Kamakoti Peetathipathi Sri Chandrasekarendra Saraswathi Sankaracharya swamigal enquired about a destroyed temple and finally reached here.

Beheaded structures and destroyed pillars, a lonely Shiva Bhanam in horizontal position are seen in the prakaram which is full of bushes.The basement of the sanctum is of granite stone but the superstructure is constructed of brick and mortar.

On the external walls of the garbha graha, panels of fine workmanship that include Ganapathi,Subramanya, Nataraja,Agasthiya,Kalasamhara ,Lingothbava and Brahma are seen. As the idol of Durga is defaced,another idol of recent origin has been installed.

It is admirable to see the anger created by the sculptor in the face of Kalasamhara murthi. Unfortunately this marvellous sculpture has fallen into the hands of vandals.

At the west facing sannadhi near Nataraja Sabhai, a Bhairava murthi (without jwalakesa and dog) and smiling Balasubramanya are feast to the eyes.

It is said that there are as many as 40 inscriptions on the walls of the temple that belong to a span of 600 years. Raja Raja I mentions agift of 16 kalanju of Gold ,the interest on which would be given to those who recited Talavakaara Sama Veda on the day of Ardhra in Marghazhi(December).. On the northern wall of the central shrine there is an inscription of Rajendra Chola dated Rishabha Maasa(Vaikasi)Wednesday,Ardhra Nakshatra,the corresponding date being May 6th, 1041 for performing Sakkai Koothu in the temple hall.

Nanu Iyer,one of the disciples of Saint Thyagaraja,the Karnatic Music composer, belonged to Kamarasavalli VILLAGE.

MANAMELKUDI JAGATHEESWARAR KOIL, PUDUKKOTTAI

Sambandar Thiruvuliyadal petra thiruthalam. 

Sri Jagatheeswarar Sametha Jagathratchaki Ambal

When Koon Pandian won the war and married the princess of this place the princess was sent with Kulachirai Naayanaar As Seethanam. When king converted into Jainism and there were disputes between jains & saivites - Sambandar came as an messenger from Appar to talk to Koon Pandian. The Place where Sambandar stayed was pt fire by jains and due to the heat Koon Pandian got ulcers and stomach pain. Sambandar sang two pathikams for curing his heat and pains. Then in a competition with Jain Munis Sambandar

won three vaathams. Karavaatham curing Koon Pandians decease, Anal vaatham by getting up cool from high flames and punal vaatham by  making "yedu" to come shore resisting high floods.

The incident happened in 6th Century.

When the Koon Pandian climbed many times to see the " Yedu " coming up from Flash floods in Vaigai , his Koon was removed and he became normal He was known thereafter as Nindra Neduseer Pandian

Said to be Prarthanai Sthalam for marriage,Child etc.,