Temple Legend - Once, Mahavishnu, acting on behalf of King Kuban, engaged in a battle against Sage Dutheechi. The Sage's body was so strong that it caused the edges of the Sudarshan Chakra, a powerful weapon wielded by Mahavishnu, to break upon impact. To acquire another chakra from Shiva, which had previously vanquished the demon Chalandra, MahaVishnu began worshipping the Shiva Linga at this site once revered by Devi Parvathy. He worshipped the Shiva Linga by offering 1000 lotuses everyday. In a test of Mahavishnu's devotion, Shiva concealed one of the lotus flowers, leading Mahavishnu to realize he was one short for his offering. In a profound act of sacrifice, he plucked out his own eye to replace the missing flower. Moved by this display of dedication, Shiva manifested before Mahavishnu and bestowed upon him His Chakra. Consequently, the site of Mahavishnu's worship became known as Tirumarperu, later referred to as Tirumalpur. The same legend is also associated with Tiruveezhimalai. This narrative is further illustrated by an urchava idol of Mahavishnu, depicted standing with a lotus in one hand and His eye in the other.
In a whimsical moment, Devi Parvathy playfully shut the eyes of God Shiva, resulting in a complete stillness of the universe, shrouded in darkness. Acknowledging her mistake, she descended to Earth and established a Shiva Linga for her worship, crafted from sand along the banks of the Vrudhaksheera River, also referred to as 'Paalaru,' located to the north of the temple site. Due to its sandy composition, the Shiva Linga is protected by a copper-plated armor that encases it before any anointing takes place.
Temple Layout - The Shiva Temple occupies a vast area of 1.2 acres and features an impressive five-tiered gopuram oriented to the east. Enclosed by robust walls, the temple includes two concentric prakarams and is adjacent to the sacred water body known as 'Chakra Theertham.' The dwajastham, balipeetam, and nandi are positioned in alignment with the entrance, while an inner gateway provides access to the east-facing sannidhi of the main deity. Nandikeshwar and Senthaamarai kanna perumal, in a gesture of reverence stand with folded hands opposite the presiding deity. The inner prakaram contains additional sannidhis dedicated to Vinayaka, Chidambareshwar, Somaskandar, Subramanya, Chandikeshwarar, Nataraja, and Gajalakshmi. Given that the main deity is represented by a sand-made linga, the ritual of 'Annabishekam,' which involves anointing with rice, is performed instead for Chidambareshwarar. Annabishekam take place during the Tamil month of Ippasi.
Vallabha Vinayaka and Shanmukha serve as the guardians at the entrance of the sanctum, with Vallabha Vinayaka depicted with ten arms. Directly opposite the main deity's shrine is the shrine of Mahavishnu, who is shown in a 'Namaskara gesture' with his hands folded. This shrine is topped with an ornate vimanam, and Nandi is positioned in front of it. Upon entering the sanctum, one encounters a mandapam supported by intricately carved pillars, featuring sculptures of various deities including Dakshinamurthy, Surya, Mahavishnu, Balasubramanyar, Appar, Sundarar, Tirugyanasambandhar, Vinayaka, Muruga, Brahma with his four faces, Devi worshipping Shiva beneath a 'Vilva' tree, Kalinganarthanam, Kamadenu, Bhairavar, and Veerabhadrar. The walls surrounding the sanctum display 'goshta murthas' of Dakshinamurthy, Mahavishnu, Brahma, and Goddess Durga, the latter being depicted with eight arms, holding a conch and chakra. Following the 'Deepa Aradhana' of Mahavishnu, the tradition of placing 'Sadari' on the devotee's head is observed.
Six Pathikam have been composed in honor of this deity, with two attributed to Tirugyanasambandhar and four to Tirunavukkarasar. The esteemed 'Periya Purana' by Sekizhar mentions that Sudarar visited this temple. Regrettably, the Pathikam by Sundarar dedicated to this deity remains undiscovered and undocumented.
5 tier gopuram
Nandhi in outer prakaram
Nandhi, dwajasthambam and balipeetam
Muruga with is two consorts