Shiva Temples of Tamilnadu

Sthala Puranam

Origin of the Name Tirupurambiyam

According to legend, the town received the name Thirupurambiyam due to an extraordinary event that occurred during a great flood. It is said that when the deluge was ravaging the land, this place remained unaffected and beyond its reach (puram). As a result, the place came to be known as Thirupurambiyam, meaning “the sacred place that remained beyond the reach of floods.” During the deluge or pralaya, Vinayaka contained the waters of the Sapta Sagara, the seven legendary oceans, within a well located in Thirupurambiyam, thus preventing the floodwaters from engulfing the town. Consequently, the Vinayaka worshipped here is reverently referred to as the “Vinayaka who saved the place from flood,” acknowledging the divine protection believed to have been bestowed upon the town during this catastrophic event.

The Legend of Sakshi Nathar

A merchant from the ancient city of Madurai visited his ailing uncle in Thirupurambiam. Upon visiting, he found himself entrusted with his uncle’s daughter as the elder man drew his final breaths. Before departing for his home in Madurai, the merchant and his newfound charge spent the night at the temple. Tragedy struck when a venomous snake bit the merchant, causing him to succumb to the lethal poison. The distraught young woman, now alone and desperate, turned to Lord Shiva, the presiding deity of the temple, seeking his divine aid. In a miraculous display of compassion, Shiva manifested before her, not only reviving the merchant but also bearing witness to their impromptu wedding.

The merchant, now accompanied by his new wife, returned to Madurai, where he revealed the extraordinary events to his first wife. However, the first wife accused her husband of deceiving her, claiming that the second marriage had never taken place. Determined to prove the legitimacy of her union, the second wife journeyed back to Tirupurambiam and beseeched Lord Shiva once more. Shiva accompanied her to Madurai to give evidence (Sakshi in Tamil), along with the Vanni tree under which they were married, the cook house or kitchen (madapalli in Tamil) where the couple had stayed, and the well near which the incident occurred — testifying to the validity of the marriage and earning the appellation Sakshi Nathar, the one who bore witness. This miraculous tale is chronicled in the Thiruvilayadal Puranam and Sthala Puranam. To this day, the Vanni tree that gave evidence can be found in the north-eastern corner of the Madurai Sundareswarar temple complex. However, the Vanni tree standing in the second courtyard of the Thirupurambiam temple is not revered as the temple’s sthala vruksham — that honour is reserved for the Punnai tree.