This place withnessed great floods and disasters in every yuga/era. During the Dwaparayuga, the ruling King of this place sought the divine assistance of God Shiva to protect his kingdom from an impending catastrophic flood. In response to his plea, Shiva pierced the ground with his trident, creating a cavity on the surface of the earth. The flood waters entered the cavity, forming a swirling whirlpool around the trident. This event led to the name 'Shuzhi', and subsequently, the place became known as Thiruchuzhiyal, with the addition of the epithet 'Thiru'.
A spacious courtyard greets us as we enter the temple premises. A beautiful gopuram stands at the entrance that leads to the sannidhi of the female deity Sahayavalli. While to its right, stands another gopuram and a gateway, leading to the sannidhi of the presiding deity. Just afront the second tower, is a vast pillared arena, and opposite to it lies the sacred water body associated with the temple, known as 'Kavvaikadal'. (During a visit to this temple in February 2024, it was disheartening to see this water body, completely dry. It was told that several new establishments around the temple premises prevent water-flow to this tank). The gateways lead to an enclosure called 'Kambathadi Mandapam', which houses the Dwajasthambam, Balippedam, and sannidhis dedicated to Vinayaka, Subramanya with his consorts Valli and Deivanai, and Navagrahas. The numerous pillars that support this enclosure are adorned with artistic sculptures. Among the many sculptures, a sculpture of Hanuman can also be seen.
Sculptures adorning the pillars.
Progressing further, after offering prayers to Nandi, we pass through the Sabha Mandapam, Antharala Mandapam, and Artha Mandap, each nested within the other. The presiding deity Thirumeninathar (a Swayambhoo Linga) is on a square 'Aavudayar', within the sanctum. The Sanctum is surrounded by a moat-like structure. The prakaram around the santum has sannidhis for the 63 nayanmars, Saptha Mathas and for Surya (the planetory god for sun) with his consorts Usha and Prathyusha. Vinayaka is in the south-west corner of the prakaram, Somaskanda, Kasi Viswanathar, Visalakshi and Suzhigai Govindar are in the west side of the prakaram and Muruga is in the north-east corner of the prakaram. Dakshinamurthy, Lingothbhava, Goddess Durga, and Brahma are on the walls surrounding the sanctum sanctorum as 'Goshta Murtha's. Nataraja sabha is in the Sabha Mandapam. Adjacent to it are utsava murthys of Nataraja, Sivagami, Patanjali, and Vyagrapadar.
Sage Gautama and his wife Akalika saw Nataraja's cosmic dance at this place. We can see Sage Gautama and his wife Akalika, nestled in-between the idols of the 63 nayanmars in such a way that they face Nataraja located in the Sabha Mandap. The annual celebration of Brahmothsava takes place during the Tamil month of Panguni to commemorate this significant event.
Sahayavalli, the female deity is in a separate sannidhi facing east, with dwajasthambam, Balipeetam and Nandi in the front. A Sri Chakra is intricately carved on roof of the mandapam in front of the female deity.
The sannidhi of Anda-Bagiranda Vinayaka is in the south-western corner of the outer prakaram. On the opposite north-western corner is the sannidhi of PralayaVidangar, who quelled the deluge in this area. On the west side of the prakaram, situated between these two corner sannidhis, is the 'sthala vruksham' 'punnai' tree. Dandapani Swami Sannidhi is in the north-east corner of the ourter prakaram, accompanied by a dwjasthambam, balipeetam, and a peacock in front.
Mahavishnu, Celestial God Indra, Brahma, Surya, Sage Gautama, Akalikai, Sage Kanva, Arjun and Cheraman Perumal have worshipped the deity of this sacred place. BhoomiDevi, the goddess of the earth, came into contact with the breath of the demon king Hiranyakshan. The presiding deity at this sacred site is also known as Bhuminathaswamy, as it is believed that BhoomiDevi worships God Shiva here to cleanse herself from the impurity caused by Hiranyakshan's breath. The presiding deity is positioned in the sanctum in a manner that allows sunlight to fall on it twice a year.
Tiruchuzhiyal is the birthplace of Sri Ramana Maharishi and his birth-home is located very close to the temple.
The pathikam composed by Sudarar is in the 7'th Tirumurai.
Temple ouside view
Pillared Mandapam
Temple Tank
Anda-Bagiranda Vinayaka
PralayaVidangar Sannidhi
Nataraja
Dakshinamurthy
Vinayaka
Lakshmi, Suzhikai Govindar, Bhooma Devi
Dwjasthambam, Balipeetam, Peacock in front of Dhandayuthapani sannidhi
Tirumeninathaswamy sannidhi
Hanuman