The three asuras, Vidyunmali, Tharukaksha, and Kamlaksha, lived in three invincible moving cities or forts (Tripura) made of gold, silver, and iron, respectively. These demons wrecked havoc on the universe and harassed the devas. The Devas could not bear the harassment and appealed to Lord Shiva. To destroy the demons, a divine chariot was built with the four Vedas as four horses, Lord Brahma as the charioteer, the sun as the right wheel, the moon as the left wheel, and other worldly creatures making up the rest of the chariot's embellishments and the army. The axle of the chariot carrying Lord Shiva broke due to the negligence of the devas, who had failed to pay homage to Vinayaka before embarking on their journey. Realising that Ganesha was the cause of the axle to break, Shiva requested Ganesha to fix the axle. Ganesha obeyed His father, and fixed the chariot's axle. Lord Shiva then set out to destroy the three demons. This location where the chariot's axle broke came to be known as 'Acchu Iru Pakam'(Acchu - axle, itru - broke) , which eventually became Achirupakkam. Legend has it that the axle in the wheel of a Pandiya King's chariot too broke at this location while he was transporting soil from the Ganges to construct a dam over a river.
See also - Other Paadal Petra Shivasthalam associated with Tripura Samhara - 1) Tiruvathigai, 2) Elambayankottur, 3) Tiruvirkolam
The Temple: This Shiva Temple at Achirupakkam stands out with its magnificent five-tiered Rajagopuram that faces east, serving as an impressive gateway. As we enter through this gateway, we are led to another inner entrance. Unlike most Shiva Temples where the balipeetam, dwajasthambam, and Nandi are typically aligned with the main gateway, in this temple, they are slightly offset to the left. One of the notable features of this temple is the presence of two deities. The inner entrance, located directly across the main gateway, grants access to the sanctum of Umayatcheeswarar, while the sanctum of the presiding deity Atcheeswarar is situated across the balipeetam, dwajasthambam and Nandi. Atcheeswarar appears as a self-manifested 'Swayambhu Linga' facing east. Guarding the entrance of this sanctum as protectors (Dwara-palaka) are the two demons Tharukaksha and Vidyunmali, who were vanquished by the deity. Vinayaka and Muruga with His consorts Valli, Deiwanai are next to Tharuka and Vidyunmali respectively. The Goshta images within the temple include Dakshinamurthy, Mahavishnu, Brahma, and Goddess Durga. There is a pathway encircling the deity Atcheeswarar, facilitating the ritual of 'Pradakshina'.
On either side of the approach to the sanctum of Umayatcheeswarar are sannidhis dedicated to Alamelumangai, Srinivasa Perumal, Palani Andavar, Urchava Idols, Lakshmi, Saraswathy and Arumukhaswamy. Within the east-facing sanctum, Behind the Linga of Umayatcheeswarar, a depiction of Shiva and Parvathy as bride and groom in their 'tirumanakolam' can be seen. Achchirupakkam is one of the places where Sage Agasthya was blessed with the vision of the celestial wedding of Shiva and Parvathy. Nearby is the shrine of Umayambikai, facing south.
See also:- Places visited by Sage Agasthya in his journey to south - 1) Kutralam, 2) Tirupanankattur, 3) Tirukallil, 4) Tiruvotriyur, 5) Tiruverkaadu, 6) Tiruvanmiyur
In this Shiva temple's northern outer prakaram, lies the revered 'Sarakondrai' tree, also known as the golden shower tree, which provides shade over the deity Kondrai-adi-Eeswarar. Adjacent to this sacred tree are the idols of Nandikeshwarar and sage Thrinethradari. Legend has it that it was beneath this very tree that Lord Shiva manifested himself before a pandya king, instructing him to construct a temple in His honor. The king, in turn, entrusted the task of building the temple to Sage Thrinethradari, who coincidentally happened to be present at the site during this divine encounter. The sage diligently carried out the king's wishes and erected a temple with two separate sanctums, each dedicated to a deity. When the king inquired about the reason behind having two sanctums, Sage Thrinethradari explained that he had established them to the God who captivated both the king and himself, and so erected two deities - Umayatcheeswarar for the king and Atcheeswarar for himeself.
Within the prakaram at the northern side, in its north-eastern corner, is the sanctum of the female deity Ilankili Ammai, in a standing posture, facing south.
Achumuri Vinyaka - Vinayaka who broke the axle of God Shiva's chariot is in a separate sannidhi. It is beleived that praying to "Achumuri Vinayakar" before embarking upon any new venture, will ensure its completion without any hindrances. The sanctity and importance of this Vinyaka can be felt from the fact that Saint Poet Arunagirinathar, prayed and began his Tirupugazh by praising this Vinayaka. He mentions about the Legend of Tripurasamhara in the lines 'Muppuram eri seidha, Achchivan urai ratham, Achadu podi seida athi dheera' from Vinayakar thuthi 'kaithala Nirai kani'.
Rajagopuram
Nandi Mandap, flagstaff and altar
Outer Prakaram - South
Saptha Matha
Umayatcheeswarar - Behind - Shiva-Parvathy
Kondraiyadi Eeswarar shrine
Swamy Sannidhi Vimanam
Ambal Sannidhi Vimanam
Ilangili Ammai shrine
Achumuri Vinayakar temple