Thiruvidaimarudur Mahalinga Swamy Temple

Location:

Thiruvidaimaruthur, 9Kms from Kumbakonam (Kumbakonam to Mailadudhurai)

Sthalam Names:
IdaiMarudhu, Vilvavanam, Shenparanyam,  Sathipuram, Thaboovanam, Jothipuram, Sarvatheerthapuram, Selvaviruthipuram, arumaviruthipuram  Mukthipuram, Veerasozhapuram, Poologam

Temple Tree : Marudham Tree

The Main Deity	:	Magalinga Peruman
Goddess	:	Perunalamamulaiyamman

Thirumurai:
Moovarthevaram, Sri Manikkavasagar, Sri Karuvurthevar, Sri Pattinaththadigal

Theerthams
Karunya Theerthams

About Temple:


இத்தலத்தில் மகாலிங்கப் பெருமானுக்கு பூசை நடந்தபிறகே விநாயகப் பெருமானுக்கு பூசை நடைபெரும்.இத்தல விநாயகர் அருள்மிகு மகாலிங்கப் பெருமானைப் பூசித்து பல உயிர்களும் உய்யும் வண்ணம் அரசாட்சி செய்து வந்தமையால் இவ்விநாயகப் பெருமான் அருள்மிகு ஆண்ட விநாயகர் என்னுந் திருநாமம் பூண்டு எழுந்தருளியுள்ளார். 


மருத மரத்தைத் தல மரமாகக் கொண்டுள்ள மூன்று தலங்களான திருப்பருப்பதம்(வடநாடு), சோழநாட்டுத் திருஇடைமருதூர் மற்றும் திருப்புடைமருதூர்(பாண்டியநாடு) ஆகியவற்றுள் இது இடையாக உள்ளது.சிவ பரிவார மூர்த்தத் தலங்கள் யாவும் அருகே அமையப்பெற்றதால் இது மகாலிங்கத்தலம் எனப்படுகிறது. அவையாவன: விநாயகர்- திருவலஞ்சுழி, முருகர்- சுவாமி மலை, நடராஜர்-சிதம்பரம், தட்சிணாமூர்த்தி-ஆலங்குடி, சண்டேச்சுரர்- திருசேய்ஞலூர், பைரவர்-சீர்காழி, நவக்கிரகம்-சூரியனார் கோவில் 27 நட்சத்திரங்களுக்கும், 27 லிங்கங்கள் ஆடல்வல்லான் மண்டபத்தில் அமைந்துள்ளன.


 இத்தலம் காசிக்கு நிகரான தலமாகும்.இத்தலத்தில் காருண்யாமிர்த தீர்த்தம், சோம தீர்த்தம், கனக தீர்த்தம், கல்யாண தீர்த்தம், ஐராவத தீர்த்தம் என முப்பத்துரண்டு தீர்த்தங்கள் உள்ளன. இத்தலத்தில் உள்ள அசுவமேதத் திருச்சுற்றை வலம் வருவோர் அசுவமேத யாகம் செய்த பலனைப் பெறுவர்.கொடுமுடித் திருச்சுற்றை வலம் வருவோர் கயிலாய மலையை வலம் செய்த பலனை அடைவர்.பிரணவத் திருச்சுற்றில் இப்போதும் நாதோற்பத்தி விளங்கி வரும் சிறப்புடையது;


 இத்திருச்சுற்றை வலம் வருவோர் மெஞ்ஞானம் பெற்றுச் சிறப்பர். இத்தலப் பெருமானை திருஞானசம்பந்தர், திருநாவுக்கரசர், சுந்தரர், மாணிக்கவாசகர், கருவூர்தேவர், பட்டினத்தார், அருணகிரிநாதர், காளமேகப் புலவர் முதலானோர் பாடிப் பரவியுள்ளனர்.பத்திரகிரியார் முத்தி பெற்ற திருத்தலம். location:மயிலாடுதுறை-கும்பகோணம் இரயில் பாதையில் உள்ள இரயில் நிலையம். மயிலாடுதுறை, கும்பகோணம் ஆகிய இடங்களிலிருந்து பஸ் வசதி உள்ளது.its on the way from kumbakONam to mayilAdudthurai, next to thirupuvanam.


Thiruvidaimarudur Mahalinga Swamy Temple is one of the Panchakrosha Sthalas. The presiding Deity is Mahalinga (Great Linga) because Siva worshipped Himself. His consort is Perunalamamulaiammai. Next to him there is a magnificent stucco sculptured Nandi richly decorated and 50 ft in height. His place is named as Idaimarudur as it is in between Srisailam and Ambasamudram. It is well connected by both rail and road, thanks to its proximity to Mayiladuthurai. It is also called Shanbagaranya, Saktipura, Tapovana, Muktipura etc.

The Ammbal Shrine is one of the Sakthi Bheetas. Chakkara Maha Meru is installed here. Uma, Vinayaka Muruga, Thirumal, Lakshimi, Saraswati, (Deities), Vashista, Agasthya, Pattinathar, Badragiriyar, Romarishi, Kapila, Markandiya rishi, (Saints). Sivavakiya (Siddhar) Varagunadeva, Sukeerthi, Veerasena, Cshitrakeerthi, Uvanasuvan, Maandada, Vasuman., Anjatthuvasan (Kings), Nandagan (Brahmin), Vedas, Airawatha (Elephant vehicle of Indra) and others are bestowed with grace by the Lord. The below saints Appar, Sundarar, Manikkavasakar and Sambandar were visited and praised the lord. Also Pattinathar and Karuvoor Thevar Sung Psalms about the Deity. There are many Lingas in the Shrine.

Agasthiya Linga, Kasyapa Linga, Chola Linga , Chera Linga, Sahasara Linga, Panchabhuta Linga, a cluster of 27 Lingas behind Chokkanatha are some.

BRAHMAHATHI:
Brahmahathi (Hathi- sin caused by a murder - Brahminicide) is found in the south wall (south torana vayil) with head disheveled and face immersed betwixt the knees.

THE HISTORY OF BRAHMAHATHI:

Varaguna Pandiya’s horse accidentally crushed a Brahmin and killed him. The sin followed wherever he went. The king came to this temple. The Brahmahathi could not enter and waited outside. The king went out by another entrance. The Brahmahathi is waiting outside still. The king was relieved of his melody. People inflicted with mental disorders go round the circumambulatory path and get redress.
There are three prakarams around the sanctum sanctorum. In the first there are shrines for Vinayakar, Dakshinamurthi, Subramanyar, Mahalakshmi, Durga, Chandikeswarar apart from the stucco-sculptured hill on top of which are the granite idols of Marudhavanar and Anbirpriyalamman. One can also see the figure of Ravana trying to lift the hill.

There are two Puranams:

1. Sthala purana written by Sivakkolundu Deshika of Kottaiyar
2. Marudavana Puranam.

The Thevaram, Thiruvasagam, Thiruvidaimarudur Mummanikkovai, Thiruppazh, Thiruvidaimaurudur Pathirruppathanthathi, Thiruvidaimaurudur Kalambakam, Thiruvidaimarudur Nondi Natakam contain sufficient information about the temple. Kandapuranam, Lingapurana, Brahmavaivartham and Sivarahasya mention the glory of the Lord.

THIRUTHER:

It is one of the biggest Thers (Temple Car) of Tamilnadu. It measures 89 feet from top (tip of the Kalasams) to bottom (ground level).The octagonal lower part of the, measuring 14½ feet (length) and 14½ feet was carved beautifully. The axles (cuboids) on the outer surface of the wheels measure 29 feet (length), 1¾ feet (width) and 1¾ feet (height). The rampant wooden horses which fastened in front of the Ther measure 25½ (length) and 8 feet (circumference of the body). The Kodimaram (flag post) on the Ther measures 24 feet (height). The inner large rope (Ul vadam) tied around the Ther measures 800 feet. The outer cable (large rope- Vadam) used to pull the Ther by 5000 people (man power) measures 1000 feet. The pedestal on the Ther measures 14½ x 14½. The wooden sculptures such as Panchamurtis, Kayilayakkatchi, Narasimhamurti, Bairava, Chandra, the worship of Mahalingeswara (seated beneath the Maruda tree) by Vinayaka and Ambikai, His Holiness Gurumaha sannidhanam and other sculptures are worth mentioning here. The Ther was donated to the temple by Amarsingh’s son Pratap singh(Simha) in 1800 AD. He had presented a silver Ratha (chariot) also. There is a small wooden Ther for procession during the Tamil month Adi.
An important destination for Saivite pilgrims is a small town on the southern bank of the Cauvery, 10 km from Kumbakonam.
Popular for all the three factors namely sthalam, moorthi and tirtham, the temple has seven gopurams, seven prakarams, 32 holy tirthams and 27 celestial star lingams.

FAMOUS MOTTO:

Thiru here referring to the beauty of the deity. The lingam is indeed majestic on a six-ft pedestal. Another interpretation is Thiruvidaimarudhur Theruazhaghu... ‘Quite apt, the streets being wide and well laid out.

SEPARATE PLACES:
Among the 32 tirthams here, Karunyatirtham, the tank on the east, and the Poosatirtha ghat on the Cauvery bank are important. U. V. Swaminatha Iyer in his book, "Thiruthalangal Varalaru," gives writes extensively on Poosatirtha ghat. This tirtham is also called `kalyana tirtham' as Siva after His wedding with Umadevi is said to have given darshan to Agathiar.
The east-facing temple has four rajagopurams facing each of the four directions and three inner gopurams. `Padithurai Vinayakar' (it is believed that once the Cauvery was running this way and hence the name) welcomes those who enter the temple. The bas-relief sculptured Brahmahati with the head resting on its folded knee is at the entrance of the presiding deity's shrine. It is interesting that those who enter through this sannidhi will leave only through the Amman shrine. The idea is to avoid Brahmahati who will not enter the shrine but wait outside to catch its victims.

In the northern side of the next prakaram, called the Pranava prakaram, there is a separate temple for Muruga built in the Nayakkar style. A majestic Maruda tree stands here. Below the tree is the beautiful image of Balakrishnan. The Bhairava shrine faces south and in front of it is the singamuga kinaru — `Krishna suba tirtham.' The third prakaram, Chitraprakaram, is lined with sculpted figures depicting Siva in various forms. In the northern side there is a separate temple for Chokkanathar and Meenakshi and it is believed that recitation of Thevaram in Mehakurinji raga with abishekam to these deities will bring rain.

On the south-east side of the temple is a shrine for Goddess Mookambigai. The tower of this shrine resembles that of the Manikarnigai tirtha ghat at Kasi. The Ambal is found in padmasana. She is doing penance to get rid of Brahmahati dosham caused by the killing of Mukasooran. The Sri Chakra Mahameru by the side of Mookambigai is worshipped for mental health.

ASWAMEDHA THIRUCHUTRU:
The outermost prakaram of this temple is `Aswamedha thiruchutru' and circumambulation here is equivalent to performing Aswamedhayagam. Skandasashti, Vasantha utsavam, 1,008 sanghu abishekam (during Karthigai somavaram), Sivaratri and the ten-day Thaipoosam festival are important. During Skanda Sashti, unlike in other temples, here Lord Muruga receives the `vel' (lance) from Siva.

PAVAI VILAKKU:

It is celebrated once in the year and once it was Ammuni Ammal (lover of Pratap singh), donated (a lamp in the shape of Ammuni Ammal) and lit one lakh (1,00,000) lamps. The lamp measures 120 cm (height), 411 ¾ cher (Weight) in brass, designed and made by Kannara Aryaputra Pather.
Siva temples are in abundance in India. The 'sthala vruksham' being marudu, the place came to be known as 'Idaimarudur