 Thirumuruganathaswamy Temple located near to Tirupur in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The temple also known by the name Thirumuruganpondi temple is thought to be one of the seven Sivastalams in the state.
Legend of Thirumuruganathaswamy Temple According to a legend once Lord Murugan was contracted with Brahamahathi Dosham after he killed the demon king Soorapadman. To liberate himself from the dosham, the Lord made a Shivalingam at the present site of the temple and devotedly worshipped Lord Shiva. The temple is thus, known after his name, Tirumurugapoondi. The stala vriksham, the Mullai tree is said to have been brought by Durvasar from Karpaka Lokam. It is believed by the devotees that by offering worship to the deity of the temple one gets relieved of all mental diseases. Structure of Thirumuruganathaswamy Temple Thirumuruganathaswamy Temple is spread over an area of almost 1 acre of land. High compound walls enclose the temple on all its sides. The west facing temple does not have the traditional gopuram as in the case of other temples. It is instead adorned with a Nandi constructed in a mandapam in the front of the temple. The Shivalingam installed inside the temple is almost two and a half feet in height and faces the western side. Lord Shiva is known by the name Muruga Natheswarar or Skanda Natheswarar in this region while Parvati is revered as Muyangu Poon Mulaiyammai or Aavudainayagi. The shrine of the goddess is built on the left side of the sanctum sanctorum. A statue for Lord Muruga has been erected on the right side of the sanctum sanctorum. It is almost 5 feet in height. Mullai is the stala vriksham here and the Theertham is known as Subramanya Koopam. The temple finds its mention in few poems. Sundarar composed the Thevaram Pathigam about this temple. According to history once Sundarar thought of visiting the temple. The Chera king Cheraman Perumal Nayanar sent goods for the daily worship at the temple. However, a group of thieves robbed him off his goods. Sundarar then sang several songs of Lord Shiva and it is said that by the grace of the Lord he received back all his goods. The temple houses two images of Sundarar that illustrate his mental state both before and after the incident. Festivals of Thirumuruganathaswamy Temple Thirumuruganathaswamy Temple celebrates the annual Brahmotsavam in the Tamil month of Maasi. On the 10th day of the festival Brahma Tandavam is organised. Other than these few other festivals celebrated by the temple are Arudra Darisanam in the month of January, Kartikai Deepam in the month of December, Vinayaka Chaturthi in September and Skanda Sashti in November. Thirumuruganathaswamy Temple is located at a distance of almost 8 kms from the Tirupur railway junction. It is situated 5 kms away from Avinasi on the Avinasi - Tirupur road. |
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