The Tirumanancheri Temple is regarded as the 25th in the series of the Tevara Stalams in Chola Nadu located north of the river Kaveri.
Legend: Parvati was reborn to Bharata Muni and was married to Shiva here. Parvati expressed her desire to Shiva to have an earthly wedding; Shiva obliged and so she was reborn as the daughter of Bharata Muni. Shiva emerged from the lingam at Tirutturutti; Bharata Muni approached Shiva and asked for his hand in marriage to Parvati. The name Sonnavaararivaar stems from this legend.
Temple: A moat surrounds the temple, and the waters of the moat represent the seas that gathered to witness the marriage. Images of Ganapathi, Nataraja, Dakshinamurthy, Lingodbhavar, Brahmma and Durga adorn the niches of the sanctum. There is a shrine dedicated to Varadarajar (Vishnu) with his consorts Sri Devi and Bhu Devi in this temple.
The Nataraja, Kalyanasundarar, and Aadi Sesha images are also found here. The bronze image of Kalyanasundarar dates back to Uttama Chola (10th century). The bronze images of Vinayakar, Pradoshamurthy, Chandeswarar and Manikkavacakar are of great workmanship. Inscriptions from Parantaka Chola I are seen here, inscriptions about Sembiyan Mahadevi`s endowments are also seen here. The original brick structure was changed to stone during Parantaka Chola I time and was completed during the time of Uttama Chola. This temple covers 3.5 acres. Shiva is called Arul Vallal here.
Festivals: The Tirukkalyanam is celebrated in the month of Chittirai; Kartikai Deepam, Arudra Darisanam and Navaratri are also celebrated here.
