| Description:
The stala vriksham being Aalamaram the presiding deity here is Aalanturaiyeesar or its
equivalent Vatamoolesar or Vatatheerthanathar in Sanskrit. It is
considered to be the 55th in the series of Tevara Stalams in the
Chola kingdom located north of the river Kaveri. Legends:
Parvati is said to have worshipped Shiva here prior to marrying him. Parasuramar is said
to have prayed here and is also said to have made arrangements for the upkeep of religious
services here. There is an image of Parasuramar in this shrine. Sambandar's hymns refer to
the fact that priests from Kerala were engaged in carrying out worship services here
during his time.The word Pazhu refers to the stala vriksham Aalamaram here.
The Temple: This east facing temple has niche images of Lingodbhavar,
Dakshinamurthy, Bhramma, Durga and Vinayaka. The sculpture of Anantasayana over the
gateway of the Ardhamandapam, is popularly believed to represent Parasuramar engaged in
penance after having killed his mother, in response to his father's bidding. There are
also sculptured images of Yoga Narasimhar, Parthasarathi, Anantasayanam, in the toranams.
The Mukhamandapam houses images of Kalasamharamurthy, Ardhanareeswarar, Kalyanasundarar,
Kankalamurthy and Bhairavar. The bronze images of Rishabhavahanar, Tripurantakar, dancing
Balasubramanyar and Sundaramoorthy Nayanar are worth mention here.
Other: An ancient Shiva temple, Pasupateeswaram (Maravaneeswaram
built by Pazhuvettarayan Maravan Kandanaar) also dates back to the period of Parantaka
Chola I, and only its ruins are left now. Mention must be made here of the Vata Theertha
Nathar Temple at Andanallur near Tiruchendurai, at a distance of about 10km from
Tiruchirappalli enroute to Karur, where several inscriptions attributed to the period of
Parantaka Chola (early 10th century) are seen, testifying to the patronage extended by
him, and to the stone structure erected during his reign here.
Festivals: Margazhi Tiruvadirai, Aippasi Pournami and Kartikai Deepam
are the fesitvals celebrated here. |
