The omnipresent divine being, resides within every place of worship in order to bestow blessings upon those who seek His presence. Among the numerous temples that emanate such divine grace, Sri Thiruthalinathar Temple in Tiruppathur, located in Sivagangai District, stands out. The primary reason for Shiva's manifestation as Thiruthalinathar in this temple is the devotion of Sri Mahalakshmi. Sri Mahalakshmi desired to witness one of Shiva's dance forms known as "Gauri Thandavam". It was at this sacred site that Shiva performed this particular cosmic dance solely for the sake of Sri Mahalakshmi. According to the Sthala Purana, the name ThiruThalinathar is derived from this incident, where 'Thiru' (which signifies Mahalakshmi) worshipped the Deity Shiva. It is believed that Sage Valmiki assumed the form of a snakehill ("Putru") and penanced, leading to the place being known as Tiruputtur.
Tiruputtur is a small town, but the size of the remarkable Thiruthalinathar temple hold us in awe. The temple features an east-facing gopuram that is prominent and has three prakarams within. The outermost prakaram is a spacious courtyard and the second prakaram houses sannidhis for Subramanya accompanied by his consorts Valli and Deivaanai, Vinayaka, Yoga Bhairavar, Tirunageswarar and the Navagrahas. The inner most prakaram contains sannidhis for Surya, Mahalakshmi, Mahaganapathy, Dakshinamurthy, Varunalingam, Visalakshmi Amman, Agasthiyalingam, Sandeswarar, and Durgai.
YogaBhairavar - The temple itself is commonly known as 'Vairavan Temple' due to the importance of YogaBhairavar in the second prakaram. This Bhairava is conisdered to be 'Adhi-Bhairava' - primal Bhairava. In the east facing sannidhi, YogaBhairavar is depicted as a youthful figure with prominent teeth, holding a fruit in one hand while the other rests on the thigh. Typically Bhairava is depicted as a standing figure with a trident accompanied by a dog. However in this temple Bhairava is in a seated position in yoganidra. This manifestation of 'Yoga'Bhairava is believed to have happenned to rescue Jayantha, the son of the celestial God Indira. There is an idol of Jayantha just before the entrance of the temple. On 'Shahsti' and 'Ashtami', Bhairavar is adorned with 'punugu' (civet oil), 'Vadai Maalai' and a dish prepared with 'Samba' (a variety of rice) is offerred as Nivedanam.
The east-facing sannidhi of the presiding deity Tiruthalinathar is on an elevated platform. Antecedent to the sanctum is a mandapam supported by pillars. These pillars showcase beautiful sculptures of Rishabavaahanar, Narthana Ganapathy, Venugopal, Narasimhar and more. The sannidhi of the female deity Shivakami is parallel to the sannidhi of the presiding deity.
A separate sannidhi for Nageshwar is adjacent to the sannidhi of Yogabhairavar. Vasuki and Karkotakan, the revered serpents have worshipped Shiva at this location, leading to the establishment of a dedicated sannidhi for Tirunageswarar. Goddess Saraswathy, Mahalakshmi, and Indira's son Jayantha have also worshipped the deity Tiruthalinathar. It is believed that those who offer their prayers to Sri Mahalakshmi at this temple will be blessed with prosperity and well-being. Another merit attributed to this temple is the sannidhi for YogaNarayana. We have heard of YogaNarasimhar, Yoga Anchaneya and Yoga Dakshinamurthy but Sriman Nayarayana in a yogic posture is unique to this temple. Nataraja in the form of Gouri Thandava Moorthy with Shivakami is graceful and captivating. There are five piilars known to be 'musical' pillars and they too are adorned with exquisite sculptures. There is a dedicated sannidhi for Goddess Durga and Vinayaka is beneath the 'Vanni' tree. Navagrahas resemble the seated ones at piranmalai. The coexistence of both YogaBhairava and YogaNarayana makes this place ideal for those embarking on their spiritual journey.
Saint Poet Arunagirinathar has sung 2 songs in praise of God Muruga in his Thirupugazh. Muruga is with his two beautiful consorts Valli and Deivanai. He is in a standing posture with 4 hands. The peacock is behind.
The pandiya kings, especially the Marudhu pandiyas patronised this temple. Various inscriptions belonging to that era can be seen within the temple premises. 'Sthala vruksham' is 'kondrai' and the associated water bodies are Thiruthali theertham and Shivagangai theertham.
Main Gopuram
Second Gopuram
Dwajasthambam, Nandi
Muruga Valli, Deivanai
63 Nayanmars
Vimanam
Way to Nageswarar sannidhi
Sri Yoga Narayanar
Nataraja Sabha, Nandi playing drums
Dakshinamurthy