Tirumayam

One of the 108 Temples & Celestial Abodes of Vishnu revered by the Tamil hymns of the Alwars of the 1st millennium CE

Location: Tirumayam near Pudukkottai
(
Pandya Naadu)
Vishnu: Satyagirinathan,
Taayaar: Uyyavanda Naachiyaar
Theertham:Palaa Vriksham
Paasuram :Tirumangaialwar
Vimaanam:Satyagiri Vimanam
Travel Base:Tiruchirappalli
Description This Divya Desam is located on the railroad between Karaikkudi and Pudukkottai and is a rock cut fort temple dating back to the Pallava period.

Deities: The Moolavar here is Satyagirinathan, in a standing posture facing east. Taayaar here is Uyyavanda Naachiyaar. Tirumangaialwar refers to Vishnu here as 'Tirumeyya Malaiyaala'.

Legend has it that the demons who surreptitiously tried to steal the image of Perumal were warded off by the poisonous fumes emitted by Adi Seshan, who stood guard.

The Temple: This is a beautiful rock cut temple with interesting images in bas relief. The rock cut  image of Satyagirinathan in a reclining posture flanked by Garuda, Chitragupta, Markandeya, Bhrahma, the gods and the rishis  is an imposing one. The fort has entrances in the north, south and southeast directions whose guardian deities are believed to be Bhairava, Hanuman, Shakti and Ganapati, and the grama devata karuppu. There are shrines to Aandaal, Krishna, Lakshmi Narasimha.

Also here is the rock cut Satyagireeswarar temple, enshrining Satyagireeswarar (Shiva) and Venuvaneswari (Parvati). This temple dates back to the period of Mahendra Varma Pallavan. There sanctum and the ardhamandapam to Shiva are rock cut. There is a shrine to Valampuri Vinayakar here. There are also bronze images to Natarajar and Somaskandar and several other beautiful rock carvings here. Four worship services are offered each day and the annual festival is celebrated in the month of Chittirai.

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