Melapoongudi Shiva Temple, Sivagangai

Address

Melapoongudi Shiva Temple, Melapoongudi Sivagangai District – 630552

Diety

Shiva

Introduction

Near Sivagangai the ruins of an ancient Shiva temple built during the reign of the mighty king who ruled in 1310 AD have been found in ruins. According to Madhavan (age 80), a resident of Melapoongudi, an archeological excavation was carried out in the area known as Vellimalai. It was then revealed that there was a ruined temple called Mookkaraipillaiyar at the foot of the mountain range among the dense trees. Here are the symbols of the existence of one of the oldest large Shiva temples, the Shivalingam, the headless idol of Lord Agni (there is a chariot under the idol) and the damaged Nandi idol. Also, pottery tiles have been found near the temple as evidence of the large number of people who lived there. A short distance away, a large stone tank with a broken statue of Sridevi can be seen.

Puranic Significance

The scepter, which is considered to be the boundary stone of the Shiva temple property (Devadanam), is planted in four directions. But there is no evidence to say for sure when this temple was built and when it fell into disrepair. However, it is possible that the temple was built during the Chola period and was destroyed by the Mohammedans. Taking advantage of the chaos between the Pandyan kings, Malik Kapoor, the general of the Delhi Sultan Alauddin Khilji, invaded southern India in 1310 AD. It is known from history that some parts of the throat region of the Pandya country were given to the Sundarapandian by the help of the Koyasala king III. The idol of the god Agni, the pedestal of the lingam, the idol of Nandi, the broken idol of the goddess a short distance away, the large stone tank, and 3 km from the temple The Shiva Temple and the Perumal Temple may have been the most influential places in the area, as evidenced by the four tridents and the statue of Goddess Sridevi that marked the boundary of the land belonging to the Shiva temple on the perimeter. Following this, the warrior was assassinated by the Sultan in 1342 AD. Archaeological excavations at the temple have revealed the true history of the warriors and the kings of that time. In the past, except for the southern part of Madurai, all other parts of the country have a history of being ruled by a veera vallalan. Many shrines may have been rebuilt since the veera vallalan Sivathondana. So it is clear that this Shiva temple was built by a veera vallalan. The hero Agni belongs to the Agni clan and worships the god Agni in this temple (Agni’s vehicle is a goat. In this statue the goat is a vehicle).