Visalur Margapurisvarar Temple, Pudukottai

Address

Keeranur – Puliyur – Killukkottai Rd,

Visalur, Pudukkottai district,

Tamil Nadu 622504

Margapurisvarar

Location: Visalur Village, Kulathur Taluk, Pudukottai District, Tamil Nadu, India.

Presiding Deity: Lord Margasahayesvarar (also known as Margapurisvarar, Vasukisvaramudaiya Mahadevar, Varadukasuramudaiya Nayanar).

Historical Significance:

The temple is believed to have been built by Vijayalaya Chola (848-871 CE), with the earliest inscriptions dating to the reign of Parantaka Chola I (907 – 954 CE).
Lord Shiva here was referred to as Vasukisvaramudaiya Mahadevar and Varadukasuramudaiya Nayanar in the inscriptions.
The temple holds inscriptions from several Chola and Pandya rulers, including Parantaka Chola I, Rajaraja Chola I, Rajendra Chola II, Kulothunga Chola I, Kulothunga Chola III, and Jadavarman Veera Pandya, documenting grants of lands and gifts to the temple.
The place was historically known as Visalur, reflecting its strategic importance during the Chola and Pandya periods.

Special Features:

Temple Orientation: The temple faces east and has an entrance arch with stucco images of Lord Shiva and Parvathy, flanked by Murugan and Vinayaga.
Architecture:
- The temple features a two-tiered gopuram at the entrance of the inner prakaram.
- In front of the second-level gopuram, you will find Nandi, Balipeedam, and Dhwaja Sthambam, all facing towards the sanctum.
- The sanctum consists of the sanctum sanctorum, ardha mandapam, maha mandapam, and mukha mandapam. Nandi is positioned in the maha mandapam facing the sanctum.
Niches and Vimana:
- The external walls of the sanctum have no niches except for a southern niche that enshrines Dakshinamoorthy, believed to be a later addition.
- The vimana above the sanctum is of a single tier, square in shape, with large arches on all four sides. Niches below these arches house Dakshinamurti (south), Vishnu (west), and Brahma (north).
- Nandi is placed at the four corners of the vimana.
Chandikeswarar Shrine: Located in the usual position.
Cloistered Mandapa: A cloistered mandapa surrounds the external walls of the inner prakaram.
Additional Shrines and Idols:
- Various shrines and idols of deities like Vinayaga, Lakshmi, Murugan, Vishnu, Durga, Lingams, Jyestha Devi, Goddess Parvathy, Surya, Sapta Matrikas, Chandran, and Bhairava can be seen within the temple.
- Navagraha shrines are located in the Mukha Mandapam.