Sri Piravi Marundeeswarar Temple - Ashwini Nakshatra

Address

Sri Piravi Marundeeswarar Temple, Thiruthuraipoondi, Thiruvarur – 614713

Diety

Gajasamharamurthy, Amman: Bruhan Nayaki

Introduction

Sri Piravi Marundeeswarar Temple is in Thiruthuraipoondi near Thiruvarur district. This temple is an exclusive one for Ashwini starrers. There is a belief that if Ashwini nakshatra people visit this temple and do Parihars(Special offerings) to Piravi Marundeeswarar all their sins will vanish and they will have a new birth.The unique feature of this temple is that Lord Shiva is facing the west which is rare and it is very different from the normal tradition. According to Hindu Philosophy, birth itself is considered as an illness. Piravi means Birth. Marundu means Medicine. Hence the Lord “Piravi Marundeeshwarar” is the one who acts as a medicine for getting relieved from the cycle of birth and death, that is attaining Moksha.

Puranic Significance

As per the Sthala Purana, there was a demon named Jallika. Though she was a demon, she had noble characters and she was an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva. But her husband, Virubakshan was a demon by body and soul. Jallika tried to change him as a good human being. But he did not listen to any of her advice. He even had a practice of eating the human flesh. Once a Brahmin boy was walking towards the river Ganga to perform Shrardha (annual ritual) for his late father. Virubakshan tried to eat that Brahmin boy. Jallika tried to convince her husband for not eating the human flesh. But he ignored her advice and gobbled the Brahmin Boy. As a result, Virubakshan died immediately.Immediately, Jallika came to Thiruthuraipoondi and worshiped Lord Shiva and the Goddess Parvathi for bringing her husband back to life.Being pleased by her prayers, the Goddess Bruhan Nayaki appeared before her and gave life to both the Demon Virubakshan and the Brahmin Boy. She not only gave life to the Demon but also changed him to a Kind Hearted Person. She also promised long life for Virubakshan. Then the boy asked the Goddess about the reason why she gave back his life. Goddess Bruhan Nayaki answered that she will always protect the person who remembers to perform the ancestral ceremonies with dedication and devotion. Also, the Lord Shiva promised to give Moksha (free from birth and death cycles) to the Brahmin Boy’s father.

Beliefs

From way back in Tarukavanam there lived some Rishies who were very proud and arrogant. They believed that Lord Siva attained his Godly character because of their Yagas. So in order to teach them a lesson Lord Siva came in disguise as a handsome beggar, mesmerized by his handsomeness all the Rishies followed him madly, like adding fuel to the fire God Vishnu too came in disguise as a glamorous lady, again these Rishis went mad behind her. After some time they realized that they have been fooled by the both and so they planned to destroy them with the help of an elephant. At this point Lord Siva revealed himself and killed the elephant and also the pride of Rishies. This is the legend behind this temple.

Special Features

As I mentioned above, this is one of the special temples for Ashwini Starers. People who are born in Ashwini Nakshathira naturally have the power of resistance from the illnesses. So it is highly advised to visit this temple for retaining that gift. They also pray here for getting relieved from the adverse planetary effects. It is believed that by worshipping the Lord on a Full Moon or a New Moon day would help them in getting rid of unnecessary fear from the mind and illness. Women offer special prayers here for the well-being and long life of their husbands. They do Abishekam and offer clothes to the Lord

Festivals

There are ample festivals celebrated here among them the Chithirai festival during April-May, Navratri (Sep-Oct) and Shivaratri festivals are notable.