Sakkottai Veerasekarar Temple, Sivaganga

Address

Sakkottai, Sivaganga District,

Tamil Nadu- 630 108

Phone: +91- 4565 – 272 117

Mobile: +91 – 99943 84649

Moolavar

Veerasekarar (Thirumudithalumbar)

Amman

Umayambigai (Umayaval).

Introduction

The Veerasekarar Temple, located in Sakkottai, near Karaikudi, in the Sivagangai district of Tamil Nadu, is dedicated to Lord Shiva.

Deities:

The presiding deity of the temple is known as Veerasekarar, or Thirumudithalumbar, a form of Lord Shiva.
The goddess is called Umayambigai, or Umayaval.

Puranic Significance

Historical Significance:

The temple is of historical significance and has inscriptions that suggest its construction during the 15th to 16th century. A kumbhabhishekam (consecration ceremony) was conducted in 1887.
The temple is currently maintained by 130 Pulli Devakottai Nagarathars, led by former Chief Justice A R Lakshmanan and his family.

Legends and Miracles:

Shiva Curing the Leprosy of a King:
- According to legend, a hunter who was digging for Valli roots came across a Shiva Linga that was bleeding. The news was conveyed to the local king, who was suffering from leprosy. When the king heard about the discovery, he was miraculously cured of his ailment. In gratitude, he built this temple.
Miracle of the Veerai Tree:
- During a visit by a Pandya king, he doubted the miraculous powers of the Lord. To prove his divinity, the Veerai tree in the temple premises transformed into a Jack tree. The king, overwhelmed by this miracle, sought forgiveness from the Lord, and his illness was cured by consuming the fruit of the tree. The tree then reverted to its original form, Veerai.
Boiled Rice as Nivedhana:
- Saint Manickavasagar, while serving the Pandya king and in need of rice for the deity’s offerings, used boiled rice he had on hand. Since then, offering boiled rice to the Lord became a tradition at the temple.
Lord Punishing Cheaters:
- In another legend, a devotee who had no children donated some of his cows to a Brahmin and sold the rest to another person. The cows donated to the Brahmin went in search of the other cows and joined them. The king settled the dispute by having both parties take a dip in a sacred spring. The one who cheated lost his eyes as divine punishment and sought forgiveness from the Lord.

Beliefs

Those concerned with the welfare of the children (facing Puthra doshas); those suffering with vision problems pray to Lord and Mother in the temple. Women offer Thalipottu (Mangal Sutra) to Mother Ambika. Those facing speech troubles and stammering tie bells in Lord’s shrine.

Special Features

The temple faces east and features a 7-tier Rajagopuram, or entrance tower. In front of the temple, there is a temple pond and a mandapam.
The temple was constructed in stages, resembling a mada temple. While there are no inscriptions on the main deity’s sanctum, some inscriptions are found in the front mandapam.
In the inner prakaram (courtyard), you can find sculptures of 63 Nayanmars, Bairavar, Subramaniyar, Gajalakshmi, Perumal, Nataraja, Navagrahas, and a stone Veeramaram with Nagars. The temple also has a separate shrine for Ambal with a Dwajasthambam (flagpole), Balipeedam (sacrificial platform), and Nandhi.
The temple tank is called Chola Theertham, and there is a path around the temple for processional chariots.
There’s a Vahana Mandapam for housing the processional vahanams (chariots) of the deities.
The temple features Lord Bhairava with two dog vahanams.

Festivals

Ten day Aani, Aadi months covering June to August; Shivrathri in February-March and Aipasi Skanda Sashti in October-November are the festivals celebrated in the temple.