Sri Emathandiswarar Temple, Villupuram

Address

Sri Emathandiswarar Temple, Alagram Village, Villupuram District – 604 302.

Diety

Ematandiswarar Amman: Tripurasundari

Introduction

Villupuram district, 4 km from Tindivanam next to Kootteripattu, is located inland ‘Alagram’. Located on the northern bank of the Thondi River, it was known as ‘Arkaramur’ and later became known as Maruvi ‘Alagram’. This is where the 1500year old ‘Emathandiswarar’ Shiva Temple is located. The temple was found to be in a state of disrepair. When the villagers started rebuilding the temple, the deities Ganesha, Murugan, Vishnu and Lakuliswarar were found. Archaeologists have confirmed that the style of these statues dates back to the Pallava period

Puranic Significance

Markandeyan, who had just reached the age of sixteen, knew the last day of his life and began to perform Sivapooja on that day. When Yaman came to capture his life, Markandeyan surrendered to Shiva and tied the Shiva lingam. Yaman threw his spear at Markandeyan and it fell on Shiva. Lord Shiva, the glorious torchbearer who has no beginning and no end, kicked his leg in anger at being thrown at him Chiranjeevi blessed Markandeyan. The sin that Shiva threw on Pasakya, persecuted Yaman and prevented him from doing his Dharma. So Yemen went to many places and reached the place now known as Alagram. At this point he repented towards Shiva. Pleased with Yaman’s meditation, Lord Shiva appeared before Yaman and said, “If you bathe in the Ganges six times, your sin will be removed.” And to bathe Yaman, he brought the Ganges into the pool there by his power. ‘Alagram’ is the place where Lord Shiva brought the Ganges to Yaman. The name of the Lord here is Ematandiswarar. During the restoration work on the temple in 2015, the Eastern public found 4 ancient sculptures and restored them. The inscription on the Murugan sculpture was inaccessible. The beautiful Ganesha statue, which is 75 cm high and 40 cm wide, is made of a single stone and is considered to be the oldest Ganesha statue in Tamil Nadu. Hence, we call him ‘Mutta Ganesha’. Ganesha statue at Pillaiyarpatti, AD Belongs to the 6th century. However, the Tamil inscriptions found on this Ganesha sculpture date back to AD. So the inscription confirms that this sculpture is older than the Pillaiyarpatti statue. Another sculpture found here is the Lakulisuvar sculpture. Lakulisuvar is the 28th name of Lord Shiva. Lakulam means ‘stick’. The Lakuliswarar is a deity worshiped by the Agoris, who wear only Mars with extreme devotion to Lord Shiva, cover their bodies with ashes and worship the Lord half-naked. After the emergence of this cult in Gujarat, it spread little by little to Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Orissa. A four and a half feet high and two and a half feet wide sculpture of Lord Vishnu carved in a single slab of stone is presently placed on the west side of the temple. Belonging to the sculptural style of the Pallava period. In this sculpture, Sridevi and Bhudevi worship and worship Lord Mahavishnu wearing a rudratsam. The square-shaped source of the Audaiyar, the square sanctum and the square plane confirm the Pallava period. Mother Tripurasundari, who is worshiping here, is 6 feet tall with a blue lotus and a lotus in both hands, and in the right hand she is standing in a standing posture with her arms outstretched.

Beliefs

Pradosha is held very specially in this temple. It is said that Nandi Peruman can be felt breathing during times of joy. The idol of Goddess Ganga is located in the pool opposite the temple as the Lord brought the Ganges here. It is believed that one can get the blessings of bathing in the Ganges by bathing here. Getting married at this point is considered ideal. Apart from this, Sashtiyapta Purti, Bhimaratha Shanti, Sadabhishekam, etc. are considered to be special here. It is said that one can get all the wealth and longevity by worshiping Ganapati Homa for the elder Ganesha here.

Special Features

The beautiful Ganesha statue made of a single stone is considered to be the oldest Ganesha statue in Tamil Nadu. The four and a half feet high and two and a half feet wide Vishnu sculpture carved in a single slab of stone belongs to the Pallava style of sculpture. In this sculpture, Sridevi and Bhudevi worship and worship Lord Mahavishnu wearing a Rudratsam. Tripurasundari Ambal in this Emathandiswarar Temple will be on display seven days a week with seven different facial expressions. Navagraha Sannidhi is usually located in Shiva temples. This temple is a temple where there are no new planets as the Lord removes all the imperfections in this temple.