Devara Paadal Petra Sthalam | 175th Shiva Sthalams(One of the Devara Paadal Petra Shiva Sthalam) |
Region | Chola Naadu - South |
Chola Naadu - South | 58th Shiva Sthalam |
Pathigam | Saint Thirugnanasambanthar |
HISTORY:
Lord
Brahma fell in love with the celestial angel Urvasi. For this reason, he was
cursed by Lord Shiva to go to the earth and worship him. It is believed that
Brahma visited Thilatharpanapuri and performed rigorous penance. Lord Shiva
granted him darshan and relieved him from the curse.
Lord
Ram and Lakshmana are believed to have learnt about the news of their father
King Dasaratha’s demise here. They performed the “Thila Tharpanam” for their father
here. “Thilam” means gingili seeds and “Tharpanam” means performing rites in
Tamil. “Thila Tharpanam” is a ceremony that is offered to departed ancestors by
male descendants. It is also believed that Lord Ram performed this rites for
his affectionate bird “Jatayu” (Jatayu is the king of vultures) here.
The
idol of Lord Ram with four lingams can be seen in the corridors. The legend is
that when Lord Ram performed “Thila Tharpanam”, he kept four rice balls
(Pindam) which later became the four lingams. Lord Ram’s idol is quite unique –
he can be seen sitting on his right leg and performing the rites. Since the
lord is believed to have been given salvation to Lord Ram’s father here, the
lord is praised as Sri Muktheeswarar (“Mukthi” means salvation in Tamil). This
is the reason why this place also gets the name “Thila Tharpana Puri”, which
was later changed to Sethalapathy.
The
temple is situated on the southern banks of the river Arisilaru which is
flowing in the north to south direction. Rivers flowing in such direction are
called “Uthiravahini”. The historical names of this place are Thilathai Pathi
and Thilatharpanapuri. However, now it is known as Sethalapathy. The historical
name of the temple is Madhimutham.
Narchothi:
Another
legend associated with this place is that of a king from Banaras (Kasi) called
Narchothi. The king wanted to perform the ritual ceremony for his deceased
father. However, he wanted to offer food (pindam) to his ancestors directly. He
tried travelling to many places but his offering was not accepted anywhere. It
is believed that in this place his “Thila Tharpanam” offer was finally accepted
by his ancestors. Hence this place is considered to be very auspicious to
perform the ritual ceremonies for departed ancestors.
People who worshipped here:
Goddess
Parvathy, Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Brahma, Lord Suryan, Lord Chandran and king
Narchothi have worshiped Lord Shiva here. It is also believed that an elephant
and a lion have worshipped Lord Shiva of this temple.
SALIENT
FEATURE:
·
This is a famous
“parihara sthalam” for conducting ancestral rites similar to that performed it
in Rameswaram.
·
The sanctum’s
tower is called “Dhuvithala Vimanam”.
·
One of the
important deities of this temple is “Nara Mukha Ganapathy” who can be seen in a
separate shrine near the entrance of the temple. This Vinayakar has a human
face. This is a rare form of Lord Vinayakar and is also popularly known as
“Aadhi Vinakayar”.
·
Goddess Parvathy
is praised here as “Sri Swarnavalli”. “Swarnam” means gold in Tamil. Those who
are fond of gold and want to acquire it can visit this temple and worship the
goddess to seek her blessings.
·
Most of the
idols in this temple display exquisite craftmanship. The idols of Lord
Dakshinamurthy, Lord Ram, Goddess Durgai, Nalvars and Perumal are especially
noteworthy.
·
There are 7
places that are considered to be very auspicious for performing rituals for
deceased ancestors. They are Banaras, Gaya, Rameswaram, Srivanchiam,
Thiruvenkadu, Thilatharpanapuri (Sethalapathy) and the Thiriveni Sangam at
Allahabad.
·
It is believed
that both Lord Suryan and Lord Chandran worshiped the lord here simultaneously.
Hence all days are considered here as “new moon day” (Amavasya). In this
temple, their idols are also kept together.
·
It is believed
that for conducting the ritual ceremony in this place, there is no need to see
the date and time, any date is considered auspicious.
·
In his hymn,
Saint Thirugnanasambanthar mentioned that those who recite this hymn sincerely
and regularly would definitely reach Lord Shiva’s abode. He also referred to
this place as “Madhimutham”. The saint also mentioned in his hymn that Lord
Shiva here was worshiped by Lord Suryan, Lord Chandran, an elephant and a lion.
·
Beautiful
paintings of all the 63 Nayanmars can be seen on the walls of the main hall in
front of the sanctum sanctorum.
TEMPLE INFORMATION:
|
Moolavar |
Sri Madhimuktheswarar, Sri Mandaravaneswarar |
|
Ambal |
Sri Porkodi Nayaki, Sri Swarnavalli, Sri Maragatha
Valli |
|
Theertham |
Surya Theertham, Chandra Theertham and river
Arisilaru |
|
Sthala
Vriksham |
Mantharai tree |
BELIEF:
Similar
to Rameswaram, performing rituals for ancestors here is considered to be of
great significance and this is a parihara sthalam for “Pithru Dosha”.
|
Tamil Month |
English Month |
Festival Name |
|
Avani |
Aug-Sept |
Vinayakar
Chaturthi |
|
Karthikai |
Nov-Dec |
Thirukarthikai |
|
Maasi |
Feb-Mar |
Maha Shivrathri |
HOW
TO REACH:
Sethalapathy
is situated at a distance of about 25 kms from Mayiladuthurai on the
Mayiladuthurai to Thiruvarur route. First travel to Poonthottam (20 kms) and
then to Sethalapathy (5 kms). Nearest railway station is Poonthottam which is
about 3 kms away from this temple.
TEMPLE
ADDRESS:
Sri Madhimuktheeswarar
Temple
Sethalapathy,
Poonthottam,
Nannilam,
Thiruvarur,
Tamil Nadu – 609503.
LOCATION:
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