90. SRI PATHANJALI MANOHARAR TEMPLE AT THIRUVILAMAR

Devara Paadal Petra Sthalam	207th Shiva Sthalams(One of the Devara Paadal Petra Shiva Sthalam)
Region	Chola Naadu - South
Chola Naadu - South	90th Shiva Sthalam
Pathigam	Saint Thirugnanasambanthar

HISTORY:

Sages Pathanjali and Vyaagrapaathar had performed penance in Chidambaram. Pleased with their devotion, Lord Shiva blessed them with a vision of his cosmic dance. However, they prayed to the lord and requested that they wanted to also witness his “Ajaba” dance and “Rudra thandavam” as well. They also requested the lord to show his “Thiruvadi” (foot). Lord Shiva advised them to go to Thiruvarur to witness it. At Thiruvarur, Goddess Parvathy advised them to worship the lord at this place (Vilamal). Sage Pathanjali installed a Shivalingam made of sand and worshiped it. This lingam is known as “Sri Pathannjali Manohar”. After their worship, Lord Shiva blessed them with a vision of his Ajaba dance and showed his feet (“Thiruvadi”). The place where the lord danced came to be known as Vilamal and the place where the lord’s feet was seen came to be known as “Rudrapatham”. Vilamal means “Thiruvadi” (holy feet of Lord Shiva).  

This ancient temple is situated on the southern bank of the river “Oodampokki Aru”. The historical names of this place are Thiruvadi Kshethram, Sivapatha Sthalam and Thiru Vilamar. However, now this place is locally known as Vilamal.

People who worshipped here:

Lord Mahavishnu, Brahma, Devas and king Muchukunda Chakravarthy have also witnessed the lord’s dance. It is believed that this is one of the temples where King Dasarath worshiped the lord seeking child boon.

SALIENT FEATURE:

·        In the sanctum, an idol of Natarajar is placed behind the main deity and the image of lord’s foot (“Rudrapatham”) is placed in front of the main deity. Devotees have the benefit of worshiping all the three at the same time.

·        Goddess Madurabashini is very famous here. She is considered as the goddess who oversees all academic pursuits. Hence this place is considered as “Vidya Peet” (fountainhead of education).

·        Goddess Parvathy is praised here as “Sri Then Mozhi Ammai” meaning “voice as sweet as honey”. She is also praised as “Sri Yaazhinum men mozhiyalammai” meaning her voice is sweeter than “Yazh” (a musical instrument).

·        There is a separate shrine for Bairavar in the corridor. This idol is big in size and looks very beautiful. There is another idol of Bairavar in the hall. This idol is also big and has a “Chandra Pirai” on his head.

·        The uniqueness of this temple is that the idol of Mahavishnu is seen holding Lord Shiva’s foot on his head. Lord Chandikeswarar’s idol is also different from his usual form.

·        It is believed that Sage Agasthiyar has praised this Goddess Madurabashini as Sreeratharini, Rajasimmasaneswari and Sree Lalithambigai.

·        Goddess Durgai here is depicted as having eight hands and is praised as “Sri Raja Durgai”.

·        It is believed that the main Shivalingam is made of sand and at the time of the “arthi”, this idol glitters in the light.

·        It is believed that by worshiping the face of Lord Thiyagaraja in Thiruvarur and the lord’s foot in this temple on the same day, devotees will be blessed with salvation (they will be freed from the cycle of death and rebirth).

·        Normally, Annabishekam is celebrated in all Shiva temples on the full moon day in the Tamil month of Aippasi whereas in this temple Annabishekam is performed on all new moon days. Especially, “Mahalaya Amavasya” - new moon day in the Tamil month of Purattasi (Sept-Oct) is very famous here. 

TEMPLE INFORMATION:

Moolavar	Sri Pathanjali Manoharar Swamy
Ambal	Sri Madhura Baashini, Sri Thenmozhi Ammai, Sri Yaazhinum Men Mozhiyalammai, Sri Manjulavaani
Theertham	Agni Theertham
Sthala Vriksham	Vilvam / Kiluvai tree

BELIEF:

It is believed that those seeking “Santhana Prapthi” (child boon) can pray to the lord here. 

Devotees can get relief from the adverse effects of planets Raahu and Kethu by worshiping the lord here.

Those facing speech impairment (stammering) can visit this temple, place honey at the feet of Goddess Parvathy and consume the honey after performing poojas. It is believed that by doing so, devotees can be cured of their speech problems.

TEMPLE FESTIVAL:

Tamil Month	English Month	Festival Name
Aani	June-July	Aani Thirumanjanam
Aadi	July-Aug	Aadi Pooram
Avani	Aug-Sept	Vinayakar Chaturthi
Purattasi	Sep-Oct	Navarathri
Aippasi	Oct–Nov	Skanda Shashti and Annabishekam
Karthikai	Nov-Dec	Thiru Karthikai and Somavaram
Markazhi	Dec-Jan	Thiruvadhirai
Thai	Jan-Feb	Makara Sankranthi
Maasi	Feb-Mar	Maha Shivrathri
Panguni	Mar-Apr	Panguni Uthiram

HOW TO REACH:

Vilamar is situated at a distance of about 3 kms from Thiruvarur on the Thiruvarur to Tanjore route.

TEMPLE ADDRESS:

Sri Pathanjali Manoharar Temple,
Thiruvilamar (Vilamal),
Thiruvarur,
Tamil Nadu – 610 002.

LOCATION: