This temple is situated about 17 kms from Kumbhakonam towards Mannargudi. This Shiva temple is the Navagraha sthala for planet Jupiter. The temple is more than 2000 years old and is one of the 275 temples revered by Nayanmars.
Moolavar (Main deity): Apatsahayeshwarar, Kashiaranyeshwarar
Utsav Murti: Lord Dakshinamurti
Amman (Consort): Elawarkuzhali, Umai Amman
Kshetra vruksha: Silk cotton tree (in Tamil Poolai)
Sacred teertha: Brahma teertha, Amrut Pushkarini and 13 others
Pouranik Name: Erumppolai (Thiru-virum-poolai)
Name of place: Alangudi
Disctrict: Tanjavur (Tamil Nadu)
Important features:
The temple is east facing temple. The moolavar (shiva linga) is a swayambhu murti. This place is more revered as Guru Sthalam or Lord Dakshinamurti kshetra. This is a parihar sthala for Guru dosha.
Salient features of this place:
Every year, in the tamil month of Masi (Feb-Mar), special abhishek is performed for Lord Dakshinamurti. This day is considered more auspicious than the day on which Jupiter transits from one rashi to another. There is no direct darshan of Guru but Lord Dakshinamurti is the Guru as he gave Guru upadesha to Sanakaadi (Sanaka and others) munis at this place. Hence he is considered as Adi Guru (first guru) of Guru Parampara.
As the black colored silk cotton plant is the kshetra vruksha and as Lord Shiva drank the poison for devas and sat at this place, the place got the name Alangudi.
This place is one of the pancha aranya sthalas. This place is considered as the parivar sthala for Lord Mahalingeshwarar at Thiruvidaimaruthur. In a separate shrine near this temple we have the idol of Daksha (father of Parvati) with a goat’s head. He was fitted with a goat's head by Lord Shiva at the request of Goddess Parvati when Daksha was killed by Veerabhadra.
There is a separate shrine of Shukrawar Ambika (Parvati). Special pujas are performed on Fridays at this place.
In this temple the shrines of Mata (Parvati), Pita (Shiva) and Guru (Lord Dakshinamurti) are arranged according to the order of worship in Hindu religion i.e. Mata-Pita-Guru and Daiva.
Legends:
1) Amuthohar, a minister of Mukund Chakravarty, who built this temple refused to share the punya with the king. The king beheaded the minister and at that time the name of the minister echoed all over the temple. The king atoned for the Brahmahatya dosha committed by him at this temple.
2) The idol of saint Sundar murti nayanar shows scars of smallpox. The idol along with other idols was taken to Thiruvarur from Alangudi by the king and he did not wish to part with the idol. A priest brought this idol back stealthily to Alangudi. He tricked the guards by wrapping the idol in cloths. He informed the guards that this child had smallpox, so that guards allowed him to pass through. On reaching Alangudi when he unwrapped cloth bundle the idol had scars of smallpox.
3) Goddess Mahalakshmi worshiped Lord Shiva at this place for santana prapti.
4) Goddess Parvati performed penance here before marrying Lord Shiva at Thirumanamangala very close to Alangudi. Lord Mahavishnu, Lord Brahma, Indra, Goddess Lakshmi, Ashta Dikpal and Veerabhadra had visited this place and witnessed the wedding.
5) Saint Sundarar received panchakshara upadesh from Lord Dakshinamurti in this place.
6) Adi Shankaracharya received mahavakya upadesh from Lord Dakshinamurti at this place.
7) Veerabhadra, sages Kashyapa and Vishwamitra, King Muchhukanda have worshiped Lord Shiva at this place.
8) Once when Goddess Parvati was playing with a ball made of flowers and she had thrown it up, and when she had raised Her hands to catch it, the Sun god who was passing by, mistook the raised hands as a signal to stop and he stopped out of reverence. Sun’s stopping, however brief, was a cause for great turmoil for all in the universe (Sun is in constant relative motion with Earth). When Lord Shiva came to know of this inadvertent folly, He asked Parvati to take birth and she followed.
This temple is where Goddess Parvati did Her penance to please Lord Shiva and eventually married with Him. During this marriage, all Gods were present – Ganesh, Murugan etc. This temple, created by Parvati, was known as KashiAranya and the place considered equivalent to Kashi.
9) A demon named Gajamukha was troubling people and Gods. Lord Shiva sent His son Ganapati to punish him. Therefore, there is a Ganapati temple here and Ganapati is known as Kaatha Vinayakar (Kaatha = Protector, Vinayak = Ganapati and Aakar = Form).
Other shrines and deities:
Vinayaka, Lord Muruga with Valli and Deivanai, Nataraja and Shivakami, Somaskanda, Surya, Chandra, Kashi Vishwanath and Vishalakshi, Sapta Linga (namely Suryeshwararar, Someshwarara, Ghrushneshwar, Somnath, Saptarishinadar, Vishwanath, Brahmeshwar), Varadraj Perumal and Sri Devi, Nalwar, Shani, Bhairav, Sapta mata, and Sages Vishwamitra and Agastya idols are found in the parikrama.
Koshta murtis are found on the outer walls of Sanctum Sanctorum. Lord Dakshinamurti is in a separate shrine and is worshiped as a guru.
Specialities at this temple:
1) Only Lord Dakshinamurti is taken in a procession in a chariot.
2) Separate nagasannidhi is found here. People worship to get rid of Naga dosha. In this place there is no death due to snake bite
3) Lord Shiva is worshiped here in the evening.
4) Sage Agastya is worshiped before worshiping Lord Muruga at this place.
5) Parivar sthalams of Sri Mahalingeshwarar temple are 1. Thiruvalamchuzhi Vinayak temple, 2. Swami Malay Murugan temple, 3. Alangudi Lord Dakshinamurti, 4. Thiruvadudurai Nandi temple 5. Suryanar kovil Navagraha 6. Thiruvappadi Chandikeshwar temple 7. Chidambaram Nataraja. 8. Sirkazhi Bhairav temple, 9. Thiruvarur Somaskanda
This temple is revered as murti (glory of the lord) sthala, sacredness of the land and sacred teertha.
Important festivals:
- Guru transit
- Chaitra pournima
- Thai pusam festival in (Jan-Feb)
- Panguni uttaram car (chariot) festival in Mar-April
- Pradosha puja on every pradosha day
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