Mangalanathaswamy Temple, Uthirakosamangai – The Temple
The temple is located 32 km East from Paramakudi and 10 km west from Ramanathapuram. There is a 6 ft. (1.8 m) tall ancient Maragatha Nataraja idol carved out of emerald inside the temple. The temple has a seven-tiered Rajagopuram (gateway tower). There are separate shrines for Mangalanathar (Shiva) in the form of lingam and Mangalambikai. A hall of Sahasralingam has thousand lingams enshrined in it.
At the entrance of the main precinct, the temple features exquisite stone carvings of Yali (mythological dragon), depicted with a rolling stone ball inside its mouth. The granite images of the deities Ganesha (son of Shiva and god of wisdom), Murugan (son of Shiva), Nandi (Representative of all our Souls) are located in the hall leading to the sanctum.
As in other Shiva temples of Tamil Nadu, the first precinct or the walls around the sanctum of Erumbeeswarar has images of Thenmugaparaman (Dakshinamurthy-Shiva as the Teacher), Durga (warrior-goddess) and Chandikeswarar (a saint and devotee of Shiva).
Mangalanathaswamy Temple is an old temple with 16 gopurams (towers) and is spread over 20 acres of land with a large pond called Agni Theertham.
Entering the temple complex through the Rajagopuram and then the second and third gates, there are many pillars carved with figures of deities, famous devotees and demons. After crossing the third gate, a great Nandi welcomes devotees and, unusually, this vehicle of Lord Shiva is housed in a separate mandapam with a gopuram.
Inside the Garbagraham or sanctum, the main deity, called Mangalanathar, is installed as a swayambu linga, a self-manifested form, along with his consort Mangala Nayagi Ambal shown in a devotional pose, bent low as a pious student with folded hands towards Shiva.
On the way to Natarajar temple we find other sub shrines dedicated to Sahasra Lingam, which has thousands of tiny Lingams carved on a single Shiva Linga and a separate shrine for Manikka Vasagar (the saint poet who was a regular visitor to this temple) near the Agnitheertham (tank). The sthala Vriksham is also considered as old as the temple. The base of this tree has a huge hollow in which you could find some images of serpents.
The beautiful temple to the west of the Mangalanathar Temple is the Nataraja temple where the deity is known as Maragatha Natarajar. The main attraction of this temple is a statue of Natarajar made of emerald which is about 51/2 feet tall. This idol is known as Maragatha Natarajar and the deity is always covered with sandal paste. Only in the Tamil month of Margazhi on Thiruvathirai nakshatram the sandal paste gets removed and there is Abhishekam for the idol and this special darshan is known as Arudhra Dharisanam. Lakhs of devotees visit the temple on this day and on the next day again the idol gets smeared with sandal paste. To have a darshan of this deity, one must be there around 12.00 noon on regular days.
The sons of Shiva and Parvathi, Skantha or Muruga and Ganesha and other deities commonly found in a Shiva temple, have their presence here. The Navagrahas, nine planet icons, are not found in this temple. There is a single figure of Saneeswara, Saturn. The experts say that the custom of worshipping Navagrahas came into practice after Ramanuja, the 11th century Vaishnava theologian, philosopher and scriptural guru acharya. Mangalanathaswamy Temple is older than his period.
The main deity here is Mangalanathar (Siva) and his consort is Mangaleswari. There is a Nandi just outside the sanctum and a bigger Nandi in the outer prakaram known here as Pradosha Nandi. Special poojas are conducted here on Pradosham days in the evenings as it is believed that Siva dances between the horns of Nandi during that time. There are also shrines for Kalabhairavar and Saneeswarar here. Each pillar in this temple has beautiful carvings and the ceiling is painted in myriad hues.
