Mangalapureeswarar Temple, Thiruchopuram – Legends
Sage
Agasthya worshipped Lord Shiva here:
During the marriage of Lord Siva and
Parvathy the land tilted to one side, due to the weight of
complete Mankind and Devas who gathered to see the function. So, Lord
Siva asked Agasthya Muni to travel towards south to balance. As the sage
was traveling he installed Siva Lingam in many places for his
worship. Once when he came to this place he had severe stomach ache and he
prayed to Lord Siva. He tried to make a Lingam of sand which was
available there. He was not able to do the Lingam. He realized Lord was
testing him. He finally used some herbs found nearby and extracted
juice from it and mixed them to sand and made a Lingam out of it. The Lingam has
palm print of sage Agasthya when he installed it. He was relieved from stomach
ache.
Mangalapureeswarar:
The lord here is called Sri Mangalapureeswarar because
it is believed that Goddess Parvathi became one with the Lingam when Agasthya
Maharishi installed it. This is the reason why, unlike regular offerings made
to Lord Shiva, turmeric and kumkum are used in the worship of this Lord. Both
these offerings are usually made to the goddess and are considered very
auspicious (“Mangalam” in Tamil).
Thambiran
Kanda Koil:
According to legend, this temple was once completely
covered by sand dunes. About two hundred years ago, a saint by the name of
saint, Ramalinga Yogi (Thambiran) from the Madurai Thirugnanasambanthar Adheenam
discovered this temple. All the villagers with the help of Thambiran started
removing the sand. After removing the sand, it was observed that the lamp near
the Shiva deity was burning. This shows that regular pooja was conducted by Devars
/ Sages even though the moolavar was completely covered with sand. He took the
help of many people from nearby villages and began the arduous task of
renovating this temple. Therefore, the temple is also called “Thambiran Kanda Koil” (the temple found by Thambiran).
Thiyagavalli:
Another version of the story is that this temple was
renovated by the Chola King Kulothungan and his wife, Thiyagavalli. Hence the
village around this temple is named “Cholarpuram” and “Thiyagavalli”. Idols of
the king and queen can also be found in the corridors of the temple.
