Kulasekara Swamy Temple, Sithamalli, Thiruvarur
Kulasekara Swamy Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to
Hindu God Shiva located at Sithamalli Village in Thiruvarur District of
Tamilnadu. Presiding Deity is called as Kulasekara Swamy and Mother is called
as Abhirami Amman. This Temple is also considered as sacred as Palani. The
historical name of the place was ‘Munnoothi Mangala Agraharam. This Temple is
situated western part of the Sithamalli on the bank of Deva Kulam (The Tank of
Deva).
Legends
Parihara
Temple for Mental Illness:
Pandavas were in a mental depression during their
vanavasa and by worshipping the Kulasekara Peruman here, they came to normalcy;
hence the name Sithamalli. The temple is considered to be a good parihara temple
for mental illness / depression.
Scar
Mark on Lingam:
Arjunan sent an arrow on the Shiva lingam since he was
upset in not getting the darshan of Lord Shiva. The scar mark due to the arrow
strike can be seen.
Siddhars
worshipped Shiva here:
Shiva here was worshipped by the Siddhars.
History
Sithamalli called as Munnuthimangalam Agraharam in
Mahabharata and "Suthamalli Sathurvethi Mangalam" in some
inscriptions. The temple is considered more than 2000 years old. Kulasekara
Pandyan built the temple in the 11th Century and was subsequently
patronized by Rajaraja Chola III and Nayak kings.
The
Temple
The Temple is having three tiered Rajagopuram and is
facing west. The temple complex is huge and has beautiful artwork. Presiding
Deity is called as Kulasekara Swamy and Mother is called as Abhirami Amman. The
deity is said to calm minds seething with confusion and worries (Sidhdhathai
Theliya Vaikkum Eesan) and hence the village was called Sidhdhamalli. Special
pujas are performed to mark the event of the rays of the Sun falling on
the sanctum sanctorum of Lord Kulasekhara in the evening, from
February 15 to March 15.
There are niches for Meenakshi and Sundareswarar,
Dhakshinamoorthi, Bhairavar. Dhandayuthapani is located in a separate Mandapam.
This Dhandayuthapani Statue is made of single stone is very special and
beautiful here. When you strike the Dhandam in his hand it sounds like bell
metal. Narthana Vinayaga statue is there with Snake on its waist with dancing
pose. Such type of Vinayaga is very rare to see in this world. Many people are
praying this Vinayaga for remove their "Dosha".
There are shrines for Meenakshi and Sundareswarar,
Dhakshinamoorthi, Bhairava, Surya, Ganesha, Baladandayuthapani, Subramanya with
his consorts Valli and Deivanai, Chandikeswarar, Navagrahas and Narthana
Vinayaga in this temple. Sithamalli Ground water is salt and not suitable for
drink. But, this temple well water is very tasty. This is called as
"Adhisaya Sunai" by local people. There are also Sri Devi, Boodevi samedha
Sri Varadharaja Perumal temple and Sri Kalyana Vinayagar temple here.
Adishtanam
of Sri Subramanya Yatindra:
Adjacent to the temple is the adishtanam of Sri
Subramanya Yatindra, a scholar. This is the birth place of Poojya Sri
Subramanya Yatindra Swamigal of Benares Hindu University and a Sanskrit
Scholar, who was one of the Gurus and a Vedic teacher of Sri Chandrasekarendra
Saraswathi Swamigal; he attained Samadhi here in 1933. A disciple of
Mahamahopadyaya Raju Sastri, Yatindra was one of the several pandits who
trained Sri Chandrasekarendra Saraswathi in Vedas, Upanishads and vyakarnam
when he took over as the 68th pontiff of Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam.
An ardent devotee of Paramacharya, Sri Yatindra looked
after the administrative affairs of the Math. A trusted lieutenant of the sage,
the latter commended him for his deep knowledge. He called him Eka Sandgrahi
(after a single reading or hearing he could recall verbatim the contents)
referring to his exceptional memory. Oh Yatindra request, Paramacharya bestowed
him abadsanyasam. On November 9, 1933, Subramanya Yatindra attained Samadhi.
His body was buried on the western side of Sri Kulasekara Swami temple and the
adishtanam became a place of worship.
Festivals
Vaikasi Visakam was celebrated with great fanfare.
Contact
Kulasekara Swamy Temple,
Sithamalli, Thiruvarur District
Phone: +91 – 4367 – 2815 2533
Mobile: +91 – 9840053289
Connectivity
The Temple is located at about 24 Kms from Thiruthuraipoondi,
30 Kms from Mannargudi, 8 Kms from Muthupettai, 29 Kms from Pattukkottai and
112 Kms from Trichy. Buses from Mannargudi and Muthupettai stop at Sithamalli.
The temple is 10 minutes away on foot. Nearest Railway Station is located at
Muthupettai and Nearest Airport is located at Trichy.