Vaidyanatha Swami Temple,
Vaitheeswaran Koil – Worship Practices & Prayers
Vaidyanatha:
Devotees from all parts of South
India throng the temple as Lord Vaidyanatha is the Kula Devatha of many
families. People pray here for remedy from various ailments, boils, pimples and
scars. They get the special oil from the temple and apply them on the body.
Praying to Lord Vaidyanatha brings mental peace and relief from hardships.
People pray here for employment opportunities, progress in trade and profession,
promotions, wedding and child boons and relief from adverse planetary aspects.
Many consume the medicine offered in the temple. Medical students pray here to pass
their exams with distinction. According to scriptures, worshipping Lord facing
west brings the devotee the benefit of worshipping in 1000 Shiva temples.
Thaiyal Nayaki:
Mother Thaiyal Nayaki ensures
the welfare of the children.
Angaraka:
People who are affected by
malefic Mars in their horoscope perform Angaraka pooja to neutralize the negative
effects. Chevvai related Dosha are rectified by performing pariharam (remedies)
poojas to this deity. It is traditional to perform Navagraha pooja to get rid
of financial crisis, property dealing, productivity of agriculture and milk. It
also solves any problem between brothers and sisters. Chevvai also heels cut
wounds. People do the prayers on Krthika star days and Tuesdays undertaking
fasting and performing abisheks offering clothing in red. There is a widespread
believe that when one visits here, it would remove obstacles of the delayed
marriage (Chevvai Dosham).
Siddhamirtham Tank:
The devotees as soon as entering
the temple, they first go to Siddhamirtham tank (Siddhamirtham tank consist of
18 wells) filled with holy water and mix with medicines in form of leaves. The
water has curative properties for various skin elements. The holy water of the
Siddhamirtham tank within the temple complex contains nectar, and a holy dip is
believed to cure all diseases.
Offerings:
Devotees offer punugu a cosmetic
paste, borneol (Pachai Karpooram in Tamil) sandal, lime, rosewater and flowers
to Lord Muthukumaraswami for the Arthajama puja with milk rice nivedhana. They
perform abishek with sandal and offer sari for Mother Thaiyal Nayaki. For Lord,
they perform abishek with rice flour, turmeric powder, cosmetic powders and
oil, milk, curd, sacred ash, rose water, green coconut, panchamirtha, lime
fruit, honey, sandal etc. Devotees also undertake tonsuring.
Ear boring ceremony is
celebrated in the temple. They also light Maa Vilakku made of rice flour and
ghee, offer Mangal sutras and god symbols as a prayer commitment. They place
salt, pepper and mustard and eye symbols made of silver in the Ambika shrine.
Some devotees arrange Annadhanam-feeding. Distribute the nivedhanas to visiting
devotees with usual abisheks etc. Some contribute for the renovation of the
temple.
Practice of jamming salt and pepper:
The practice of jamming salt and
pepper in front of the temple mast and the pot near the temple tank is also
followed.
Priests:
Unlike other temples in South
India, where each shrine has a priest, each priest in the temple
associates themselves with the devotees and perform worship on their
behalf.
Dhanvatri:
As this is the place where Dhanvatri
Siddha attained Samadhi, people pray here for relief from various ailments.
Prasadams:
Tiruchandu Urundai:
Tiruchandu Urundai is the
prasadam being offered to the devotees here and it is made of medicinal clay (being
extracted from a pond close to the temple), essence from neem leaves, neem
bark-powder and holy ash being collected from Homa Kundam (sacred fire). It is
a panacea capable of curing almost all kinds of diseases that an ardent devotee
of Lord Shiva suffers from.
Netirapadi Chandanam:
Netirapadi Chandanam is the
other prasadam being offered to the devotees. It is nothing, but sandal paste
mixed with saffron and it gets medicated powerfully when it is offered to Lord
Subramanya.
Other Prasadams:
Salt, Unrefined sugar and pepper
being offered here in this temple, it is believed by the devotees, would cure
so many diseases like skin rashes, infection and unwanted ugly warts on the
faces and body.