Brahmapureeswarar Temple,
Vilathotti – The Temple
This is an east facing temple
with an entrance arch. The entrance arch has stucco images of Lord Shiva and
Mother sitting on Nandi, housed in a small Mandapam, flanked by Vinayaga and
Murugan. The Temple covers an area of about one acre and is completely surrounded
by compound walls. The Temple has only one prakaram. Balipeedam and Nandi,
housed in a Mandapam, is located outside the Temple facing the sanctum.
The Sanctum Sanctorum consists
of a front Mandapam, Mahamandapam, Artha Mandapam and Sanctum. Presiding Deity
is called as Brahmapureeswarar and is facing east. He is housed in the sanctum
in the form of Lingam. Lord is Swayambhu Moorthy. Dakshinamurthy, Lingodbhava,
Brahma and Mother Durga are the Koshta Idols located around the sanctum walls. Chandikeswarar
Shrine can be seen in his usual location.
Mother is called as Itsharasu
Nayaki. She is housed in a separate east facing shrine. As her blessings are as
sweet as sugarcane juice (Itshu in Sanskrit means sugarcane, Rasa-juice). She
came to be called as Itsharasu Nayaki. Nandi and Balipeedam is situated in
front of Mother shrine and can be found facing the Mother Shrine. Lord
Balamuruga shrine is situated behind the sanctum. There is a Lingam infront of
Lord Murugan in the shrine. He is behind his father here as in Kumara
Vayalur and blesses the devotees.
Lord Vinayaka, praised as
Aabathu Katha Vinayaka (Vinayaka rescuing devotees at any time of crisis) greets
the devotees from the left side of the Maha Mandapam. His idol is a little
bigger in size than seen usually in temples. The special Mandapam and
Mahamandapam are just after the entrance. The sculpture showing Lord
Brahma worshipping Lord Shiva is on the left side of the Maha Mandapam. There
are idols of Nataraja with his consort Shivagami and Manikkavasakar on the
right side of the Mahamandapam.
Lord Maha Vishnu with his
consorts Rukmini and Sathyabama graces the devotees from his shrine on the left
side of Mahamandapam in his Venugopala posture. Garudazhwar can be seen facing
the shrine. Devotees believe that Perumal in this temple grants all prosperity
to his devotees. There are shrines for Niruthi Vinayaga, Gajalakshmi,
Mahalakshmi, Bhairavar, Suryan and Saneeswarar in the Temple premises. Sthala
Vriksham is Vilwa Tree.
