Mahishasuramardhini Temple,
Ammangudi – The Temple
The Temple is east facing with
an entrance arch. Though it is a temple known for the Durga shrine, the main
shrine is that of Lord Kailasanathar. Generally, Durga Shrine in a Shiva temple
is generally seen on the Koshta wall. Here she is in a separate shrine facing
East. Perhaps this is one of the few shrines with east facing Durga. She is
called as Durga Parameswari / Mahishasuramardhini. She sits on her Lion mount
with eight hands with various weapons, but the Mother sports a calm demeanor.
Since Devi herself presides over
the Navagrahas, there is no separate shrine for Navagrahas in the Temple. However,
the Sun and Sani are installed in prakaram. The Sun in this temple is unique. He
is in the form of a child wearing the Thandai (Jewel worn on the ankles). The
idol of Goddess Saraswathi is also unique as she is seen without the Veena in
her hands. She is called as Yoga Saraswathi. She draws devotees especially
those with children who want to excel in academics.
Lord Ganesha of this Temple is
made up of Salagrama Stone. Usually Vishnu Idols are made up of these stones. He
turns colour from green in the morning to blue in the noon and again green in
the evenings. His trunk (Thumbikai in Tamil) does not lie on his belly; it is
with small perforations and is slightly away from the body. The Ganesa holds a
Japa Mala (one used during prayers) and hence he is called as Tapas Maragatha
Vinayakar.
There are also shrines for Lord
Subramanya along with his consorts Valli & Devasena, Parvathy, Dakshinamurthy,
Chandikeswarar, Bhairavar, Brahma and Vishnu in the Temple premises. Theertham
associated with this Temple is Papa Vimochana Theertham.
