Punugeeswarar Temple,
Mayiladuthurai – The Temple
This Temple is facing towards west with five tiered Rajagopuram. There is an entrance arch at the entrance of the street. The entrance arch has stucco images of Shiva Lingam being worshipped by Punugu (civet) cat flanked by Murugan and Vinayaga on its top. The pillars of the entrance arch have stucco images of Ardhanareeswarar and Durga. Balipeedam, Dhwaja Sthambam and Nandi can be found in the front Mandapam immediately after the Rajagopuram, facing the sanctum.
Mother is called as Santha Nayagi. She is housed in a separate south facing shrine. Her shrine is situated to the right side of the sanctum in outer prakaram. She is in standing posture. She holds Pasa & Ankusa in her upper hands and showing Varada & Abhaya Hastha in her lower hands. Chandikeswari Shrine can be seen in the circumbulatory path around here shrine.
Nandi and Balipeedam can be seen facing her shrine. Palliayarai and Pradosha Nayagar Mandapam can be seen near her shrine. There is a temple pond inside the temple premises. Nandi can be seen in the Mandapam in the middle of the pond. Dhyana Mandapam and Vinayagar Shrine can be seen on the banks of the temple pond. There is a second level three tiered gopuram at the entrance of the inner prakaram.
The Sanctum Sanctorum consists of Sanctum, Ardha Mandapam and Maha Mandapam. Presiding deity is called as Punugeeswarar and is facing west. He is housed in the sanctum in the form of Lingam. Vinayaga, Dakshinamoorthy, Lingodbhava, Brahma and Durga are the koshta idols located around the sanctum walls. Chandikeswarar Shrine can be seen in his usual location. Sculptures of Juraheswarar and Vinayagar can be seen in the outer walls of sanctum.
There are shrines of Vilenthiya Velavar (utsava idol), Shanmugar, Varada Vinayaga, Ayyapan, Lakshmi, Nataraja, Navagrahas, Suryan, Somaskanda, Hanuman, 63 Nayanmars, Nesa Nayanar, Chandran and Bhairavar in the inner prakaram. Sthala Vriksham is Pavazha Malli. It is situated in the inner prakaram. There are shrines for Nardana Vinayaga, Sahasra Lingeswarar, Saneeswarar and Nesa Nayanar in the outer prakaram. Yaga Salai, Nandavanam and Madapalli can be seen in the outer prakaram.
