Presiding deity: Satyagiriswarar
Mother : Venuvaneswari
Speciality : Kudavarai temple
Special shrines : for Gajalakshmi and Durga
Holy tree: Bamboo Tree
Holy spring : Chandrapushkarani
Place : Thirumayam
Scriptural name : Thirumayyam
District: Pudukottai
Prayer:
Many come to the temple to get a child and pray to Venuvaneswari. They also pray for marriage alliances.
Prayer commitments:
People offer bangles and dolls. People distribute the nivedhana to the visitors. Also arrange feeding them. The rich offer good donations for the maintenance of the temple.
Speciality:
With a view to harmonize the relations between Saivism and Vaishnavism, the Pallava kings built this temple with another temple covered by a single compound wall. The temples are built with a single rock. One cannot come around the Sathyagiriswarar temple alone without covering the Shiva temple also. Girvalam (going around the hill) can be done only by covering both the temples. The main shrine is also Kudavarikoil – carving the hill.
Reputation:
Sathya Maharshi performed penance here. Both the shrines of the God and Goddess face the east as in Madurai. The temple was built 1300 years ago by Mahendra Pallavan.
General information:
Thirumayam is 64 Kms from Trichy, 20 from Pudukottai and 85 from Madurai. Lodging facility is available in Pudukottai, the charges ranging from Rs. 150 to Rs. 400.
Thirumayam lies on the Madurai-Pudukottai road, hence bus facilities are also available in plenty. Nearest Railway station Thirumayam (Trichy-Rameswaram rail route) and the nearest airport is Trichy.
Festivals:
10 day Chithirai festival in April-May. 10 day Adipuram in July-August, 1 day Thaipoosam festival in January-February are main festivals. There will huge crowd during new moon, full moon days, Pradosham days, Deepavali, Pongal and Tamil and English New Year days also attract devotees. Thousand gather here on Poornima days (full moon day) for Girivalam.
History:
This can be called a twin temple with the Perumal and Venuvaneswari built under a single hill. During the time when righteousness (dharma) lost its stand usurped by wickedness, the Dharma Devatha hid herself in the form of a deer. It was a bamboo forest then. Hence the name Venuvaneswari for the Goddess. Sathyagiriswarar is in the form of a Linga here.
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