Manikka Vaneshvarar Temple

Overview : This temple has the main deity of God Shiva and an amazing fact about the temple is that this is one on the 276 Thevara Paadal petra sthalams.This temple is one of the temples where God Siva enacted his 64 holy plays (Thiruvilaiyadal), this temple is also one of the 78 Madakkoils which is build on an elevation so that elephants can not enter the sanctum easily.This temple was build by Ko Chengat Chola nayanar.This temple is worshipped in the hymns of Saint Tirugnana Sambandar and a festival named Chitra Pournami is also celebrated at a very large scale.Another fact about the temple is that this is the 80th Shiva temple which is established on the Southern bank of Cauvery in Thevaram hymns where God Shiva is known as swayambumurthy. Legend/Story : The name Thirumarugal came up when, Lakshmi got reunited with God vishnu in worshipping God shiva and they kept this name along with this name Marugal also comes from stala vruksham Vaazhai.A trader who gave a promise that he will offer one of his 7 daughters to his maternal uncle for marriage in the early years but the trader never kept his promise, when all the daughters were grown up and were ready for there marriage then the trader arranged their marriages with some one else one by one.Out of all the daughters the 7th daughter who was a very loyal devotee of God Shiva realized that her father will cheat his uncle again in her case she ran away to this temple in order to marry someone else and not to cheat her father, but unfortunately the boy got poisoned up with a snake bite and was dead she cried and very furious of the unfortunate death of the boy. When Sambandar came to the temple he heard a women crying and then he sang the Pathigam Sadaiyai Enumaal, known as Vidam Theertha Patikam and he brought her uncle back to life.Sambandar also conducted the marriage between Swamy himself and was standing there as a witness in the form of a tree named Vanni and a well.The Parents of the girl were at Madurai did not accept the marriage as they realized there was no witness in the marriage hence the temple is the source of a holy play which was enacted at madurai.This event is given tribute, respect and celebrated every year and the tree named Vanni tree along with the well can be seen in the Praharam of this temple.Sadaiyai Enumaal is considered as a pathigam and very powerful which resolves ll the disputes in marriages, and pathigam was composed by Sambandar and Appar.