Mahalingeswarar Temple
Located in Tiruvidaimaruthur, a village in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, Mahalingeswarar Temple is a well-known Hindu temple. The temple is dedicated to the deity Shiva and is one of the seven major Shiva temples. The temple was built back in the 9th century during the Chola dynasty.
Lord Shiva is worshiped as Mahalingeswaraswamy in the temple. Lord Shiva is represented by the lingam and it is believed to be the focal point for the seven consorts of Shiva.
One can find around 149 inscriptions in the temple which indicate contributions from Pandyas, Cholas, Thanjavur Nayaks, and Thanjavur Maratha kingdom. The structure of the temple is very large and it has four gateway towers which are known as gopurams.
Other than prominent shrines like Mahalingeswaraswamy, Pirguchuntaragujambigai, and Mookambigai, there are many more shrines in the temple. Six daily rituals are performed in the temple where priests pay homage to Lord Shiva.
History of Mahalingeswarar Temple
The temple as well as the city of Kumbakonam has a really interesting legend attached to it. It says that when Brahma created the universe he had a jug (Kumbha) which had the seeds of all living beings in it. The jug got misplaced during a massive storm (pralaya) and was ultimately found at the spot where the town currently stands now. That’s where the town of Kumbakonam gets its name from- Kumba meaning ‘jug’ and konam meaning ‘corner’.
The drops of nectar from the jug were believed to have fallen at five different spots near Kumbakonam which were later developed into five shrines- namely Mahalingeswarar temple at Tiruvidaimarudur, Tirudharasuram, Naganathar Temple at Tirunageswaram, Tiruvorgam, and Tirupadalavanam.
Another theory related to the temple states that once a Chola prince killed a Brahmin and was chased by his spirit. To escape, the prince entered the Mahalingeswarar Temple and prayed to his favorite God Shiva to save him from the stray spirit, after which he exited from the second gopuram. It is the tradition at the temple to date- pilgrims enter the temple from the chief gopuram and exit the temple from the second gopuram post worshipping.
Architecture of Mahalingeswarar Temple
The temple has been constructed in the traditional Dravidian style of architecture following a rectangular area plan. Boasting a five-tiered Rajagopuram, it has three precincts enclosed within impressive walls led by magnificent gateways. Enshrined by the Mahalingam, it also houses five temple tanks inside the temple, namely Karunyamirdha Theertham, Soma Theertham, Kanaga Theertham, Kalyana Theertham, and Iravatha Theertham.
A shrine for Mookambiga is built separately where supposedly Goddess Parvathy performed her penance. Other shrines include Pattinathar, Bhadragiriyar, Ambal, Muruga, Nataraja, Padithurai Vinayagar, Agora Veerabadrar, etc.
Among the three renowned precincts of Aswametha Pradakshina, Kodumudi, and Pranava, the last one has the most notable inscriptions and sculptures dating back to the Nayak Period in the 16th century. The most splendid and famous among which is the chariot with twelve pillars denoting twelve lagnas. At present, the temple premises also house a Saiva Siddantha library which sells palm leaf scriptures and Saiva literature.
