Here is another amazing temple for those who have stuck with us thus far in this series of posts - you are in for a treat.
72 km or a 90 minute drive west of Rameswaram, over the Pamban bridge, on the mainland of the ancient Sethu country lies this very large and very old temple. Set in a serene rural area, this is indeed a hidden treasure. Some claim that this is the oldest Sivan temple in the south. The site obviously is very old. Surprisingly it is not a Paadal Petra Sthalam. Perhaps the Pathikam was lost.
Numerous legends abound. The name comes from the legend that Siva disclosed the secret of the universe to Uma at this site. Mandothari worshipped Sivan at this place and married Ravanan here. The 64th Thiruvilayadal - the Valai Veesiya Padalam - when Siva in a fit of anger cursed Parvathi to be born as a fisherman's daughter and Nanthi as a shark, is believed to have happened here. He later appeared as a fisherman, caught the shark and married the fisherman's pretty daughter. Siva gave a private audience of the cosmic dance to Parvathi here before he danced in the Thillai forest. There are many many other stories, too numerous to write here.
The current structure again is an amalgamation of many styles by different builders over time. The Pandian kings built the core and others added on to it. Can see the stamp of the Sethupathi kings too. Lots of fish symbols of the Pandians. The legends mention a coastal temple. The sea seems to have receded several kilometres here. The six foot ancient emerald statue of Nataraja here is very special and is covered in sandalwood paste for most of the year to protect it. At 20 acres it is larger than most other temples.
Come here to be blessed if you are a Saivite. If you are not, still come here to experience the history and the beauty of an ancient temple in a peaceful setting. Please note the difference in style of the inner gopurams (likely Pandian) and the outer gopurams. Different eras. The narrow tall rajagopuram is for the Siva shrine and the squat shorter one is for the Amman shrine.
Visited August 2019. Base Rameswaram
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