Associated to Planet Mars or Angaraka, this Navagraha temple is situated in a village called Vaitheeswaran, about 7 km from Sirkazi, in Tamil Nadu. This is known as the temple of medicine as Lord Shiva, the main deity, is worshiped in the form of a Vaidya or healer. His consort Parvati resides with him in the form of Thayyal nayagi.
There is a special regard for Muruga in this temple and He is highly revered here. The main shrine of Vaitheeswaran is located in the inner most sanctums. The first arena around the sanctum has murtis of Subrahmanya, Nataraja, Somaskanda and Angaraka. Along with this, there are sculptures of Dakshinamoorthy, Surya, Durga, Vedas, Muruga, Sampati and Jatayu.
The shrine of Thayyala nayagi has Parvati holding medicinal oil to cure diseases and illnesses. The temple has a separate shrine for Angaraka or Chevvai, it being the Navagraha temple associated to the Mars. There are two forms of Chevvai or Mars present in this temple, Utsavar and Moolavar. Utsavar is the idol placed near Vaithyanathaswamy shrine and is taken out for processions in various festivities while Moolavar is permanently placed in the outer praharam or circumambulatory bath.
The temple tank Siddhamrutha Theertham is said to have powerful medicinal values and its is believed that a dip in the holy water can cure many ailments, especially skin diseases. The temple is said to be guarded by various deities from all sides, with Bhairava guarding the east, Mother Kali guarding the North and Veerabhadran guarding the west. The Sanctum faces the west.
Dhanvantari, one of the 18 holy Siddhas, is said to belong to this temple and has a separate shrine near Vaithyanathaswamy shrine. The great healing forms of Vishnu as Dhanvantari and Shiva as Vaithyanatheeswar make this temple a healing temple.
Vaitheeswaran Koil is also known as Thirupullirukku Velur. It is believed that this temple is built on the exact spot where Lord Ram, his brother Lakshman and the Saptarishis are said to have performed their meditation.
Vaitheeswaran Kovil is a holy place near Mayiladuthurai in Nagapattinam District. The village is also known for palm leaf astrology called Naadi astrology in Tamil. It is located 7 kilometers from Sirkazhi, 235 kilometers from Chennai, 27 km from Chidambaram, 110 km from Thanjavur and 16 km from Mayiladuthurai. Mayiladuthurai, formerly known as Mayavaram or Mayuram.
Vaitheeswaran Koil is the nerve centre for Naadi Jyotishyam, a popular form of astrology.
The Navagraha temple associated to Angaraka or Chevvai, holds significant religious importance, considering it being a temple where Shiva is worshiped in his healer form. With Dhanvantari and Vaitheeswarar present as deities in the temple, the temple holds an important place for both Shaivites and Vaishnavites.
The ashes of Jatayu that are kept for public reverence, add to the significance of the temple. The single faced Muruga or Subrahmanya, is another special feature of this temple that gives it a unique purport. Apart from healing powers, people with manglik dosha visit and offer prayers in the temple to nullify the effects of mangal.
Offering prayers in the temple also brings peace in family and resolves family conflicts, specially related to land and property. Murugan obtained a Vel trident at this place and is called Selvamuthu Kumaran.
The temple is open to darshan in two slots:
6:00 am to 1:00 pm
4:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Many Pujas and prayers are offered at the temple through the day, every day with Kula dosa puja being a special puja performed twice on Sundays.
A special ritual performed at the temple is a special abhishekam for Swami and Ambal.
A special midnight Puja with special prayers is also performed at the temple in reverence to Lord Muthukumaraswamy.
According to Hindu Puranas, Chevvai or Mars, was born from a drop of Lord Shiva’s sweat that fell on the ground. Chevvai hence is known as the son of Shiva. Chevvai or Angarakan had a skin disease which was cured by Shiva, post which, Chevvai was included in the Navagrahas.
The temple’s holy tank Siddhamrutha Theertham, is said to have great medicinal and healing qualities. In Matsya Purana, it is mentioned that when Veerabhadra, created from the third eye of Shiva, destroyed the dakshas, the devas were terrified. This made Veerabhadra conscious and he transfigured into Chevvai. The temple is mentioned in the Puranas by another name “Pullirukkuvelur”, a blend of four words, Pull, meaning Jatayu, Rig Veda, meaning Irukku, Skanda, meaning Vel and Surya, meaning Uru, combining together as Pullitukkuvelur.
Known for Naadi Astrology or palm leaf astrology, this Navagraha temple is classified as a Paadal Petra Sthalam, revered by Nyanmars, the Tamil saivite saints of the 7th century.
Many rulers from different reigns like Vikrama Chola, Vira Rajendra Pandya, Acchutapa Nayak and Maratha Prince Thaluja are known to have contributed to the temple, during their respective reigns and the temple has many inscriptions from the period of all these reigns.
The Vaitheesewarar or Vaidyaswamy temple has a 5 tier rajagopuram, two smaller gopurams inside and a large arena. The main shrine in the temple is that of the principal deity Vaitheeswarar, as a lingam, in the inner most sanctum. The sanctum arena has vigraha murtis of Nataraja, Angaraka and Somaskanda with that of Subrahmanya in the form of Muthu kumaraswamy being the first metal image in the precinct. We can also see stone sculptures of Dakshinamoorthy, Goddess Durga, Surya, Jatayu, Vedas and Sampati.
The second arena has a shrine of Thaiyalnayaki, Dhanvantari and Angaraka. This precinct has a southern gateway that faces the Thayyalnayaki shrine and leads to the temple tank. The temple has a Margosa tree which is a sthala vruksha, located on the eastern gateway. At this gateway, there is a shrine of Adi which is smaller replicas of other shrines. In the third precinct, there is a shrine of Angarakar or Mars, the Navagraha that this temple represents.
By Air: One can take a flight to one of the nearest airports of Trichy at 95 km and Pondicherry at a distance of 140 km.
By Road: The village is well connected by buses from cities of Chidambaram, Kumbakonam and Mayiladuthurai.
By Rail: There are trains stopping at the Vaitheesewaran Koil village. Other stations close by are that of Chidambaram, Mayiladuthurai and Kumbakonam.
There are many hotels and lodges near the temple, making it easy for devotees to find accommodation. One can also stay in near by cities of Chidambaram or Kumbakonam and travel to temple for a visit by bus or private taxi
The temple celebrates many festivals across the year. Some of the main festivals are:
Bhrahmotsavam in Januray – February
Panguni Uthiram, the celebration of wedding of Gods and Goddesses in April
Karthigai, the festival of lights in November.
Come, take a dip in the tank of this temple to get cured of any skin diseases, with blessings of Vaitheesewaran, the healing God and Thayyal nayaki who stands holding the medicinal oil.
This temple is also visited by devotees seeking solutions to family conflicts involving property and land. People who have Mangal dosha in their horoscope, must visit this temple to nullify the effects of the dosha.
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