Thenupuriswarar Temple, Patteeswaram

Thenupuriswarar Temple in the village of Patteeswaram is a Shiva temple praised in the 7th-century Tevaram hymns. Shiva is worshipped here as Thenupuriswarar, with his consort as Somakamalambigai. The temple also has a well-known shrine to the goddess Durga.

Tradition

According to tradition, when the child saint Thirugnana Sambandar walked here in great heat, Shiva sent his attendants to shade the streets with a canopy of pearls (muthu pandal), remembered today in the Muthupandal festival. So that Sambandar could see the deity from outside, Shiva asked the bull Nandi to move aside, and the Nandi here is said to stand to one side for this reason. The village is named after Patti, the daughter of the divine cow Kamadhenu, who is said to have worshipped here. Tradition also connects the temple with Rama.

History and architecture

The original temple is believed to have been built by the Cholas; the present structure dates from the Nayak period in the 16th century. The complex covers around four acres and is entered through a seven-tier gateway tower. Its main festival is the Brahmotsavam in Chittirai (April–May). The temple is administered by the Tamil Nadu HR&CE Department.