Mahalingeswarar Temple, Thiruvidaimarudur

The Mahalingeswarar Temple at Thiruvidaimarudur, near Kumbakonam, is counted among the seven major Shiva temples. Shiva is worshipped as Mahalingeswaraswamy, with his consort as Bruhatsundarakuchaambigai; the temple also has a well-known shrine to the goddess Mookambika. The deity is praised in the 7th-century Tevaram hymns and by the 9th-century saint poet Manikkavacakar.

Tradition

The temple's sacred tree is the marudha (arjuna) tree, and it is known as Madhya Arjunam, the "middle" of three Shiva shrines linked with this tree. According to tradition, a king freed from the curse of a Brahmin's death left the temple by a different gate, leaving the curse behind; many devotees still leave by another entrance after worship. Some sources associate this story with the Pandya king Varaguna.

History

The temple has 149 inscriptions recording gifts from the Pandyas, Cholas, Thanjavur Nayaks and Thanjavur Marathas. The oldest parts date from the Chola period in the 9th century; the tall gateway towers were added later, up to the Nayak period in the 16th century. It is administered by the Thiruvaduthurai Adheenam, a Shaiva monastic institution.

Architecture

The temple is one of the largest in the state, with four gateway towers and three precincts. The second precinct, built in the Vijayanagara period, is the most notable for its sculpture. Its sacred tank is the Karunyamirtha Theertham, and its most important festival is Thai Poosam, held in the Tamil month of Thai (January–February).