Vaitheeswaran Koil Vaidyanathaswamy Temple

Vaitheeswaran means "the Lord who heals". For generations people have come to this temple in faith, hoping to be cured. The presiding deity Vaidyanathar is a self-manifested lingam facing west.

The village's old name is Pullirukkuvelur, and it is said to hold four names within it: pul, the bird Jatayu; irukku, the Rig Veda; vel, Murugan; and oor, standing for Surya. The puranam says all of them worshipped the Lord here.

The story of Angarakan (Mars) is woven into the place. Angarakan suffered from a severe skin disease. A divine voice told him to bathe in the Siddhamirtham tank for a mandalam and worship Vaidyanathar; he did so and was cured, says the temple's account. That is how this became the Navagraha temple of Mars. Angarakan has his own shrine in the temple.

By tradition, when the Lord prepared medicine, the goddess came carrying the vessel of oil (thailam), and so she is called Thaiyal Nayaki. Murugan is worshipped here as Selvamuthukumarar, the beloved son of Vaidyanathar and Thaiyal Nayaki. Another story says Shiva came as a physician and healed Murugan's soldiers, wounded in the war with Surapadman.

Jatayu, who tried to save Sita from Ravana, fell here with his wings cut, and tradition says Rama performed his last rites here. The spot is still shown inside the temple as the Jatayu Kundam, and devotees treasure its sacred ash.

The temple tank is the Siddhamirtham, believed to hold nectar. The sacred tree is the neem. Dhanvantari has a small shrine. Two flagstaffs, one of gold and one of silver, stand before the main shrine. Unusually, the Navagrahas here are not arranged in a square but stand in a single row behind the Shiva shrine.

The village is also known for nadi astrology, palm-leaf readings that, as the belief goes, descend from the sage Agastya's tradition.

Vaitheeswaran Koil is a Thevaram shrine, sung by Sambandar and Appar in the 7th century, and is counted sixteenth among the Thevaram shrines on the north bank of the Cauvery. Arunagirinathar, Kumaragurupara, Kalamegam and Ramalinga Adigal are among the later poets who sang of it. The temple has five inscriptions, mostly from the reign of Kulothunga Chola I, and grants by Vikrama Chola, Achyutappa Nayak and the Maratha prince Thulaja are recorded. It is in the Dravidian style, with a five-tiered gateway tower and two more inner gateways. The temple belongs to the Dharmapuram Adheenam, which maintains it. A 28-day Brahmotsavam is held in Panguni; a ten-day festival for Selvamuthukumarar in Thai and the six-day Kantha Sashti in Aippasi are also major events, and monthly Krithigai and Pradosham days draw large crowds. An inscription in the temple records that Muthuswami Dikshitar composed six kritis on the goddess Thaiyal Nayaki. The village is about 7 km from Sirkazhi and 13 km from Mayiladuthurai.

Those concerned about chevvai dosham commonly worship at Angarakan's shrine; Tuesdays and Krithigai days are especially crowded. Common practices are bathing in the Siddhamirtham tank, abhishekam and archana. Those seeking health worship Vaidyanathar and receive the prasadam called Thiruchandu urundai, made from anthill soil, abhishekam water, neem leaves, sandal paste and sacred ash; some also buy the punugu oil sold at the temple. Lighting a mavilakku (rice-flour lamp) is among the vows kept here. These are devotional practices based on belief, not a substitute for medical treatment, and no result is promised. For timings and fees, please check with the temple before you go.