Vedaranyeswarar Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Tiruchirapalli Airport is the nearest airport, about 135 km away.

• By train

  Thiruthuraipoondi Junction is the nearest railway station, about 35 km away.

• By road

  Roadways are the major way to reach Vedaranyam.

Why devotees come here

Vedaranyeswarar Temple is a Shiva temple in Vedaranyam, a town in Nagapattinam district on the Coromandel coast of Tamil Nadu. It is praised in the 7th-century Tevaram and is the only temple named in all seven Thirumurais. The temple houses an emerald lingam called the Maragatha lingam.

Vedaranyeswarar is revered in the Tevaram, the 7th-century Tamil Shaiva canon written by the Nayanar saint poets. It is the only temple mentioned in all seven Thirumurais, and it is classed as a Paadal Petra Sthalam. Legend says the Vedas worshipped Shiva here, and that is how the town got the name Vedaranyam.

Legend says Appar sang to open the temple door, and Sambandar sang to close it. Tamil legend also says the Vedas locked the gates after their worship. Sage Agastya is believed to have watched the marriage of Shiva and Parvathi from this temple.

Inscriptions from the time of Aditya Chola to Kulothunga Chola I record grants to the temple. Today the Hindu Religious and Endowment Board of the Tamil Nadu government maintains it. The central shrine faces east and holds a granite lingam of Vedaranyeswarar, and the inner sanctum houses images of the 63 nayanars.

Festivals

• Tamil month Thai, on the full moon day (January to February)Mahodaya Amavasya

  Hundreds of devotees throng the temple and special rituals are performed. Devotees take a holy dip in four water bodies: the pond close to the temple, Kodiakkarai beach, the Vedaranyam sea and the Manikarnika Tank inside the temple.

• Tamil month Adi (July to August)Adi full moon festival

  Along with the Thai festival, it draws large numbers of pilgrims from across Tamil Nadu.

Tips for your visit

• The complex has three prakarams, or outer courtyards, with two five-tiered gateway towers on the east and west.
• The western entrance has an image of Virahatte Vinayaga, believed to have driven away ghosts killed by Rama.
• Point Calimere, also called Kodiakkarai, is a wildlife sanctuary on the Palk Strait, about 10 km from the town.

Questions people ask