The Maatruraivaradheeswarar Temple is a historic Shiva temple located in Thiruvasi, near Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu. The presiding deity is Lord Shiva, worshipped here as Maatruraivaradheeswarar (also called Maattruraivadar), which means “the Lord who relieves people from their difficulties and grants blessings.” His consort is Balambigai Amman. This temple is the 62nd Devaram Paadal Petra Sthalam. The temple is believed to be around 1500 years old. With sacred tanks, healing rituals, marriage blessings and unique planetary shrines, Thiruvasi Maatruraivaradheeswarar temple is one of the most important Shaivite shrines near Trichy.
In ancient times, this region was a dense forest of Vilva trees, where Goddess Parashakti, Lord Brahma, Goddess Lakshmi and Sage Agastya worshipped Lord Shiva, who is known here as Sameevaneswarar. Once, in reply to a question from the Goddess, Lord Shiva declared: “This holy place of Thirupachilasramam, where the Vedas and Vedic scholars perform penance, is my most beloved abode.” Accordingly, the Goddess took the form of a swan, grew up in the sacred pond called Annamam Poigai, and worshipped the Lord here to receive His divine grace.
The local ruler, Kollimalavan, had a daughter who suffered from an incurable painful disease. Despite trying many treatments, she could not be cured. Finally, he entrusted her recovery to Lord Shiva of this shrine. At that time, Saint Thirugnana Sambandar visited this temple and sang the hymn beginning with “Thunivalar Thingal Thulangi Vilanga”. Through his prayer, the princess was cured of her disease. Since then, this sacred temple of Thiruvasi has been believed to cure incurable ailments, especially stomach pain, nervous weakness, rheumatism, snake afflictions, menstrual disorders, and infantile diseases (Balaarishta). Hence, the temple is regarded as a great place of relief and healing.
After destroying the disease that struck Kollimalavan’s daughter, Lord Shiva transformed it into a snake and performed His dance upon it. For this reason, in this temple, Lord Nataraja is seen dancing on a serpent instead of the usual demon Muyalagan – a rare and unique feature. The Vanni tree is the sacred tree of this temple. The temple tanks are Annamam Poigai and Silambaru Theertham.
In the sanctum, Lord Shiva appears as a self-manifested (Swayambu) Lingam under a canopy of Rudraksha beads. Beneath the temple’s Rajagopuram (main tower), Lord Nandi, along with his consort, is enshrined. A rare feature here is found in the Navagraha (nine planets) shrine: Lord Surya is seen with his wives Usha and Pratyusha, while the other planets stand facing him in reverence.
The name Maatruraivaradeeswarar (the Lord who clarifies truth) has a special legend. Saint Sundarar, during his pilgrimage, had the habit of receiving gold from Lord Shiva at various shrines to feed His devotees. At Thiruvasi, when Sundarar received gold, he wanted to test its purity. Lord Shiva Himself appeared in another form, explained its quality, and clarified his doubt. Hence, the Lord here came to be known as Maatru Urai Varadeeswarar (the Lord who clarified). The mandapam (hall) where Sundarar received the golden coin is still present, and an inscription refers to it as “Thiruvasal where gold was granted.” The saint Kaadavar Kon Ayyadigal has also sung in praise of this temple.
A grand Muthu Pallakku festival is celebrated here for 11 days starting from the full moon of the Tamil month Vaikasi. On Mondays (Somavaram), lighting seven lamps with iluppai oil is believed to bring prosperity. For those seeking marriage, bathing in Annamam Poigai and worshipping Goddess Balaambikai with archana and abhishekam for five consecutive Fridays brings speedy marriage blessings. Devotees suffering from chronic stomach pain also worship here continuously for 9 or 11 weeks and receive relief. Opposite the Maatruraivaradeeswarar Temple is the Adaikalam Kaathar Temple, and nearby is a shrine for Madurai Veeran.
Gallery of Thiruvasi Temple
