Periyanayagi sametha sivakozhundheeswarar temple is located in thiruchathimutram , an adjoining village of patteeswaram , 10 kms from kumbakonam. the temple is a few hundred yards from the famous patteeswaram durgai temple.
hailed in thevaram and once a seat of the mighty chora kings , thiruchathimutram boasts a medium to big sized temple where the goddess is seen hugging the shiva lingam , a sight to behold and not seen anywhere else. another name for the lord is tharuva kuraindha naathar meaning one who melted by the hug of the consort.
sthalapuranam
once when parvathi asked shiva the meaning of vedhas and aagamaas , shiva taught her such and also instructed her to do penance in this place near cauvery delta. it was to prove to the world that though knowledge is supreme , pure bakthi could also lead to salvation.
ambaal obliged and did severe penance here with one leg folded. lots of time passed and shiva appeared as a huge spindle of flame. not intimidated by that , parvati at once figured it was nothing but the lord himself wanting to test her. without hesitation , shakthi hugged lord and hence the place came to be known as sakthi mutram.
the dent can still be seen on one side of the lingam.
thevaram times
appar and sambandhar sung in praise of the lord.
when it was the tamir month of chithirai , when the sun is at his peak , shiva created a pearl shade for the child sambandhan from here to patteeswaram.
arunagiri nathar sung in praise of the beautiful murugan which can be seen on the inner precinct of the temple.
ramalinga vallalar also praised the lord here.
although it is very close to patteeswaram durgai temple , this temple draws very minimal crowd. it is better to notify the priests in patteeswaram before visiting this temple.
a detailed tamir sthalapuranam is attached below as screen shots.
