Tirumeni Azhagar, Manigramam, Nagapattinam

Basic information about the temple

Moolavar:	Tirumeniazhagar	Ambal / Thayar:	Soundaranayaki
Deity:	Vaippu Sthalam	Historical name:
Vriksham:		Teertham:
Agamam:		Age (years):
Timing:	6 to 12 & 4 to 8	Parikaram:
Temple group:	Vaippu Sthalam	–
Sung by:		Temple set:
Navagraham:		Nakshatram:
City / town:	Manigramam	District:	Nagapattinam
Maps from (click):	Current location	Mayiladuthurai (27 km)	Nagapattinam (55 km)
	Tiruvarur (59 km)	Kumbakonam (65 km)

Location

Sthala puranam and temple information

The sthala puranam of this Vaippu sthalam temple is from the Parasara puranam.

Vallavan was a king of a part of present-day Karnataka. He had only one son, but unfortunately, the young child was born blind, unable to speak, and affected by leprosy. Believing that keeping the child in the kingdom would besmirch the name of his clan, the king asked his servants to leave the child at Tandakavanam (earlier name of this place). The servants followed the king’s orders, and left the child at the sanctum of this temple. When the priest came for the daily rituals, he noticed the child’s state, and sprinkled water from the abhishekam on the child. Instantly, the child was fully cured of his deficiencies, and shone brightly like Manmadhan (Kama). Siva appeared to the child and gave him kingly clothes, bow and arrow, a chariot, and 16,000 elephants. The Lord also told the child about his family and ancestors, and helped the child return to his homeland, where after many years, the boy grew up to rule his kingdom.

Siva is given the epithet Azhagar here, following the above sthala puranam.

This place used to be called Matangashramam, after Sage Matanga who set up his hermitage here. The name Manigramam has been around for a very long time, and derives from the fact many centuries ago, that this used to be a place where traders in gems and pearls used to live, and trade at the nearby port-city of Poompuhar. There are records indicating that as long back as 2000 years ago, these traders would even go overseas to conduct their drade.

Appar worshipped Siva as Swetaranyeswarar at Tiruvenkadu, and proceeded to Sayavanam and Pallavaneswaram to worship Siva at those temples. Although Manigramam was on the way, he did not stop to pray at this temple. Later, the saint regretted having not worshipped at Manigramam, and so sang a hymn (forming part of his Tiruthandagam in the Tevaram) where he referred to this temple, and that worshipping Siva here would cure the ill effects in one’s current birth, of the sins committed by ancestors as we as the devotee in previous births.

It is believed that in the Mahabharatam, Krishna performed tarpanam (Amavasya rituals) at this place prior to the Kurukshetra war.

The temple’s sthala puranam is recorded in an inscription inside the temple.