Sundareswarar, Swamimalai, Thanjavur

Basic information about the temple

Moolavar:	Sundareswarar	Ambal / Thayar:	–
Deity:	Siva	Historical name:
Vriksham:		Teertham:
Agamam:		Age (years):
Timing:	– to – & – to –	Parikaram:
Temple group:		–
Sung by:		Temple set: Kumbakonam Sapta Sthanam
Navagraham:		Nakshatram:
City / town:	Swamimalai	District:	Thanjavur
Maps from (click):	Current location	Kumbakonam (9 km)	Thanjavur (35 km)
	Ariyalur (42 km)	Mayiladuthurai (46 km)

Location

Sthala puranam and temple information

This temple for Lord Siva is located inside the Swamimalai Murugan temple complex. When one enters the Swamimalai temple complex from the south (ie from the road coming from Tiruvalanchuzhi), this is the first shrine one encounters.

While the main deity here is believed to be from the medieval Chola period, the structural temple here is much more recent. From the architectural styles and colours used, the temple was perhaps renovated and rebuilt in the last few decades, and clearly appears to be of Nagarathar heritage.

The temple itself comprises a vast mandapam, inside which are shrines for Lord Siva as Sundareswarar, facing east, and Meenakshi Amman facing south. The temple has a separate tank of its own, called the Vajra Teertham, in the southern part of the mandapam.

In the prakaram are Dakshinamurti, Lingodhbhavar, Brahma and Durga. In the prakaram are shrines for Vinayakar, Murugan, Lord Siva as Kasi Viswanathar, the Tevaram Nalvar, Bhairavar, and a separate navagraham shrine. It is not clear which of these shrines or vigrahams are original to the temple, as they all appear very recent in their origins, and also bear a striking resemblance to similar murtis in temples in the Chettinadu region.

The interesting aspect of this temple is that while some regard it as part of the Swamimalai Murugan temple (which, like most other Murugan temples, features a shrine for Lord Siva and Parvati as well), others say this is an independent temple, and only happens to be in the same precincts as the Murugan temple. Had this been associated with the Murugan temple directly, I would think that the deity here may have been named Kailasanathar, since the story of Lord Siva’s walk from Tiruvaiyaru to Swamimalai is associated with the Lord coming down from Kailasam!

This temple is one of the 7 which form part of the Kumbakonam Sapta Sthanam temple collective. These are: