Sri Thurai Kattum Vallalar Temple Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam

THURAIKATTUM VALLALAR TEMPLE (SRI UCHIRA VANESWARAR TEMPLE)

Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, Tamilnadu, India

God

The main deity of this temple is Thuraikattum Vallalar Vajravaneswarar, who is an incarnation of Lord Shiva facing East direction. He is a swayambhu along with Veyuru Tholi Amma.

Goddess

Goddess Veyuru Tholi Amma is consort of Lord Shiva, is holding a discus in one hand and a conch in the other.

Interesting Facts

It is one of the shrines of the 275 Paadal Petra Sthalams - Shiva Sthalams glorified in the early medieval Tevaram poems by Tamil Saivite Nayanar Tirugnanasambandar.
This is the 40th sthalam on the southern side of river Cauvery.

Best Season To Visit

The best season to visit this temple is Winter season. The best months to visit are September to March.

Weather

Highest - April to June (38°C during day and 26°C during night)Average - May (37 °C during the day and 21 °C during night)Lowest - October to February (30 °C during day and 18 °C during night)Monsoon season - August to September

Dress Code

For men the dress code is Shirt & Trouser, Dhoti or Pyjamas with upper cloth.
For women the preferred dress code is saree or half-saree with blouse or chudidhar with pyjama and upper cloth.
These rules are applicable for foreigners also. Shorts, mini-skirts, middies, sleeveless tops, low-waist jeans and short-length T-shirts are not allowed.
Pilgrims/visitors will not be allowed inside the temple if dress code is not followed.

Do's & Dont's

Do bathe and wear clean clothes before you enter the temple.
Do respect ancient customs and co-piligrims while at temple.

Smoking is strictly prohibited inside the temple premises.

transport connections

Name	Distance	Contact Number
Mayiladuthurai Old Bus Stand	7.2 KM	1800-419-4287
Mayiladuthurai Junction	12 KM	139
Puducherry Airport	108 KM	0413-2255506

Railway Station Name	Distance	Contact Number
Mayiladuthurai Junction	12 KM	139

Airport Name	Distance	Contact Number
Puducherry Airport	108 KM	0413-2255506

Architecture

Origin of the Name - A Shiva devotee, Arulvithan by name used to take basketful of flowers for the Tirupalli Ezhuchi (waking up the lord for the morning puja) crossing the river. To test his resoluteness, lord caused floods. Shocked, the devotee was more struggling to save the flower basket for lord’s puja than his life. Pleased lord, showed him the bank – Thurai of the river. Thurai means the bank of the river. Hence, he is praised as Thurai Kattum Vallalar – lord showing the bank of the river.

The temple is facing East direction and built in Chola style of architecture, which has a 5-tiered main tower (Raja gopuram) and it has 2 corridors. There is a Dhwaja stambham placed infront of the temple and Maha mandapam inside the temple. Inscriptions from the Chola and Nayak periods are seen here although much of the present structure of this temple is only about 300 years old. There is a koneru named as Meignana theertham. Except Moolasthanam, all other structures are built with bricks.

Religious Significance

Legend 1 - According to legend, there was a brahmin boy called Arulvithan who used to worship the lord here. He would bring offerings of flowers every day without fail. He had to cross the river Kaveri in order to reach the temple. One day, the river got flooded making it very dangerous to cross. Even then he decided to cross the river but got caught in the flood. Instead of trying to save his life he tried saving the flowers he had brought for the lord’s pooja. Pleased with his determination and devotion, Lord Shiva rescued him. Hence the lord here is praised as “Thurai Kaattum Vallal”. (“Thurai” means river bank, “Kaattum” means to show and “Vallal” means philanthropist in Tamil).

Legend 2 - Another similar legend associated with this temple is that of Saint Thirugnanasambanthar. When he was on a pilgrimage to Kadaimudi and Mayiladuthurai, he could not proceed further due to heavy floods in the river Kaveri. The saint prayed to Lord Shiva seeking his help in crossing the river. It is believed that Lord Shiva came in the guise of a hunter and helped him reach the temple.

History

The temple was built 1000 years ago by Cholas. As per the sthala purana, a demon called Kapithan worshiped the lord of this temple and got relieved from the “Brahmahathi Dosham”.

Temple Timings

Day	Timings
All Days	05:00 AM - 12:00 PM	04:00 PM - 09:00 PM

Tours

Airports

Airport Name	Distance
Shamshabad	40 KM
Lorem Ipsum	12 KM

Railway Stations

Railway Station Name	Distance
Secunderabad	10 KM
Nampally	12 KM
Begumpet	6 KM
Lingampally	20 KM

Bus Stations

Bus Station Name	Distance
MGBS	35 KM
CBS	28 KM
kukatpally	20 KM
Lingampally	30 KM
Uppal	35 KM

Private Transports

Transport Name	Distance	Contact Number
Private Transport	8 KM	9546858757
Private Transport1	8 KM	9546858757
Private Transport1	8 KM	9546858757
Private Transport1	8 KM	9546858757
Private Transport1	8 KM	9546858757