Sri Abhi Rameshwarar and Muthambikai temple -Thiruvamathur near Villupuram

On the Chennai Trichy highway NH 45 about 5 kms from the Chennai Trichy road on the right side near the bypass of villupurum look for the board announcing the small road to Thiruvamathur.   on travelling a couple of kms you can see the gopuram. It is a temple built in the seventh century AD by the pallavas and .The temple is the abode of Shri Abhirameshwarar and ambal Muthambikai. The sannidhis of both deities are separate and face each other. There is a legend behind this fact

 

Bhringi rishi wanted to see Shiva and was prevented by Nandi as Shiva was with Shakti. Bhringi rishi took the form of a “Vandu” a bee/wasp/insect and went around Shiva alone ignoring Parvathi. This enraged Shakti and when Shiva did not react she stormed out and faced him in the opposite direction. She cursed the rishi to become a Vanni tree which is the sthala vriksham.

Lord Rama is supposed to have come here with Seetha and Lakshmana while returning to Ayodhya and worshipped he  lingam with abhimanam hence Abhirameshwarar. This sculpture is seen as you enter the Shiva sannidhi above the door

Inside this Ramar Sannidhi seen on the northern side of the outer prahara we can see rare sculptures of Rama Lakshmana, Seetha,Hanuman and Jambhavan

(I revisited on 14/8/16 and above two photos are from that visit both vigrahas are housed one behind the other)

 

(View as soon as you enter the Siva temple gopuram)

   (Dwajasthambam having Siva and Vrishabha with horns)

 

The Main deity is a lingam which was prayed to by the cows as they did not posses any protection in those days. The lord’s idol has a hoof mark on the top and multiple rivulet markings where he was worshipped with dripping milk by these cows. He granted that they will hence forth sport horns and so that's how the cows have horns that's why a lot of veerashaiva’s of Karnataka visit the place regularly as they consider basava( Nandi) as their patron lord

Next to the thayar sannidhi is a vatta parai ( a lingam with square shape and ridges all over which was used as a pramanam stone by the ancient villagers to conduct panchayat in the presence of god.

There is a narrow area where you insert your hand if you are untrue the hand will get stuck!! There is a legend here how  one brother cheated the younger one with a lucky play of words and was stuck down by a snake which was coiled around the waist of the Ambal. ( see the last pic in this blog for the legend)

 

In between both Temples is the Temple for Ganapathy who helped Sri Rama who prayed to him Perumal thuyaram theertha Vinayaka
Inside the Shiva  temple there are sannidhis for a akasha Linga,Banalinga,Vayu Linga,Kasi vishwanathar,Lakshmi, murugan, Vinayaka who is shown with a consort “Vallabha Ganapathy”   

(latest picture on 13/4/12 after maintenance)

 

 

There is a sculpture showing the mummorthies
and also a 100 pillar mandapam

The temple is looked after by Shri. Arunachala shivachariyar and Shri.A Mahesh gurukkal
Phone: 04146 223319
cell; 9842022544 /  9976887652

I revisited the temple on 13/4/12 . There were lot of improvements . The temple had been repainted and pathways cleared .

Rajagopuram view from inside

View from Ambal temple you can see the sakshi lingam in front

 

A miniature Vallabha Ganapathy on the Door frame

On a visit on 14/8/16 I was able to click more pictures and I am posting them From the Vinayaka sannidhi outside the perumal thurai theertha Vinayaka

Inside the Shiva temple

 

The Dhyana mandapam in front of the Ambal temple

The cursed Bhringi Rishi was made to become a Vanni tree and this tree is found next to  the Dhyana mandapam but it is just a petrified wood now . The sthala vriksham is the Vanni tree

 

As I was exiting the temple I saw this car with a Rudraksha canopy and the Dicky was housing more Rudraksha covered Items maybe used for the lord during special poojas