This temple has been praised by saints like Tirugnana Sambandar and Tirunavukkarasar in their Thevaram hymns. According to those hymns, this temple is the 105th God Shiva Temple to be situated on the southern bank of the River Cauvery. The main deity of the temple is in the form of a swayambumurthy.
Architectural Relevance of This Shrine
The Tirukalar Temple is located at Tirukalar in Tamil Nadu and it is dedicated to God Shiva. The front of this temple faces the East direction and it boasts of an 80 feet high Rajagopuram. The God Shia and Goddess Parvati in this temple have separate shrines from where they give blessings to the devotees. Other than these main deities, the temple has sub shrines of Gods Valampuri Vinayaka, Somaskanda, God Viswanatha, Chandrasekhara, Muruga, Dakshinamurthy and Chandikeswara. Other small shrines include that of Goddesses Gajalakshmi, Mahalakshmi, Durga 63 Saivitie Nayanmars and Sage Agasthya. The idol of Goddess Durga is quite splendid as she sits in a sitting position on her lion vehicle. There is another shrine of God Akora Veerabhadra which faces towards the West direction.
Shrine’s Map Location and How to Go There
By RoadTirukalar is 21 km far from Mannargudi on the Tiruthuraipoondi RouteBy RailThe nearest Railway station is at Tiruthuraipoondi.By AirThe nearest Airport is at Trichy.
Events Celebrated at This Shrine
Chithirai festival on Chitra star day in April-May; Vaikasi Visakam in May-June; Navarathri in September-October; Skanda Sashti in October-November; Margazhi Sashti, Arudra Darshan and Nama Shivaya Panchakshara Mantra initiation on Sadayam Star day in December-January are the festivals celebrated in the temple.
