Mahāliṅgeśvara

Mahāliṅgeśvara

The 275 Paadal Petra Sthalangal

The Paadal Petra Sthalangal are the 275 Shiva temples sung in the hymns of the three great Tēvāram saints: Tirunāvukkaracar (Appar), Tiruñāṉa-sambandar, and Cuntarar (Sundarar) — the Tamil Shaiva Bhakti poets of the 7th–9th c. CE. Compiled in the Thirumurai (12 canonical books of Tamil Shaiva scripture), these temples constitute the sacred geography of Tamil Shaivism — the map of a living Shiva-bhakti tradition older than most written philosophy in India.

Of 275 sthalangal:

• 190 in Chola Nāḍu
• 32 in Pāṇḍya Nāḍu
• 32 in Toṇḍai Nāḍu
• 14 in Naḍu Nāḍu / Kongu Nāḍu
• 7 across Malai Nāḍu (Kerala — only Tiruvañjikkaḷam definitively)

This Temple — Mahāliṅgeśvara

• Location: Thiruvidaimaruthur, Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu (10.9831°N, 79.4469°E)
• Presiding liṅga/form: Mahāliṅgeśvara
• Ambal (Goddess): Bṛhat-sundara-kucāmbāl (Periya-nāyaki)
• Temple tank (tīrtham): Karuṇā-tīrtham
• Sthala-vṛkṣa (sacred tree): Vilvam
• Sung by (mangalāśāsanam): Sung by all three Tēvāram saints
• Built: 9th–12th c. CE (Chola)

Sthala-Purāṇa Story

This is the "middle" Mahāliṅga — three great liṅgas stand in a line: Tiruvānaikkōyil (east), Tiruvidaimaruthur (middle), and Tiruvāṛūr (west). Each pilgrim completes the trinity. The annual festival is the famous Māsi Māgham car-festival.

Worship Tradition

Daily: five-fold ārādhanā (pañca-parva-pūja) — ushāt-kālam before dawn, kāla-śānti at 6 AM, uccikālam at noon, sāyaraṣcha at dusk, ardha-jāma at 9 PM. Principal offerings: jala-abhiṣeka (water), pañcāmṛta (five-ambrosia — milk, curd, ghee, honey, jaggery), vibhūti (sacred ash), bilva leaves, and deepa ārati. The Goddess receives separate pūja with saffron, kumkum, and red flowers.

Festival Cycle

• Mahā Śivarātri (Phalguna, Feb–Mar): the night-long festival when Shiva is said to have performed the Tāṇḍava; four-phase pūja through the night
• Ārudrā Darśanam (Mārgaḻi, Dec–Jan): commemorates the cosmic dance of Naṭarāja at Chidambaram — at every Shiva temple the Abhiṣeka of Naṭarāja happens
• Brahmotsavam: annual 10-day utsavam with processions on Āti-rudra-vāhana, Ṛṣabha-vāhana (bull), Mayūra-vāhana (peacock), Garuḍa-vāhana
• Pradoṣa (13th lunar day, twice a month): special evening pūjā — Shiva dances on the head of Nandi between 4:30 and 6 PM

The Tēvāram Tradition

Every Paadal Petra temple's sanctity rests on whether Appar, Sambandar, or Sundarar sang of it — and how many pasurams. Tamil Shaiva tradition believes the Tēvāram is equivalent to the Vedas (Drāviḍa Veda). The saints walked from temple to temple through the Tamil country — thousands of kilometres on foot — singing as they arrived. The temples were the fulcrums of the Bhakti movement that reshaped South India and founded the Shaiva-Siddhānta philosophy.

Architectural Note

South Indian Shaiva temples are organised on the pañca-prākāra (five-walled) plan: mūla-sthāna (sanctum), antarāḷa, ardha-maṇḍapa, mahā-maṇḍapa, rājagopura. Outside: the Amman (Goddess) shrine, the Chandikeswara shrine, the Murugan shrine, the Ganesha shrine, the Sūrya shrine, the Nandi bull, the Palipīṭha, the Dhvaja-stambha (flagstaff), and the Puṣkariṇī (tank) with the sthala-vṛkṣa shading it.