SREE SWARNAVALLI AMBAL SAMETHA MUKTHEESWARAR TEMPLE, POONTHOTTAM WITH ADIVINAYAGAR SANNIDHI

SREE SWARNAVALLI AMBAL SAMETHA              MADHIMUKTHEESWARAR TEMPLE, SEETHALAPATHI   WITH ADIVINAYAGAR SANNIDHI

                                                    Muktheeswarar

   

Swarnavalli Ambal 

Though I had known about this temple that the Adi Vinayagar here is in the human form without the elephant head, "Naramuka Ganapathy", and wanted to be there, I could have darshan only on Saturday, the 23rd February 2019 - the sankatachathurthi day and also there was vedagosham by the students of the adjoining vedapadasala with a four day function.

                                                      Sivakama Padasalai

Presently the place is known as Sethalapathi and the place is also earlier called as Thilathaipathi or Thilatharpanapuri and Madhimuktham.  

Legend has it that Brahma once loved the celestial dancer Urvasi and Lord Siva cursed him and directed him to go to earth and pray on Him.  Brahma did penance here at Thilatharpanapuri on Lord Siva and apart from giving darshan to Brahma, He also releived him of the curse.  

This place also is known as the place where Lord Rama performed the rites for his father, King Dasarahta on knowing the demise of his father.  There is a Rama vigraha performing the pithur samskaras.   It is said that the four pinda rice balls of the rituals that have turned into the four of the pithur lingams.   As the Lord Siva here has given Mukthi to King Dasaratha, he is known as Muktheeswarar.  Goddess Parvathi here is known as Swarnavalli Ambal.   Pithru karayams are done here similar to Rameswaram and also there is a story that here it is Nithya Amavasai as both Suryan and chandran are together.  This can also be related to the story of the Amavasya day when both surya and chandra are together as in the Mahabaratha.  Dhuryothana wanted the correct time for offering bali before commencing the war.  He goes to Sagadevan for finding out the right time to offer Bali.  Sagadevan gives the correct time of an amavasya to Dhuryodanan.  Knowing that, Krishna offers Amavasaya rituals a day prior to Amavasya and both Surya and chandra appear before him asking Krishna how amavasya rituals were being done a day earlier.  Krishna instantly replied that he was offering when both Surya and Chandra were together only as can be seen that both of them were together before him.  Seeing Krishna offering on that day, all people around also offered the Amavasya rituals on that day.  Devas came to know of that, that Narayana himself had conducted the Amavasya day.  Dhuryodanan offered Bali on the next day, thus his intention of praying and offering Bali for victory in the war did not occur.
                                                         

                                       Rama performing rites to King Dasaratha

Suryan and chandran are together in the Sethalapathi temple:  Hence, it is considered here as "Nithya Amavasai" and everyday here is a srartha thithi and thithis can be performed any day here.

Vishnu in this temple is in three places - as Rama, in the pirthur karya kolam, vishnu with sridevi and boodevi and  in the koshtam where normally the Lingothbavar will be.  There are also sannidhis for ashtabuja durgai and other deities in the temple are:  Natarajar and Sivakami, Kasi Viswanathar, Dhakshinamurthy, Gajalakshmi, Subramanyar, Navagraham and Suryan and chandran.

The Adivinayagar sannidhi is outside the Madhiimuktheeswarar temple and has a frontal Mandapam.   Adivinayagar is facing West and it is being said that this is the form of the Lor before the he defeated Gajamukasura.  Peole pray here offering "Mattai thengai".  

                                        Adivinayagar, Naramukha Ganapathy

Theertham:  Surya theertham, chandra theertham, arasilaru

Sthala vruksham: Mantharai

A small lingeswarar by name Mantharavaneswarar blesses devotees nearby the Sthala Vruksha Mantharai.  Arasalaru, the river here flows from North to South and temples around such rivers are offered with prayers for wealth,

Poonthothham can be reached from Mayiladuthurai, Thiruvarur and Kumbakonam and has bus services from these places and the temple can be reached by plenty of autos available at Poonthottam.  Those who have vehicles can reach Poonthottam and can drive to the temple direct which has plenty of Parking space and also the pooja materials are available at the temple counter itself.  Pooja materials can be taken from Mayiladuthurai/Thiruvarur/Kumbakonam also.  

Temple Timings:

7.00 Am-12.00 Noon

4.00 PM - 8.00 PM