Divya Desams - Pandya Nadu - 3 of 18 - Thirumayam

 Pandiyanadu DivyaDesams - 3 of 18

Pandiyanadu Divyadesams - 3 of 18

Thirumayam, Sathyamurthi Perumal Temple

திருமயம் சத்திய மூர்த்தி பெருமாள் கோவில்

We traveled northeast of Madurai to the first two Divyadesams of Thirumohoor and Kallazhagar Kovil. We proceeded further on the route to Pudukottai to the abode of Sathyamurthi Perumal in Thirumayam. It is about 78 kilometers from Azhagar Kovil and 93 Kilometers from Madurai.

I think the Azhagar malai itself is at the end of the broken eastern ghats. I also assume that the small hillocks which are in this region of Pudukottai should also be remnants of the eastern chain. As we drove into the small town of Thirumayam, we were greeted by the vast fort on top of a hillock. The Sathyamurthi Perumal Temple is beneath the Thirumayam fort and is a rock-cut temple. குடைவரைக் கோயில். The fortress, seen from the temple, is of great historical significance and was an important stronghold of rebel chieftains in the Polygar (Palayakkara) Wars.

The Nayakas were Telugu-speaking Warrior-merchants, who started as vassals of the Vijayanagar empire in southern regions of what would become Tamil Nadu. The Pandya Kingdom was organized into 72 palayams, each ruled by a Palayakkarar (chief?) "Their wars with the British East India Company after the demise of the Madurai Nayakas is often regarded as one of the earliest struggles for Indian independence. Many captured Palaiyakkarar commanders were either executed or banished to the Andaman Islands by the British. Puli Thevar, Veerapandya Kattabomman, the Marudu brothers, Maveeran Alagumuthu Kone, Chinna Alagumuthu Kone, Maruthanayagam, Dheeran Chinnamalai, and Uyyalawada Narasimha Reddy were some notable Palaiyakkarars who rose up in revolt against the British rule in South India. Their wars against the British East India Company predate the Indian rebellion of 1857 in Northern India by many decades but is still largely given less importance by historians."

மையார் கடலும் மணிவரையும் மாமுகிலும்

கொய்யார் குவளையும், காயாவும் போன்றிருண்ட

மெய்யானை, மெய்ய மலையானைச் சங்கேந்தும்

கையானை, கை தொழாக் கையல்ல கண்டோமே

- பெரிய திருமொழி

"The Lord has a dark hue like the deep ocean, the blue gem mountain, the moisture-laden cloud, the dazzling blue lily, and the dark blue kAyA flower. He bears a conch in his hand and is the symbol of Truth. He dwells in the foothills of Thirumeyyam. It is obvious that those who do not worship him with folded hands might as well have no hands."

This DivyaDesam has two presiding deities. "The first one is SatyagirinAthan or SatyamUrthy (ஸத்யகிரிநாதன், ஸத்யமூர்த்தி) in a standing posture facing the east. The second is tirumeyyar (திருமெய்யர்) in a reclining posture in an adjacent sanctum." I read that the Rock cut temple alone was built in 630-688 by Narasimha Pallava (though wiki says by Pandyas) and that the Sathyamoorthy Perumal enclosure and other additions were made sequentially by the later kings including cholas, mutharaiyars, pandyas, vijayanagaras, nayaks and upto the nagarathars. "It is a combination shrine of Shiva and Vishnu temples in the same complex adjacent to each other. A single entrance is used and a wall inside separates the two shrines. The ancient name for this shrine is "Satya kshEtram" which translates in tamil as Thirumeyyam (திருமெய்யம்) which got morphed as Thirumayam (திருமயம்), by which name it is commonly known now"

Adiseshan prayed to Lord Vishnu to give him "Satva guna" and was delivered in Thirumayam. Sage Sathya and Prurava Chakravarthy (son of Budha) were offered liberation here by Lord Mahavishnu under a Banyan tree. Perhaps the reason why I saw the Bhuvarahar under a rock behind the temple.

The rock-cut temple has a beautiful 5 headed Adiseshan on whom Perumal is sleeping. The sleep is called அறிதுயில் - ari thuyil in Tamil, sleeping with a sense of knowing what is going on at present. In his heart is Sridevi and at his feet Bhoomadevi. Then there are garuda, dharmarajan, chitragupta, chandra, surya, bramha, devas, rishis and at the far end are Madhu and Kaitapa, the Asuras. Adisesha is seen spewing venom at Madu Kaitapa and is worried that he is annoying Lord Vishnu. However, Lord Vishnu is seen comforting Ananta with his hand. It is a beautiful sight and has to be experienced without crowds jostling you. The Perumal it seems is taller and older than SriRangam perumal and is thus called AdiRangam. There is a separate sanctum for Ujjevana Thayar.

I wished the local folks had not built their homes right to the edge of the magnificent rock. It hides the view of the sublime temple and fort. When are we going to learn that the experience of divinity does not begin and end inside the sanctum?

Sriram(Hari)