Last weekend, I had been to some temples in and around Mayavaram. Since all of them happened to be paadal petra sthalangaL, I thought I will capture the details here. Thanks to the book ‘திருமுறைத்தளங்கள்’ that my brother had got me in the last book fair, I could get more information on the history of the places.
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155= Temple no 155 in the Paadal Petra Sthalam
38 = Temple no 38 in kaviri thenkarai
This is a paadal petra sthalam. Thirugnanasambandhar has sung about this temple. Main deity is Vedhapureeswarar and he is facing west.
Goddess: Soundarya Nayagi
Tree: Sandalwood
Theertham: Vedhamirtha theertham
Vinayagar: Gnanasambandha Vinayagar
Dont miss the rudraksha tree behind the temple and also the rudraksha decoration above the sivalingam
This is one of the few temples where I have seen lingothpavar. Others that come to my mind are SurutapaLLi and kanjanoor. This temple has some inscriptions from the time of Kulothunga Chozhan III.
தொழுமாறு வல்லார் துயர் தீர நினைந்(து)
எழுமாறு வல்லார் இசைபாட விம்மி
அழுமாறு வல்லார் அழுந்தை மறையோர்
வழிபாடு செய்மாமட மன்னினையே
Source: திருமுறைத்தளங்கள்
If you like old temples with not much crowd(When I went there was no one else) then this place would be the ideal choice. In case you visit this temple, do not forget to have a look at the sokkataan mandapam, and the paintings there.
Apart from the Sivan temple, there is a perumaL temple here. The deity is called aamaruviyappan and the temple is one of the 108 divyadesangaL.
I do not have much photographs from this temple as renovation is going on. One interesting thing is that, perumaL is directly facing the sivan over here. The sivan temple is at the east end of the road, facing west and the perumaL temple is at the west end facing east. PerumaL is around 16 feet tall.
This place has one more reason to be in the history books. This is where the great Tamil poet, Kamban was born. There is a memorial for Kambar here.
Some information:
This temple is around 9 kms from Mayavaram(MayiladuthuRai). From Mayavaram proceed towards Kumbakonam via Kuthalam. After some 6 kms, you will reach a junction where on the left side you will get a road called as ‘Komal Road’. Proceed in that for around 3 kms and you will reach Therazhundhur.
Trivia:
At the junction, you will find a piLLayar temple. It seems when thirugnanasambandhar visited this place he was confused whether to take left or right for the temple. And piLLayar guided him. So he is called as vazhikaati vinayagar 
Entire set of photographs, can be found here
on 10 May 2008 at 1:13 pm # Aparna
Here’s some more info about Terizhandur. The legend goes that one day King Uparisavasu was going on his pushpaka vimanam and at that time, perumAL was herding the cows (urchavar of this temple can be seen with cow and calf and the urchavar has a stick (maaDu maikara kucchi) in His hand). The shadow of that vimanam fell on the cows and perumAL asked the King to get down from the vimanam. When the King didn’t oblige, the Lord brought down his vimanam with the thumb of His right leg and hence the name of the place, ther + azhundhur. (You can still see the right thumb of the idol of Amaruviappan in the act of pressing) When the king realized that it was perumAL Himself who was herding the cows, he asked Him to forgive him and give back his vimanam and asked the Lord what he wanted. perumAL asked him to bring ‘aNRu kaDaindha veNNai aayiram kuDam‘ (1000 pots of fresh butter prepared on the same day). Thinking that this was an easy task, the King asked the people to get it. But they were able to fill only 999 pots and there was no butter left for the last pot. Since only one pot didn’t have butter, the king that the Lord won’t notice it. But when the Lord opened the pots in the king’s presence, there was only one pot that had butter. Embarrassed, the king asked the Lord to forgive him and the Lord gave darshan to the king and it is believed that till date, the ther/vimanam is still there in the tank of the perumAL temple.
on 10 May 2008 at 11:19 pm # Sami
Nice photos and nice description !
Me too having a temple post in the draft
@Aparna,
Nice info !
on 11 May 2008 at 12:44 am # s
Prabhu
“திருமுறைதலங்கள்” illayo?
great post, nice info.
on 11 May 2008 at 9:04 am # F e r r a r i
Aparna,
Thanks a lot for the information 
In the book I have there is some history based on Agasthiyar and another king. But this sounds more realistic
Sami,
Post it!
s,
Andha book la appadi dhaan irukku
on 11 May 2008 at 2:38 pm # Chenthil
Related stuff - Thiru-k-kurungudi
on 12 May 2008 at 11:27 am # babu
“Andha book la appadi dhaan iruk”
oru book publish panravarlhal ithai kooda check panna mattangalaa???
திருமுறைதலங்கள் enbathuthan sari
thalam enraal-idam enru arttham
on 12 May 2008 at 1:53 pm # Hs
Hi prabhu!! Next time when you trip to mayavaram or places around that try to visit Achalpuram.. very big temple with lot of spiritual significance. read abt the temple here .
on 15 May 2008 at 6:43 am # Ram
very good piece! and write to the publishers of the book that they may get an award from Mu.Ka. for their spellings!
incidentally who is the publisher? hope not one of the government ones.
on 25 Jun 2008 at 5:40 pm # bharat
mindblowing
on 01 Jul 2008 at 8:07 am # J
bringing back good memories.. used enjoy going to temples in and around tanjore, kumbhakonam… am suddenly feeling home-sick after seeing this post.