Lord Shiva Worships Himself In This Famous Temple In Madurai: Know About The Interesting History Behind It

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Immayilum Nanmai Tharuvar temple, Madurai is dedicated to Lord Shiva. It's unique by itself for bearing the significance of Lord Shiva worshipping Himself in the form of a Shiva Lingam.

Immayilum Nanmai Tharuvar Temple History

'Immayilum Nanmai Tharuvar' means the one who bestows good right away in this very birth. In this temple, the Lord pardons the sins committed by the devotees in this very birth and relieves them from the cycle of birth and death. Also called the 'Bhoolokha Kailasam', there is an interesting history associated with this temple of Lord Shiva worshipping Himself.

Goddess Meenakshi, the daughter of the Malayathwajhan, the ruler of Madurai, was given in marriage to Lord Shiva, here in Madurai by the name Sundareswarar. On account of the marriage of Lord Sundareswarar and Goddess Meenakshi, they became the king and queen of Madurai. As per tradition, the new king and queen ought to perform Shiva puja before assuming their roles.

Hence Lord Sundareswarar(Lord Shiva) and Goddess Meenakshi installed a Shiva Lingam and worshipped it. As per custom, while performing Shiva puja, the worshipper will have to face the West with the deity or the Shiva Lingam facing the East. Hence, as per the rule, in the sanctum sanctorum, both the east facing Shiva Lingam and the West facing worshippers (Lord Sundareswarar and Goddess Meenakshi) are present.

So one can worship the rear side of the Shiva Lingam as well as Lord Sundareswarar (Lord Shiva) and Meenakshi at the same time. However, the entrance of the temple is West facing and all other features of the temple are as per the rules of a West facing temple.

It is a practice that even to this day during the celebration of the coronation ceremony taking place in the Madurai Meenakshi temple, the idols of Lord Sundareswarar and Goddess Meenakshi are brought here to perform their worship to the Shiva Lingam. During the worship, the priest stands in between the idols of Lord Sunadeswarar and Goddess Meenakshi and the Shiva Lingam and performs the customary rituals.

Significance of Immayilum Nanmai Tharuvar Temple and worship

Immayilum Nanmai Tharuvar temple is said to have been built in the 2nd Century CE. The temple is considered one of the Panchabootha Sthalams (five elements) of Madurai, representing the earth. The name of the presiding deity is Immayilum Nanmai Tharuvar and the goddess here is Madhyapuri Nayaki. The sacred tree of the temple is Dasathala Vilvam (Bilva leaf with ten fronds) and the sacred pond in the temple is called the Pushkarini.

The goddess is also acknowledged as Maangalya Vara Prasadhini because she grants the prayers of those women seeking an ideal groom. The Shri Chakra here installed in this temple is made out of stone, contrary to the practice of the installation of the chakra in copper in other temples. Since Lord Sundareswar(Lord Shiva) worshipped the Shiva Lingam here before the coronation, people perform the Raja Upachara Archana to secure better employment opportunities.

The Chandikeshwara here is called Parindhuraikkum Nadhar (one who takes the grievances of the devotees to the Lord) for benevolently communicating the devotees' grievances to Lord Shiva. There is also a shrine dedicated to Kashi Vishwanathar and Visalakshi, where the Lingam is made out of sand.

Behind the Lingam is an idol of Lord Rama with a bow and arrow, and some believe that the Lingam of Kasi Vishwanathar here was made by Lord Rama. There is also a separate shrine for Bhairavar. Another noteworthy aspect of the temple is that there is another shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati here, who are believed to cure fever and other illnesses. The names of the Lord and the Goddess in this shrine are Jurahareswarar and Jura Sakthi.

Such is the greatness of the Immayilum Nanmai Tharuvar temple with various significances. Let's thus beseech the Lord to bless us in this very birth and draw us out of the birth and death cycle.