An unplanned journey to an unique temple

NH45 is a regular route I have been travelling for the past 16 years and so like in the past, in the April gone by I was travelling through this route after visiting our family deity temple at Siruvacchur.  We were heading towards our grandparents home at Lalgudi. With a few kms away to our destination elders  insisted we take a detour and travel to  a temple nearby.

 With our tired limbs already crying and a visit to our ancestral town of vaduvakudi  programmed the next day, many of us  were indeed reluctant. But finally  the driver took a  U turn  on NH45 near Siruganar and headed onto a service road off the highway.  The vehicle was guided through the road by indicator boards and so we drove  past the small kiosks and little shops and ran into a narrow tarred road  which could accommodate only one vehicle at a time.  With the  Sunflower fields running parallel to our car, we reached the temple which was about 5kms away from NH.  The temple was like any other typical ancient  temple with a huge colorful gopuram at the entrance.  When we walked into the granite  temple we could feel the temperature dipping despite the hot humid summer weather outside.   Near the dwajasthambam at the entrance, I awed at the uniqueness when I noticed the nandi under a canopy of rudraksha beads. This is called the veda mandapam. This was perhaps a forerunner for what was to come.

Entering further led us to  the nada mandapam, where you have seven musical pillars. Walking past this led us to the sanctum anddd……………….here………… OMG!!!!… ……...I was really in for  a surprise.  I saw a huge yellow idol of Brahma covered in turmeric . This is the temple of Lord Brahma, the creator.

Emotions of surprise, joy and confusion ruled me.  Joyous because I believe not everybody is destined to visit this temple, surprised and confused because my general knowledge tells me there is only one temple dedicated to Lord Brahma in the world.

Discover India – a  highly researched quiz program of the mid 80’s was my source of information. It said there is only one temple for Lord Brahma and that is at Pushkar.

Now…… here  I see another temple Brahma sthalam at Tirupattur and that too the Brahma Sannidhi here has a huge idol,(6 feet high). Here you also find the jeeva samadhi of  the great yoga guru, yogi Patanjali.

Isn’t it time to discover India?

I could’nt get over my joy of seeing such a unique temple and more over I believe this temple can be accessed only if destiny wills it.  Little wonder then I have been passing this route many times regularly but  the  unplanned visit was destined only this time.

Thoroughly soaked in the divine ambience of the temple, took the prasadam(turmeric) and then we rested under the Magizham maram(screw pine) and started reading the sthala puranam booklet. This temple has a rich history.

Anything i write will be a repeat of here and here., so click on the links so that you get authentic information and don't miss the photo gallery in the website.
ETA:
Images below are clicked from a mobile phone and lack clarity.

                                        The temple tower at the entrance

                                               The history of the temple (sthala puranam)

                                      The huge nandi  in the praharam( not the one under the canopy)

This is the sthala vriksham Maghizham maram( Spanish cherry, sorry I mentioned it as screw pine in the  post. i stand corrected)

The above wooden idols i found inside the temple, perhaps used during temple festivals. no clue.