01Surya’s hand and Agni’s tank
After Shiva burned Kama at nearby Tirukkurukkai, the temple says, Rati cursed Surya and his hand withered; he worshipped here and it was restored. So the shrine is a Bhaskara kshetra, sought for afflictions of the Sun in the birth chart, and from the 25th to the 29th of Panguni the rising sun falls on the linga. Rati herself prayed here for Kama’s return. Agni, cursed for attending Daksha’s yajna, dug the tank opposite the entrance, the Agni or Varuna Theertham. The linga is swayambhu; both the east-facing Lord and the south-facing Devi stand in the same great hall, with an Adi Moola linga said to be Agni’s. The lemon tree is the sthala vriksham. Appar and Sambandar sang one padigam each.
In Ponnur, about 8 km from Mayiladuthurai; buses towards Namasivayapuram and Pandur pass the village.
