Pasupatheeswarar Temple, Avur Pasupatheeswaram

01Kamadhenu’s shrine

In Tamil aa is the cow, and Avur is the cow’s town. Kamadhenu, cursed by Maharshi Vasishtha, was sent here by Brahma to worship Shiva, and was released; so the Lord is Pasupatheeswarar, lord of the cattle, and a carving on the flagstaff shows the cow pouring her milk over a linga. Like Nallur nearby, Avur is held to stand on a peak of Kailasa that Vayu tore away. The sanctum stands high on a platform, reached by steps from the south, in the manner of the madakkoils raised by Kochengat Chola so that no elephant could enter. King Dasharatha is shown worshipping in the inner prakaram. Sambandar’s hymn, in the first Tirumurai, calls the shrine Avur Pasupatheeswaram.

02Two Devis, five Bhairavas

In the mahamandapa two Devis have south-facing shrines side by side. Pankajavalli is the elder, the Devi Sambandar praised in his hymn; Mangalambikai, the temple says, was found in a pond and installed later, and today draws most of the worship. The same hall holds five Bhairavas, four facing west and one north, named Asitanga, Guru, Chanda, Kala and Unmatta Bhairava, and on Ashtami devotees light sesame-oil lamps before them for protection. Murugan here holds a bow and arrow. The sthala tree is the peepal, and the tanks are Brahma Theertham and Kamadhenu Theertham.