01The fallen peak
The temple’s katha tells of a contest between Vayu and Adishesha: the serpent coiled round Mount Meru and the wind god blew to break his hold. Pieces of the peak flew south and fell at several places, and one of them, the kodumudi, is the hill of this temple. Agastya is also tied to the place; a rock in the Kaveri opposite is where a crow is said to have tipped over his water pot and set the river free. Within one large compound stand Magudeswarar, Brahma under a vanni tree, and Veeranarayana Perumal, so the temple is called the Trimurti temple.
02Matrupatru enakkinri
Sambandar, Appar and Sundarar all sang Pandikkodumudi. Sundarar’s hymn here is the one Tamil Shaivas know best: matrupatru enakkinri, I have no other refuge, with every verse ending in the Panchakshara, Namasivaya. It is in the seventh Tirumurai and is sung at the close of many temple services. The temple faces east, about 640 feet long by 484 feet wide, with three entrances. Pilgrims on the way to Palani carry Kaveri water from the Kodumudi ghat.
Kodumudi station on the Erode–Tiruchirappalli line is close to the temple; Erode is about 40 km.
