01Tripura and the Veerattanams
The Puranas tell of the three flying cities of gold, silver and iron built for the sons of Tarakasura, which could be destroyed only when they came into one line. Shiva mounted a chariot made of the earth, with the sun and moon for wheels and Meru for his bow, and burned all three with one arrow, some say with a smile. Tamil tradition places that deed at Tiruvadigai, one of eight Veerattanams, the shrines of Shiva’s heroic acts. The great Shiva of the sanctum is Veerattaneswarar; a fine image of Tripurantaka stands in the temple.
02Appar comes home
The Periya Puranam tells it. Marulneekkiyar, born at Tiruvamur, became a Jain monk named Dharmasena at Pataliputra, the town now called Tiruppadirippuliyur. His elder sister Tilakavathiyar stayed in Tiruvadigai serving the temple and prayed for him. He was struck by a colic no Jain physician could cure, and came to her. She gave him the sacred ash; he entered the temple and sang ‘Kootrayinavaru vilakkagilir’, and the pain left him. Shiva named him Tirunavukkarasu, king of speech. The Pallava king Mahendravarman, called Gunabhara, persecuted him and was then won over, and by the Periya Puranam he built a temple at Tiruvadigai named Gunadharavichcharam.
The life of this place
- early 7th century CEAppar was healed here and sang the first of his hymns, by the Periya Puranam.
The temple is about 2 km from Panruti town, between Cuddalore and Villupuram.
