01Aa, the cow
Aa is the cow, and Tiru-aa-mathur is the town of the mother cows. The temple’s katha says the cows, before they had horns, came here and worshipped Shiva, and he gave them horns to protect themselves. The name Abhirameswarar is tied to Shri Rama, who is said to have worshipped here on his way south. Sambandar and Appar both sang the shrine. Muthambikai, the Devi, has a separate temple facing the Lord’s across the road, an arrangement seen in only a few Tamil temples.
02Vijayanagara rebuilding
The shrine was a Chola temple, and the main temple as it stands was rebuilt in the reign of Achyuta Deva Raya of Vijayanagara in the sixteenth century. It covers about two acres within concentric walls. The village lies just off the Chennai–Villupuram highway, and the temple is quiet on most days, busy on Pradosham evenings and at Shivaratri.
About 7 km north-west of Villupuram.
