01The hunter and Arjuna
The Mahabharata’s Vana Parva tells that Arjuna went to do tapas for Shiva’s weapon. A boar charged him; he shot it, and at the same instant a hunter shot it too. They quarrelled over the kill and fought, and Arjuna’s arrows and sword were no use; at last he fell at the hunter’s feet, and the hunter showed himself as Shiva with Parvati and gave him the Pashupata astra. The temple holds that this happened here, so the Lord is Pasupatheswarar and the place Tiru-vet-kalam, the field of the hunt. Sambandar and Appar sang the shrine.
02In the university
The temple stands within the campus of Annamalai University, a short way east of the Nataraja temple. It covers about two acres within rectangular walls. The old Chola shrine was rebuilt in stone in 1914 by A. Pethaperumal Chettiar of Kanadukathan, of the Nattukottai Chettiar community that renovated so many Tevaram temples in those years. Chittirai, the Tamil new year month, is its festival season.
The life of this place
- 1914 CEA. Pethaperumal Chettiar rebuilds the temple in stone.
Inside Annamalai University, Annamalai Nagar, about 3 km east of Chidambaram station.
