Tripurantakar Temple, Tiruvirkolam (Kuvam)

01The untouched Lord

Tiruvirkolam means the sacred form with the bow. The three asura cities of gold, silver and iron could be destroyed only by one arrow, and Shiva strung Meru with Vasuki to loose it; the temple holds that he took up the bow here. The linga is swayambhu, said to be of sand, and is called Theenda Thirumeni, the body no hand has touched: every puja is done without contact. Water for the abhishekam is carried from a platform on the Kuvam river north of the temple, and the temple holds that other water draws ants to the linga. Sambandar sang one padigam here.