01The sacred feet
Patanjali, who would not eat until he had seen the Lord dance, prayed with Vyaghrapada to see the feet of Nataraja in the dance itself. The temple’s katha says Shiva danced for them here and they saw His feet, so the place is a Tiruvadi kshetra, and the Rudra Pada receives daily worship. Patanjali’s image is in the front mandapa, Vyaghrapada and Surya have shrines, and on one panel the Lord’s feet rest on Vishnu’s head. Bhairava is the guardian and stands in place of a Navagraha shrine. Mathurabashini, the sweet-spoken Devi, is prayed to by children who stammer and by parents before a child’s first day at school. Sambandar’s hymn is in the third Tirumurai.
About 2 km from Tiruvarur on the Thanjavur road, by the Vilamal bus stop. Mahalaya Amavasya is kept for ancestral offerings.
