Shrines near mahamagam

Abimukesar:

The place where the coconut fell and became a coconut tree is Abimukesam. It stands on the east bank and faces west. Originally it faced west, but to bless the devotees who bathe in the tank he turned west, and hence is called Abimukesam. Amuthavalli is the Goddess. It is said that Sumati’s leprosy and the dumbness of the son of Sudanma was cured. Navaratri and Masi Maga are some of the important festivals held here.

Gowtamesvarar:

Standing in the south west corner of the bank shelters the Deity Upavidesar. It got this name as the sacred thread of the Kalasa fell here. Upavida means sacred thread. Sowndara Nayaki is the goddess. Since the god blessed the sage Goutama, he got the name Gowtamesvarar.

Muchalammai:

This temple is opposite to the general post office Driven by fanatics, poet Ottakoothar took refuge in the temple and composed Takka Yagaparani. There is an idol of Ottakoothar in this shrine. The temple which mush shine in prosperity because of its link with the poet, is now in a pitiable condition. The Vira Saiva Mutt nearby indicates the link with Pasupatham, which was dominant here once.

At the southern end of Kumbakonam near the Arasil river on its banks on the way to Darasuram is a damaged temple of Virabhadra. It is believed that the Samadhi of Ottakoothar is behind the Sanctum. Unfortunately no Tamil scholar has paid attention to this aspect. If only any research scholar pursues the subject, some dark areas might be lighted.

Kasi Visvanatha temple:

This shine stands on the north bank of the Tank and faces west. In the past it bore the name ‘Kudandai Karonam’. In Taml Nadu there are 3 Karonams. One is in Kanchi on the way to Jina Kanchi, another at Nagapatnam and one here. The names have been changed here, while at Kanchi and Nagapatnam the old name continues. Kaya Rohanam means entering another body. Here Siva entered into the mixture of nectar and earth and became a linga. In other two places Siva entered the body of a man to preach a new cult called Pasupatham. This illustrates that at one time Pasupatham reigned supreme in these three places.

The temple is a small on e and there is a tin shed in the front. A Vinayaga welcomes us at the entrance. There is a legend for this temple.

Rama in exile wandered from place to place in search of Sitha and finally learnt that she has been abducted by Ravana of Lanka. Now Rama decides to fight Ravana and rescue Sitha. A doubt crosses his mind. Suppose he becomes merciful on facing Ravana, how can he kill him. A certain amount of fierce valour is required to fight Ravana and this he beseeches from Siva. Siva was in a dilemma. How to give fierceness to Rama. He embraced Rama and imparted all his prowess to Rama. It was this Visvanada who imparted the valour to Rama.

In the north-east part of the circuit, under a Neem tree are some Nagas. Muruga also is here but without his spouses. Kshetra Mahalingam is also present. In the south-west corner is a picture of Adisankarar. In this temples certain festivities like, presenting sarees, bangle presentation, bridegroom reception etc, take place on payment of some fees.

On entering the temple we find bangles and cradles hanging from the roof. They were all presented to the temple in exchange for fulfillment of some desire. Then we see the nine river goddesses all clothed in nine different coloured dress. Ganga, Yamuna, Narmada, Saraswati, Cauvery, Godavari, Tungabadra and Krishna are the nine goddesses enshrined here.

The next cell belongs to Nataraja. Big in size, his flowing locks attract us. To fit the name River goddess, a channel has been cut round the sanctum.

A peculiar feature in this temple is that the Dakshinamurthi is bereft of the sages (students) usually seen. Further the Muyalakan under his feet is pressing the throat of the cobra.

In the inner corridor are Ganapathi, Somaskanda etc. Visalakshi the goddess is in the south of the sanctum. The Dvarapalakas are fierce-looking and a product of the Cholas. The goddess is small in size. The Lingam has a tall Bana compared to Avudiyar. In the Kshetrapala Lingam too, we saw the same type of figure.

The nine river goddesses who accumulated the sins of all who bathed in them have to get rid of them and they have been advised to go and bathe in Mahamagam tank and be released of all the sins. That is why we find their temples on the bank.