Vaitheeswaran Koil Temple History and Timing

Vaitheeswaran Koil is a magnificent and famous Hindu Temple located in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

The Vaitheeswaran Koil Temple has been dedicated to Lord Shiva, who is worshipped in the form of Vaidyanathar or Vaitheeswaran, meaning the “God of healing.”

It is believed that offering prayers to Vaitheeswaran can cure diseases.

Here, we share with you Vaitheeswaran Koil Temple History and Timing.

Vaitheeswaran Koil Temple History

Vaitheeswaran is a Tamil term for Vaidya (Doctor) and Ishwar (God/Master). In this temple, Lord Shiva is worshipped as “God of Healing” in the form of Sri Vaidyanathan. Vaitheeswaran Koil Temple is also associated with planet Mars (Angaraka).

Vaitheeswaran Koil Temple

The temple is located 7 kilometers from Sirkazhi, which is about 235 kilometers from Chennai, 110 kilometers from Thanjavur, and 16 km from Mayiladuthurai.

This village (where the Vaitheeswaran Koil Temple is located) is also known for palm leaf astrology called Naadi astrology in Tamil.

The temple complex has the holy waters of the Siddhamirtham tank, which contains nectar. It is believed that a holy dip here can cure all diseases.

It is said that during the Ramayana Era, Lord Rama and Lakshmana worshipped the deity in this place.

It is a Navagraha temple dedicated to planet Mars (Angaraka). It is said that Angaraka (Mars) suffered from leprosy and was cured by Vaidhyanathaswamy.

According to another tale, Lord Shiva came as Vaidya (Doctor) and cured the leprosy of a staunch devotee named Angahara. Deities such as Jatayu, Muruga, and Surya have worshipped Shiva here.

It is said that Lord Murugan Swami obtained a Vel trident at this place. The Saptarishis (Seven Sages) have worshipped Lord Shiva here.

This temple has received huge contributions from the rulers of the region like Vikrama Chola, Vira Rajendra Pandya, and Achuthappa Nayak (1560 – 1614 AD), and Maratha prince Thulaja.

The Vaitheeswaran Koil Temple belongs to the period of Kulothunga Chola (1070 – 1120 CE).

The five towers (Gopurams) of the temple are on a straight line. Here, Lord Shiva is worshipped as Maragatha Linga (Emerald Linga), which is very famous.

The Navagraha are behind the sanctum on a straight line. It is believed that Lord Rama and Lakshmana cremated Jatayu here.

The most important feature of this temple is its several Mandapams and Rajagopurams. Its western tower allows the rays of the Sun to fall on the Shiva Linga for a few days every year.

The temple bears inscriptions that belong to the period of Vikrama Chola (12th Century CE), as well as the Nayakas (16th century CE) and the Marathas (18th Century) that can be seen here.

The Vaitheeswaran Koil is a huge temple covering a total land area of 10.7 acres.

Vaitheeswaran Koil

Its temple tower is in the form of a 5-tier Gopuram.

Its innermost sanctum has a Shiva Lingam in the form of Vaitheeswaran. There is also a metal image of Subramanya, who is worshipped here as Muthukumara Swamy. There are also metal images of Nataraja, Angaraka, Durga, Surya, Jatayu, Vedas and Sampati.

The shrine of Thaiyalnayaki stands with medicinal oil to cure the diseases of devotees. There is also a small shrine of Dhanvantari and Angaraka in stone sculpture.

Here, the temple tree is “Margosa,” which possesses medicinal properties. The fine metal image of Gangavisarjanar is located inside the temple.

The Vaitheeswaran Koil Temple is guarded by
Mother Kali on the North, Karpage Vinayagar on the South, Bhairava on the East, and Veerbhadra on the West.

In this temple, all the Navagraha are in a row.

There is an exclusive idol of Chevvai.

Festivals

In this temple, the annual festival of Brahmotsavam is celebrated during the Tamil calendar months of Pankuni and Thai (January – February). The Karthigai festival is also celebrated during November with pomp and glory.

Special Rituals

Chevvai is offered with Thoor Dal and Red Arali flowers during Pooja ceremonies. Jaggery, Salt, and Pepper are also offered to get rid of diseases. Unrefined sugar as the offering is also placed in this temple.

Tuesdays are reserved for the worship of Angaraka. Generally, six worship services are held on Tuesdays.

Devotees have to take a holy bath or dip in the temple tank before worshipping Vaitheeswaran (Lord Shiva). Devotees dissolve Jaggery in the waters of the tank for curing diseases.

Tonsure ceremony is also performed in the temple wherein children are shaved for the first time to promote proper growth.

Devotees light lamps in rice cakes and practice the jamming of salt and pepper in front of the temple mast.

Here, the holy soil (rounded with ash) is treated as medicine for curing diseases. In addition, sandalwood powder with Saffron is also given as medicine.

Devotees follow a custom of donating carved silver-plated body organs in the Hundi for curing diseases.

Here, Lord Shiva is worshipped only after performing midnight pujas to Muthukumaraswamy.

On Tuesday evenings, Chevvai comes round the temple, seated upon the goat.

Vaitheeswaran Koil Temple Timing

The Vaitheeswaran Koil Temple is open daily from 6 AM to 1:00 PM and 4 PM to 9 PM. However, the temple timings may change during special pujas and festive occasions.

How to Reach

By Road: The Vaitheeswaran Koil Temple is 110 km from the Thanjavur District of Tamil Nadu.

By Rail: The Kumbakonam Railway Station is the nearest railhead. The Mysore Express Train passes through Kumbakonam.

By Air: The Trichy Airport is the nearest domestic airport. The Chennai International Airport is the nearest international airport.

Well, now we have reached the end of this post on Vaitheeswaran Koil Temple. We hope that you would have found the post beneficial. Thanks for visiting us at HindUtsav.

You can find related articles on Hinduism at HindUtsav. We look forward to your valuable comments as well as suggestions. Finally, we request you to please share the post across social networking channels.

Scroll to Top