Thirumayam
Encyclopedia
Thirumayam is a place of historical importance located about 20 km south of the town of Pudukkottai
in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu
. The famous freedom fighter Sathyamurthy (சத்தியமூர்த்தி) was born in Thirumayam in 1887.
, on the road from that town to Karaikudi
. This is actually National Highway NH-210, which connects Tiruchirapalli
and Rameshwaram. Thirumayam is the first main junction on this road; the Madurai
road takes its diversion from Thirumayam.
Thirumayam is well connected by road and rail. The nearest railhead is at Pudukkottai. Bus facility is available from Pudukkottai, Karaikudi, Thanjavur, Madurai and many other places. The nearest airport connected is at Trichy, 70 km away. Accommodation is also available at nearby Pudukkottai.
Famous freedom fighters Veerapandiya Kattabomman
and his brother Umathaiturai hide in a fort at Tirumayam, after their fight against the British during 17th Century.
and Vishnu
temples.
As one enters the town through the road which connects it with the highway, one finds a small temple dedicated to Bhairava
(the Bhairava
r-koil - பைரவர் கோயில்). This temple, which faces the main road, is a favourite with vehicle-owners who traditionally halt and pray there for a safe journey. This temple was actually built on the outermost wall of the old fort.
The Thirumayam fort, set in 40 acres (161,874.4 m²), is of great historical importance. It was built by Sethupathi Vijaya Ragunatha Thevar, ruler of Ramanathapuram
in AD 1687. Sethupathi is the name of the ruling dynasty of Ramanathapuram (Ramnad). Another fact of historic interest is that the founder of the princely state
of Pudukkottai
had served as governor of Thirumayam fort before founding his own kingdom.
and the other of Vishnu
, adjacent to each other. The Siva temple, which stands to the west of the Vishnu temple, is the older of the two. These are located at the foot of a hillock on the south side of the town.
The rock cut Shiva
temple is situated on a hill amid the relics of another ancient and ruined fort. Near this temple stands one of the largest rock inscriptions in Tamil Nadu
. The inscriptions are of particular interest since they deal with music
, a rare subject for inscriptions.
The Vishnu
temple is located on the foot of the hill; it is much a much-venerated temple and is considered second in importance only to the temple at Srirangam
(ஸ்ரீரங்கம்). It contains one of the largest Anantasayi group icons in India
. Anantasayi groups have Vishnu
reclining on Anantha (Seshanaaga) as the central figure. The Vishnu
temple contains an octagonal sacred tank called ‘Satya-pushkarani’ (சத்திய புஷ்கரணி).
.
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Pudukkottai
Pudukkottai is a town and a municipality in Pudukkottai district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Pudukkottai District was carved out of Tiruchirappalli and Thanjavur districts in January 1974.It is the administrative headquarters of Pudukkottai District....
in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
. The famous freedom fighter Sathyamurthy (சத்தியமூர்த்தி) was born in Thirumayam in 1887.
Approach
Thirumayam, a town panchayat and also the Taluk headquarters of the eponymous Vatam (sub-district), lies 20 km south of PudukkottaiPudukkottai
Pudukkottai is a town and a municipality in Pudukkottai district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Pudukkottai District was carved out of Tiruchirappalli and Thanjavur districts in January 1974.It is the administrative headquarters of Pudukkottai District....
, on the road from that town to Karaikudi
Karaikudi
Karaikudi is a town in Sivaganga District in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.Chettinad literally 'Chetti land' in Tamil, is a collection of 76 villages/towns. Chettinad stretched from Ramnad District and Pudukottai State of 'British' India. The Chettiars, or more properly the Nattukottai...
. This is actually National Highway NH-210, which connects Tiruchirapalli
Tiruchirapalli
Tiruchirappalli ) , also called Tiruchi or Trichy , is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Tiruchirappalli District. It is the fourth largest municipal corporation in Tamil Nadu and also the fourth largest urban agglomeration in the state...
and Rameshwaram. Thirumayam is the first main junction on this road; the Madurai
Madurai
Madurai is the third largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It served as the capital city of the Pandyan Kingdom. It is the administrative headquarters of Madurai District and is famous for its temples built by Pandyan and...
road takes its diversion from Thirumayam.
Thirumayam is well connected by road and rail. The nearest railhead is at Pudukkottai. Bus facility is available from Pudukkottai, Karaikudi, Thanjavur, Madurai and many other places. The nearest airport connected is at Trichy, 70 km away. Accommodation is also available at nearby Pudukkottai.
Famous freedom fighters Veerapandiya Kattabomman
Veerapandiya Kattabomman
Veerapandiya Kattabomman also known as Kattabomman was an 18th century Palayakarrar chieftain from Panchalankurichi of Tamil Nadu, India and the 47th King of Panchalankurichi who fought the British. His ancestors migrated to Tamil Nadu from areas in present day Andhra Pradesh during the...
and his brother Umathaiturai hide in a fort at Tirumayam, after their fight against the British during 17th Century.
Attractions
Thirumayam is a much-frequented picnic spot and affords much to the discerning tourist who ventures a little beyond the beaten track. The main attractions of the place are the fort, and the ShivaShiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
and Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
temples.
Thirumayam fort
Miles before reaching the town, one can see a fort atop a large hill. In past centuries, the fort was much larger than what now obtains; this is affirmed by the fact that the main entrance to the old fort lies about one kilometer south of the present-day fort. This extrance to the old fort still stands, it has a courtyard with pillared corridors and shrines of various deities. The sculptures on the pillars are truly beautiful.As one enters the town through the road which connects it with the highway, one finds a small temple dedicated to Bhairava
Bhairava
Bhairava , sometimes known as Bhairo or Bhairon or Bhairadya or Bheruji , Kaala Bhairavar or Vairavar , is the fierce manifestation of Lord Shiva associated with annihilation...
(the Bhairava
Bhairava
Bhairava , sometimes known as Bhairo or Bhairon or Bhairadya or Bheruji , Kaala Bhairavar or Vairavar , is the fierce manifestation of Lord Shiva associated with annihilation...
r-koil - பைரவர் கோயில்). This temple, which faces the main road, is a favourite with vehicle-owners who traditionally halt and pray there for a safe journey. This temple was actually built on the outermost wall of the old fort.
The Thirumayam fort, set in 40 acres (161,874.4 m²), is of great historical importance. It was built by Sethupathi Vijaya Ragunatha Thevar, ruler of Ramanathapuram
Ramanathapuram
Ramanathapuram , also known as Ramnad, is a city and a municipality in Ramanathapuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of Ramanathapuram district.-Tourism:...
in AD 1687. Sethupathi is the name of the ruling dynasty of Ramanathapuram (Ramnad). Another fact of historic interest is that the founder of the princely state
Princely state
A Princely State was a nominally sovereign entitity of British rule in India that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule such as suzerainty or paramountcy.-British relationship with the Princely States:India under the British Raj ...
of Pudukkottai
Pudukkottai
Pudukkottai is a town and a municipality in Pudukkottai district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Pudukkottai District was carved out of Tiruchirappalli and Thanjavur districts in January 1974.It is the administrative headquarters of Pudukkottai District....
had served as governor of Thirumayam fort before founding his own kingdom.
Temples
There are two famous rock-cut shrines, one of SivaShiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
and the other of Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
, adjacent to each other. The Siva temple, which stands to the west of the Vishnu temple, is the older of the two. These are located at the foot of a hillock on the south side of the town.
The rock cut Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
temple is situated on a hill amid the relics of another ancient and ruined fort. Near this temple stands one of the largest rock inscriptions in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
. The inscriptions are of particular interest since they deal with music
Carnatic music
Carnatic music is a system of music commonly associated with the southern part of the Indian subcontinent, with its area roughly confined to four modern states of India: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu...
, a rare subject for inscriptions.
The Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
temple is located on the foot of the hill; it is much a much-venerated temple and is considered second in importance only to the temple at Srirangam
Srirangam
Srirangam , Old name is Vellithirumutha gramam and Tamil name is Thiruvarangam , is an island and a part of the city of Tiruchirapalli , in South India....
(ஸ்ரீரங்கம்). It contains one of the largest Anantasayi group icons in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Anantasayi groups have Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
reclining on Anantha (Seshanaaga) as the central figure. The Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
temple contains an octagonal sacred tank called ‘Satya-pushkarani’ (சத்திய புஷ்கரணி).
Educational institutions
Politics
Thirumayam assembly constituency is part of Sivaganga (Lok Sabha constituency)Sivaganga (Lok Sabha constituency)
Sivaganga is a Lok Sabha constituency in Tamil Nadu. Indian Home Minister P.Chidambaram represents this constituency.-Assembly segments:...
.
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