Avudayar Koil Temple, Aranthangi

Avudayar Koil temple, one of the oldest temples in Tamil Nadu, is located in a small town, Avudayaurkoil. It is situated at a distance of around 14 kms from Aranthangi city of Pudhukkottai district. The site was called Tiiruperunthurai in ancient times. Avudayar Koil (the word "Koil" means "temple" in the Tamil language) is attractive not only due to spiritual reasons but also due to its architecture and sculptures. Because of this temple, the entire Avudayarkoil town has been declared as a 'heritage town' by the Government.

Even though the temple is popularly referred to as Avudayar Koil, the temple's name is Atmanatha Swamy Temple. The original structure is believed to have been built by the Saint Manickavasagar in the 8th century CE. It is evident that the temple has been extended in the later years. The temple legend is closely connected to the history of Manickavasagar.

King Arimardhana Pandian asked his minister Tiruvadhavoorar to buy horses and gave him money. The minister came to a place named Perunthurai to purchase horses. However, he was impressed by a Ved "pathshala". Ultimately, he attained "Gnana" (the ultimate knowledge) here and spent the money to build this temple. Initially, only a platform was constructed, and the offering of rice was kept on the platform. The steam was considered as God (Shiva) for him. The same platform is still present inside the shrine, and the same rituals are still followed. Pandya kings extended the temple with beautiful sculptures and pillars in the later years. The minister Tiruvadhavoorar thus became a great devotee of Lord Shiva and was named Manickavasagar. Later, he authored the famous "Tiruvasagam" in Avudayaur Koil temple.

The temple's presiding deity, Atmanatha Swamy (the name of Lord Shiva) doesn't have any image or figure. There is just a platform in the sanctum. It is believed that he is present in invisible form. This is a unique feature of this temple.

Another unique feature is that we cannot find Nandi, flagstaff, and Chandikeswarar, that are commonly found in all South Indian ancient Shiva temples.

The Goddess of the temple, Yogambal, is enshrined in a separate shrine. Again, there is no icon for her. Only her footprint is worshiped.

Manickavasagar is found in prominent shrine that is adorned with old mural paintings. 

The temple is known for beautiful sculpture. We can find the exquisite sculptures of Narasimha, Kaali, Ganesha, Subramanya, and others. There are also life-sized sculptures such as Veerabhadra, Yaksha, and Daksha. All these sculptures are stunning and have uniqueness. 

In a mandapa, there are sculptures associated with the temple legend, such as Shiva turning foxes into horses when the King asked the minister for horses and turning the horses back to foxes. 

Under the Sthala vruksham (holy tree of Kurutha), Shiva is found sharing his knowledge with Manickavasagar. 

There is no separate shrine or icons for Navagrahas (nine planets) similar to other temples. They are found only in the pillars. The 27 stars (Nakshatras) are also present in the form of sculptures. There is a sapta swara pillar (musical pillar). The stone chain is famous in this temple. 

There is a lot to explore in this temple, which this article cannot explain in detail. Visit the temple to get your own experience.

Happy travelling.

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