THIRUVENGADU ( 10 Km from Vaitheeswaran Koil):
There is a reference to this temple in Valmiki’s Ramayana. Therefore
it is said that the oldest part of the temple is more than 3000 years old.
Dedicated to Budhan or Mercury this temple in Thiruvenkadu makes up the last
of the Navagraha Temples. Budhan is said to bestow wisdom and intellect. The Shiva shrine here is dedicatd to Sri Swetaranyeswara.
The Goddess is Brahma Vidyambika. Legends glorify this place as Swetaranyam, Adi Chidambaram, and Nava Neetha
Sthalam.
Buddha, the bestower of knowledge, has a separate shrine. Wednesdays
are auspicious days of worship.
This temple is known for it's three murthi's, three theerthams(tanks), three
Shakthi's, and three Vrikshams(trees). Aalamaram ,Vilvam & Konrai are the "sthala vriksham"(holy trees) found here.The
Aalamaram here is also known as the Akshayavadam (infinite or indestructible banyan tree).
What makes the image of the God worth seeing is that it has
5 faces Easanana, Tatpurusham, Aghoram, Vamadevam and
Satyajatam. According to puranam tales, the Lord assumed the form of
Aghoramurthi, the furious aspect of God, to Vanquish
demon Maruthwasura. The Lord also saved a devotee named Swetaketu from
the clutches of Yama. For the sake of this devotee,
Shiva danced all His seven Tandavas - Anand, Sandhya, Samharam, Tripuranda,
Urdhva, Bhujanga and Lalitha.
There are separate shrines for Bhadrakali, Ashtalakshmi and Nataraja, Agni,
Chandra and Surya. Theerthams in the temple are
considered holy.
Shaivite saints Meikandar, Appar, Sundarar, Sambandar and Pattinathar have
sung in praise of the Lord.
