மங்களநாதசுவாமி திருக்கோயில், உத்திரகோசமங்கை
This is a very ancient Siva temple on the coast in the southern district of Ramanathapuram of Tamil Nadu. Some claim that this is the oldest Sivan temple in the south. The site obviously is very old. It is not a Paadal Petra Sthalam (பாடல் பெற்ற தலம்) but is mentioned in the 9th century work by the Tamil Saivite poet-saint Manickavasagar ( மாணிக்கவாசகர்), the Thiruvasagam (திருவாசகம்).
It lies 72 km or a 90 minute drive west of Rameswaram, over the Pamban bridge, on the mainland of the ancient Sethu country. Set in a serene rural area, this is indeed a hidden treasure. It is 111 km or 1hour and 45 minutes southeast of Madurai.
Originally built by Pandian kings it was renovated and expanded many times later by other dynasties including Vijayanagar and Nayakkan kings. The current structure is an amalgamation of many styles by different builders over time. The Pandian kings built the core and others added on to it. We can see the stamp of the Sethupathi kings too. At 20 acres, it is larger than most other temples. The 5.5 feet high ancient emerald statue of Nataraja here is very special and is covered in sandalwood paste for most of the year to protect it. There are also Yalis with rolling balls in their mouths which are sculptural marvels.
The legends mention a coastal temple. The sea seems to have receded several kilometres here over the centuries. Numerous legends abound. The name comes from the legend that Siva disclosed the secret of the universe to Uma at this site. Mandothari worshipped Sivan at this place and married Ravanan here. The 64th Thiruvilayadal (திருவிளையாடல்) - the Valai Veesiya Padalam (வலை வீசிய படலம்)- when Siva in a fit of anger cursed Parvathi to be born as a fisherman's daughter and Nanthi as a shark, is believed to have happened here. He later appeared as a fisherman, caught the shark and married the fisherman's daughter. Siva gave a private audience of the cosmic dance to Parvathi here before he danced in the Thillai forest. There are many many other stories, too numerous to write here.
Come here to be blessed if you are a Hindu, especially a Saivite. If you are not, still come here to experience the history and the beauty of an ancient temple in a peaceful setting. Please note the differences in style of the inner gopurams (likely Pandian) and the outer gopurams (likely Vijayanagar or Nayakkan). Different eras. The narrow tall rajagopuram is for the Siva shrine and the squat shorter one is for the Amman shrine.
It is administered by the controversial Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu.
We visited in Aug 2019. We used Rameswaram as the base.
Credits: Google Maps
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