Visited on: November 1, 2015
Location
40 kms from Erode and 25 kms from Karur. Kodumudi has a railway station on Trichy to Erode route. Nearest airport is at Coimbatore and Trichy, both are at a distance of about 110 kms.
General Information
- Moolavar
- Sri Magudeswarar / Sri Kodumudinathar
- Ambal
- Sri Vadivudainayaki / Sri Panmozhiyalammai
- Theertham (Holy water)
- Kaveri, Bharathwaja Theertham, Brahma Theertham and Deva Theertham
- Sthala Vriksham (Sacred Tree)
- Vanni Tree
- Pathigam (Hymn) rendered by
- Saint Thirugnanasambanthar
Saint Thirunavukarasar (Appar)
Saint Sundaramurthy (Sundarar)
- This is one of the 276 Thevara Paadal Petra Sthalams and 6th Shiva Sthalam in Kongu Nadu.
- This is a famous Sthalam for performing rituals to satiate one’s ancestors.
- This is also a Parikara Sthalam for Naga Dhosham.
- Moovar Paadal Petra Sthalam.
History of the Temple
The temple is situated on the banks of the river Kaveri. There are three adjacent temples inside the same premises for Lords Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma.
All the three towers are east-facing.
The temple has epigraphs from the time period of King Sundarapandiyan Kesari’s rule.


Legend
According to the legend, there was a competition between Adiseshan (the serpent on whom Sri Mahavishnu rests) and Vayu (Lord of the Winds) to determine who was stronger. Lord Indiran prescribed certain rules to conduct the competition. They put Mount Meru at the centre and it was held tightly by Adiseshan, and Vayu blew the wind with all his might to push Adiseshan. In the ensuing struggle, Meru’s peak (Magudam) split into 5 pieces and fell in five different places.
It is believed that the pieces came down as 5 different gem stones – Red Coral at Thiruvannamalai, Ruby (Manickam) at Rathinagiri (Thiruvatpokki), Emerald (Maragatham) at Engoimalai, Sapphire (Neelam) at Pothigaimalai and Diamond at Kodumudi. As per legend the Diamond that fell at Kodumudi became the Swayambulingam (self-manifested lingam) and the rest of the stones became hills. Since the origin of the lingam is from the Meru, the lord is called Magudeswarar.
It is also believed that Sage Agasthiyar installed and worshiped the idol of Lord Shiva and his fingerprints can be seen on the deity.
It is also believed that Kodumudi is the place where Lord Shiva performed a dance for Sage Bharadwajar.
It is also said that both these sages were blessed with Lord Shiva’s wedding darshan here.
Deities in the temple
Near the Ambal Shrine, there is a separate shrine for Goddess Saraswathi. Amongst other deities, idols of Lord Dakshinamurthy, Hanuman, Navagraham are in the corridors.
Lord Mahavishnu is named here as Pallikonda Perumal and Veeranarayana Perumal. The mythological significance of Lord Vishnu and Lord Brahma temples inside these premises is that they are believed to be worshiping Lord Shiva.
Salient Features
Devotees throng the place in large numbers for performing ritual ceremonies (Tarpan/Shradh) for their ancestors on the new moon day on the banks of river Kaveri. Devotees can also be seen celebrating their 60th birthday here with Poojas (Ayushya Homam) for longevity.
This is a place for Serpent (Nagar) worship because Adiseshan was responsible for the origin of this temple. Majority of the devotees come here seeking relief from the adverse effects of Naga Dosham and they install a small stone Nagar under the Vanni tree.
Historians are not able to estimate the age of the ancient Vanni tree of the temple. Under this tree, there is Lord Brahma’s idol with three faces. The age of this tree may be more than 3000 years. It is believed that if a leaf from this tree is put in a pot of water, the water’s purity lasts for years. Interestingly, certain portions of the tree have thorns and certain portions are devoid of any thorns. It also does not blossom or bear any fruits.


Although Lord Brahma is said to have four faces, in this temple Lord Brahma’s idol has only three faces and the Sthala Vriksham (Vanni Tree) is said to be his fourth face.
Speciality of the Theertham
It is believed that those who take a dip in the river Kaveri and worship Lords Shiva and Vishnu will be cured of diseases and will get relief for their ailments.
It is also said that one of the Pandya prince’s fingers were not growing enough. The King prayed to this Lord after taking a dip in the river and soon his son’s fingers grew to normal size. To show his gratitude, the King constructed the three main towers (Gopurams) and renovated this temple. Because of the association with Pandya kingdom, this place is also called Pandikkodumudi.
Greatness of Temple
Those afflicted by Raghu Dosham (adverse effect of planet Raghu) and those facing obstacles in marriage or child birth may pray here for relief.
For longevity and betterment of life, people perform Poojas (abhishekam) to Lord Vinayakar using an equal number of pots of water as their age.


Important Festivals
“Chithirai Thirunal” festival is celebrated for 11 days in the months of April-May and is the main festival of this temple. Devotees also come in huge numbers on the “Aadi Perukku” day in July-August. Special Poojas are performed in this temple on new moon, full moon and “Pradosham” days.
Temple Timings
From 06.00 AM to 12.00 Noon and from 04.00 PM to 09.00 PM.
Temple Address
Sri Magudeswarar Temple,
Tirupandikodumudi (Kodumudi),
Erode District, Tamil Nadu-638 151.
Tele: +91- 4204-222 375.

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