worship the Lord you can live ever with increasing happiness.

The temple is praised in the Thevaram hymns of three Saivite saints.   “Are you determined to surrender to Lord of Tiruvetkalam   Wearing the crescent Moon, wealthy blessing you ever   Then your woes would vanish, fate will not follow you   Develop that skill of devotion, that is purpose of life.”      - Tirunavukkarasar   This is the second temple on the northern bank of Cauvery praised in Thevaram hymns.

Thillai Chidambaram is the first of sacred Shiva Sthalas praised in Thevaram hymns followed by Tiruvetkalam. Lord is a swayambumurthi.

The temple is built by Pallava kings strictly following the temple architecture rules with bricks.  In the year 1914, this was renovated with stones by Peddha Perumal Chettiar of Kanadukathan.  Presently, the temple is facing east with a three tier Rajagopuram.  In the four pillars in Ambica shrines, there are sculptures depicting Arjuna storing his weapons, Arjuna performing penance standing on one leg, Lord Shiva in the guise of a hunter and Arjuna fighting with Lord.

Lords Nardana Vinayaka, Siddhi Vinayaka, Anugraha Dakshinamurthy are in the prakara.  Sun and Moon are next to each other.  Worshipping the planets during eclipse times is devotionally followed in the temple.

The antiquity of Tiruvetkalam dates back to over 2000 years.  It is here Lord Shiva granted the Pasupatha missile to Arjuna.  Mother Nallanayaki graces the devotees with four hands holding Lotus and Neelotpala flowers in two hands.  There is a Nandhi in Her shrine also.  When Sambandar came to Chidambaram to have the darshan of Lord Nataraja, he stayed here and mentions this place in his hymns as Nannagar-Good City.  His hymn Pennin Nallal was sung in this place praising the mother.  Saint Arunagirinathar had praised Lord Muruga in this temple in his Tirupugazh hymns.

Arjuna the celebrated archer of Bharath was advised by Lord Krishna to perform penance on Lord Shiva to get the Pasupatha missile to win the Kurukshetra war though he got many such from his father Indira.  Obeying the advice of Lord Krishna, he came to this place dense with bamboo trees.  Duryodhana, as is habitual of him, sent demon Mookasura as a wild pig to spoil Arjuna’s penance.  Knowing his design, Lord Shiva set out with Mother Parvathi as a hunter.  Four Vedas followed the Lord in the form of dogs.  Lord shot an arrow on the pig while Arjuna also shot one simultaneously.  A debate arose between Lord and Arjuna whose arrow killed the demon.  The debate turned into a fight between the two.  The Pandava struck the Lord with his bow the impact of which fell on every being in the world.  Lord Shiva tossed Arjuna with His toe.  He fell in the Krupa Kadaksham spring.  Mother Parvathi grew angry on Arjuna when he struck on the Lord but Lord stopped Her saying that a Mother should only be loving and addressed Her ‘Sarguna’ meaning a person with calm traits.   Arjuna had the benefit of the touch of Lord’s feet when He tossed him.  Lord granted darshan to Arjuna with Mother Parvathi and the Pasupatha he wished.  The bow-blow scar on the Shivalinga is visible even now.

Sri Pasupatheswarar Temple, Tiruvetkalam (Chidambaram Nagar)-608 002. 

Thirumurai 5.42 திருவேட்களம்

பாடல் எண் : 1

நன்று நாடொறும் நம்வினை போயறும்
என்று மின்பந் தழைக்கவி ருக்கலாம்
சென்று நீர்திரு வேட்களத் துள்ளுறை
துன்று பொற்சடை யானைத் தொழுமினே.

பாடல் எண் : 2

கருப்பு வெஞ்சிலைக் காமனைக் காய்ந்தவன்
பொருப்பு வெஞ்சிலை யாற்புரஞ் செற்றவன்
விருப்பன் மேவிய வேட்களங் கைதொழு
திருப்ப னாகி லெனக்கிட ரில்லையே.

பாடல் எண் : 3

வேட்க ளத்துறை வேதிய னெம்மிறை
ஆக்க ளேறுவ ரானைஞ்சு மாடுவர்
பூக்கள் கொண்டவன் பொன்னடி போற்றினால்
காப்பர் நம்மைக் கறைமிடற் றண்ணலே.

பாடல் எண் : 4

அல்ல லில்லை அருவினை தானில்லை
மல்கு வெண்பிறை சூடும் மணாளனார்
செல்வ னார்திரு வேட்களங் கைதொழ
வல்ல ராகில் வழியது காண்மினே.


பாடல் எண் : 5

துன்ப மில்லைத் துயரில்லை யாமினி
நம்ப னாகிய நன்மணி கண்டனார்
என்பொ னாருறை வேட்கள நன்னகர்
இன்பன் சேவடி யேத்தி யிருப்பதே.

பாடல் எண் : 6

கட்டப் பட்டுக் கவலையில் வீழாதே
பொட்ட வல்லுயிர் போவதன் முன்னம்நீர்
சிட்ட னார்திரு வேட்களங் கைதொழப்
பட்ட வல்வினை யாயின பாறுமே.

பாடல் எண் : 7

வட்ட மென்முலை யாளுமை பங்கனார்
எட்டு மொன்று மிரண்டுமூன் றாயினார்
சிட்டர் சேர்திரு வேட்களங் கைதொழு
திட்ட மாகி யிருமட நெஞ்சமே.

பாடல் எண் : 8

நட்ட மாடிய நம்பனை நாள்தொறும்
இட்டத் தாலினி தாக நினைமினோ
வட்ட வார்முலை யாளுமை பங்கனார்
சிட்ட னார்திரு வேட்களந் தன்னையே.

பாடல் எண் : 9

வட்ட மாமதில் மூன்றுடை வல்லரண்
சுட்ட கொள்கைய ராயினுஞ் சூழ்ந்தவர்
குட்ட வல்வினை தீர்த்துக் குளிர்விக்கும்
சிட்டர் பொற்றிரு வேட்களச் செல்வரே.

பாடல் எண் : 10

சேட னாருறை யுஞ்செழு மாமலை
ஓடி ஆங்கெடுத் தான்முடி பத்திற
வாட வூன்றி மலரடி வாங்கிய
வேட னாருறை வேட்களஞ் சேர்மினே.

people of the world!
you go and worship the Lord of crowded golden matted locks who resides in tiruvētkaḷam.
your sins will greatly go away from us daily and become extinct.
you can live ever with increasing happiness.

one who destroyed the Kāmaṉ holding a cruel bow of sugar-cane.
one who destroyed the cities with the cruel bow made of a mountain If I live worshipping with my folded hands vētkaḷam desired by the Lord of great attachment towards his devotees.
there will be no trouble for me.

the vētiyaṉ;
one who gave out the vētams;
one who is considered the highest among the tēvars our Lord vēṭkaḷam is fixed in rhyme will ride upon bulls;
the bulls are of several kinds;
the bull which is the embodiment of aṟam, tirumāl who carried him during the destruction of the three cities and intiraṉ;
so the plural is used he will bathe himself in all the five products got from the cow it is called in sanskrit pancakavviyam if we worship his feet as valuable as gold, with flowers.
the Lord with a black neck will protect us.

there will no affliction for us;
there will no bonds which are difficult to be removed.
one who is as happy as the bridegroom and wears a growing white crescent.
the Lord of all riches.
if people are capable of worshipping with their hands tiruvēṭkaḷam.
that is the right path;
you clearly see that.

hereafter there no will be suffering of being born again.
there will be no suffering in this birth.
one who has a neck as blue as a faultless sapphire, and who is dependable.
the Lord who is the embodiment of happiness and who is my wealth in gold, residing in the good city of vētkaḷam our duty is to praise his red feet The rhyme in this verse is peculiar.

Having undergone hardships and not falling into anxieties worries before the life which is capable of doing many things ebbs out of this body quickly.
when we worship with the hands tiruvēṭkaḷam of the Lord who is the embodiment of knowledge.
the violent actions done and appearing to give their fruits will flee away.

the Lord who has on his half Umai who has round and soft breasts.
one who has the eight forms, the supreme one, who is two by himself and his consort, the trinity the creator, protector and destroyer Eight forms: the five elements, the sun, and the moon, and the person who performs sacrifices;
it is called ashtamūrttam worshipping with the hands tiruvēṭkaḷam where learned men gather together.
Be desiring that.
my ignorant mind!

the one whom we can depend upon.
one who has Umai who has round breasts on which a bodice is worn the embodiment of all knowledge.
think with pleasure by your inclinations of mind, his residence, tiruvēṭkaḷam.

the strong defences which had big and circular walls of enclosure.
Though he has burnt them according to a principle.
the Lord who is in beautiful tiruvēṭkaḷam he is the embodiment of learning who will console those who circumambulate him, removing their strong sins which are deep-rooted.

one who removed the big and fertile mountain on which the great god resides, running towards it.
who pressed with his feet to make rāvaṇaṉ perish and his ten heads to be crushed, and then removed the lotus feet.
people of this world!
reach vēṭkaḷam where the Lord who once assumed the form of a hunter resides.