Description
Thiruppainjeeli Yama Dharmaraja Swamy Temple is an ancient temple which is located in Thirupainjeeli, a city very close to Trichy. It forms a part of the famous religious spots in the state of Tamil Nadu and attracts thousands of devotees all year round.
History
There is a legend behind this temple. Long back the deva's had assembled in the Mount Kailash to get a darshan of Lord Shiva. However, Lord Shiva was doing his meditation and hence was sitting in still position with eyes closed. In order to seek darshan, the devas decided to disturb the meditation process by sending Manmatha. He proceeded in disturbing Lord Shiva, however, Lord was very angry and as soon as he opened his eyes, sparks protruded out from them which burnt Manmatha into ashes. Upon hearing this story, Manmatha's wife Rathi undertook deep penance in praise of Lord Shiva pleading him to give back life to his husband. After days of rigorous yagna's she was granted her wish. Then Yama sought blessing of Lord Shiva in order to take up his duty with sincerity. As god was pleased with him, he was also blessed with grace. Thiruppainjeeli Yama DharmarajaSwamy Temple has been built based upon this story.
Importance/Significance
Yama is considered to be a symbol of justice and, any devotee looking for justice worships the lord at this temple. It is believed that Yama burns out the evil and the injustice with his ferocious fury. In fact, women do not take a bath in the rivers of the temple fearing that they may be burnt in case, Yama gets angry. All the evils from one's life are destroyed upon worshipping the lord here.
Facts/Mythology
The unique feature of the temple is the idol of the presiding deity. The deity is in the sitting form, sitting atop a buffalo and his moustache is in a twisted manner. His hands are full of rope, club and leaves from palm tree. Just below his idol is the idol of Chitra Gupta and his trusted messenger Kalan. Kalan is also seen here along with his consorts pushkala and Poorana. The entire temple's architecture is magnificently done which speaks of the intrinsic art that the people of those times possess. Further, the outer walls are covered with sculpture which depicts different dance forms and other stories in a playful manner.
Festivals/Events/Gatherings
Mnamatha Vizha is a festival which is held here on a grand scale. This is celebrated in the months of February or March. Rituals are performed in the morning hours, which is then followed by a dance or drama that depicts the legend based on which the temple has been built. Sometimes, this festival is also referred to as the Cupid festival. Another festival which is observed in the month of July-August is the AadiVizha. This spans for a period of 10 days and attracts thousands of devotees from far and wide. The temple is also considered a sacred place for organizing marriage, engagement and mundane ceremonies along with family and friends.
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