Thirumangalakudi Sri Prananadeshwarar Shiva Temple

The shrine of Prananadeshwarar Shiva can be found in the small township of Thirumangalakudi which is placed at a close distance from the village of Kumbakonam which is found in the district of Tanjore which is sited in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. The most important idols which can be found in this shrine are those of Lord Shiva, who is referred to as Prananadeshwarar and also Goddess Parvathy, who is known by the name, Mangalambigai. People of this area believe that the idol of Lord Shiva was self-manifested, that is swayambu. Which means it was not created by man.There is a shrine of Sooriyanar which is found a few minutes away from this shrine. It is built to honour the great Sun God, Lord Surya. Residents of the village are of the opinion that devotees must pray to the idols of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathy before they come and pray to Lord Surya in this shrine, as doing so will make the negative side effects of the navgrahas disappear, moreover it will lead to one achieving a lot of success and wealth in his life. There are some inscriptions that are found in this shrine, six to be precise, and they can be traced back to the period during the reign of the kings that belonged to the Chola, Vijaynagar as well as the Pallava dynasties.

An unusual characteristic of this shrine is the fact that all the main and important idols are referred to as Mangalam, the word Mangalam stands for prosperity, richness, wealth and fortune. Like Goddess Parvathy is referred to as Mangalambigai, the tower which referred to as vimanam is called Mangala Vimanam and last but not the least, the reservoir of the shrine which is the theertham is referred to as the Mangala theertham.