Thiruverumbur Erumbeeswarar Shiva Temple Trichy Tamilnadu

Every temple has some mythological fact connected with it. When the gods lost all their possession in heaven to the demon called Tarakasura, they appealed to Lord Brahma for help. Brahma gave them the advice to worship Lord Shiva at this place in order to please him. This would help them in defeating Tarakasura. The gods turned themselves into ants so that they don't come to the notice of the demon. The Shivalinga was slippery for the ants to reach the apex. At last the Lord was pleased with their devotion and changed the shivalingam to an ant-hill and bent slightly to help them. He is thus called Erumbeeswarar over here. The Tamil word for ants is Erumbu.

The temple is famous for the deity of Lord Shiva or the uniqueness of the shivalingam which is in the form of an ant hill. The temple has been declared a monument by the Archaeological Survey of India. It is also a specimen of the architectural flourish of India during the Chola dynasty. The temple also acted as a ground for the infantry of the French army when they fought against the British in 1752. It is a belief that praying to the Lord reduces laziness and hardships from one's life. So it is very popular among devotees. The idol even is considered self-manifested or 'swyambhu' and a representation of the Shiva-Shakti sign.

Six rituals are followed daily in the temple from 5:30am in the morning to 8pm in the night. Three main festivals are celebrated annually. The primary festival that is grandly celebrated is Brahmotsavam. Thousands of devotees join the festival celebrations and witness the rituals. Apart from these a kind of ritual is also observed on Poornima or full moon days. On these days many devotees come and wirship the Lord and go around the hill with their barefoot. This ritual is called girivalam.