The famous Tiruvadanai
temple is in the
Ramnad District
of Madras State.
The temple receives
a lot of patronage
from the affluent
and is very beautiful.
 The
legend goes that
when Varuni took
the shape of a creature
that had an elephant
like body and the
head of a goat,
he found it very
difficult to satiate
his hunger. So he
prayed at the shrine
of Adi Ratneswara
at this place and
regained his original
form. The name of
this place is derived
from this mythological
story as Tiruvadanai
literally means
sacred goat elephant.
The goddess presiding
in this temple is
Snehavalli. The
temple is visible
from the far end
because of its huge
gopuram which has
been renovated recently
with beautiful paintings.
There is another
noteworthy place
of worship which
is a small shrine
of Vinayaka called
Tondi Vinayaka temple.
It is believed that
Lord Rama was supposed
to have worshipped
this Vinayaka during
his search for Sita.
The Tiruvadanai
temple can be reached
by road from Devakottai
or Madurai. Devakottai
is the nearest railway
station. |
