Tiruvenagdu
falls in the Tanjore
district between
the rivers Kaveri
and Manikarnika.
 Thiruvengadu
means the sacred
white forest. It
is believed that
this place had thick
forests which from
a distance looked
like white and hence
the name. The other
names attributed
to this place include
Vedavenkadu, Muktinagar,
and Murugan Pundi
etc. The navagrahas
here have been placed
in a single row.
The presiding deity
is Swetaranyeswara.
His consort is known
as Brahma Vidyanayaki.
There is an image
of Nandi with nine
wounds here. The
wounds were sustained
by this divine cow
when Marutwasura,
with the help of
Siva’s spear
pierced him. Siva
was angry at the
discomfort of Nandi
and turned this
third eye to give
out the Jyoti. The
Jyoti was turned
to an Aghoramurti
which was installed
in this pose here.
The other important
shrines include
the image of Kali
Tandavam, Nataraja
with seven Ayudhams,
Meikandar and so
on. The temple also
has an image of
Siva with five faces.
A lot of revered
gods and saints
are supposed to
have come here avoid
their homage. Thiruvengadu
is considered to
be as sacred as
Benares. The temple
is quite rich and
receives a lot of
wealth as offerings.
The temple also
has large landed
properties.
Tiruvengadu can
be reached by rail
from Akkur Railway
stations on the
Madras Mayavaram
line. It can also
be reached by road
as there are several
buses plying to
the nearby towns.
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