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Vaitheeswaran koil is a village situated in south India, Tamil nadu, located 7 Kms from Sirkazhi, 235 kilometers from Chennai, 27 km from Chidambaram, 110 km from Thanjavur and 16 km from Mayiladuthurai. This is the place well known for the temple of Vaitheeswaran Koil, one of Navagraha temples and its ancient Nadi astrology worldwide.
Vaitheeswaran Kovil or Pullirukkuvelur is a Hindu temple dedicated to Supreme God Shiva, where Lord Shiva is worshipped as Vaidyanathar or Vaitheeswaran meaning the “God of healing” and it is believed that prayers to Vaitheeswaran can cure diseases.
Vaitheeswaran is a Tamil derivative from Vaidya (Doctor) and Ishvara (God/Master). The presiding deity is Sri vaidyanathan, facing towards West whereas East side is the common one. He is the God of Healing. When pronouncing in Tamil, it sounds like “vaideeswaran”. It is one of the nine Navagraha (nine planets) temples and is associated with the planet Mars (Angaraka).
At Vaitheeswaran Kovil, the Lord Shiva himself takes the form of a healer, Lord Vaitheeswaran, and treats his devotees to health. The Vaitheeswaran Kovil also houses the shrine of the God Angaraka (Mangala) who relieves his devotees of any problems following the Chevvai Dosham through the pooja offered on Tuesdays. Even Pullirukkuvelur derived with Pul means (Jatayu)Bird , Irukku represents Rig Veda, Vel symbolically represents Lord Karthikeyan and Oor represents the place
The Siddsmirta tank (or the Siddamruta tank i.e. the pond of nectar) is the miraculous spot holding the key to cure many ailments. The holy waters of the Siddhamirtham tank within the temple complex contains nectar, and a holy dip is believed to cure all diseases. The temple is revered by the Tevaram hymns of 7th-century Saiva nayanars – Tamil saint poets and is also classified as a Paadal Petra Sthalam (temple revered by the nayanars).
During the Ramayana period, Rama, Lakshmana and Saptarishi have worshipped the deity in this place. There is a pond at this temple called Jatayu kundam (pot of Jatayu having holy ash of Vibhuti). One of the nine planets, Angaraka (Mars), suffered from leprosy and was cured by Vaidhyanatha swamy ( Lord Vaidyanath ) and from then on it is treated as one of the Navagraha Temples for planet Angaraka.
Parvati, the consort of Shiva, asked her son, Subramanya to appear with one face from his regular appearance of six faces. When he did so, she was pleased and presented him with vel (a weapon) to slay the demons. Subramanya overcame the Asura Surapadman (a demon) and in the war, his army was severely injured. Lord Shiva came out as the healer Vaitheeswaran and cured the wounds. As per another legend, Lord Shiva came as Vaidya, a doctor, and cured the leprosy of a staunch devotee named Angahara. Jatya, Rig Veda, Muruga and Surya were all believed to have worshipped Shiva here. Murugan obtained a trident at this place and is thus called Selvamuthu Kumaran.