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Erumbeeswarar Temple is located atop a 60 feet (18 m) hill with a flight
of granite steps to the top. Since the temple is atop a hill, it is
locally called "Malai Kovil" (meaning hill temple). The temple complex
has two Prakarams (outer courtyard) and a two-tiered Rajagopuram
(gateway tower).
The central shrine faces east and holds the image of Erumbeeswarar
(Shiva) in the form of lingam made of mud mound. The granite images
Ganesha (son of Shiva and god of wisdom), Murugan (son of Shiva and god
of war), Nandi (the bull and vehicle of Shiva) and Navagraha (nine
planetary deities) are located in the hall leading to the sanctum.
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As in
other Shiva temples of Tamil Nadu, the first precinct or the walls
around the sanctum of Erumbeeswarar has images of Dakshinamurthy (God of
Knowledge), Durga (Warrior Goddess) and Chandikeswarar (a saint and
devotee of Shiva). The central image of Erumbeeswarar is made of mud
mound and is referred by other names like Erumbeesar, Mathuvaneswarar,
Manikoodalachapathi, Piplikesvarar and Manickanathar.
The
inscriptions in the temple refer Erumbeeswarar as Thirumalai Alwar,
Thiruverumbur Alwar and Thiruverumburudaya Nayanar. The shrine of the
consort-goddess Narunguzhal Nayagi Amman, facing south, is located in
the second precinct of the temple. The second precicnt is surrounded by
granite walls. Narunguzhal Nayagi Amman is referred by other names like
Sugantha Kuzhalal, Soundra Nayagi, Madhuvaneswari and Rathnambal.
The temple
rituals are performed six times a day; Ushathkalam at 5:30 a.m.,
Kalasanthi at 8:00 a.m., Uchikalam at 10:00 a.m., Sayarakshai at 5:00
p.m., Irandamkalam at 7:00 p.m. and Ardha Jamam at 8:00 p.m.
The path around the foothills, called Girivalam Path, is 20 ft (6.1 m)
wide and 900 m (3,000 ft) long. The construction and beautification of
the path was carried out by the Tourism department of the government of
Tamil Nadu in 2011. The temple has a garden maintained by Bharat Heavy
Electricals Limited.
Tiruchirappalli International Airport or Trichy International
Airport is an international airport serving Tiruchirapalli
metropolis. This Airport is the nearest airport
to this Temple.
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