Unto that GURU I prostrate!
Whose love changes not even when those who belong to Him sin!

About 10 Kms. from Mahãranyam village where our Mathurapuri Ashram is situated is the village of Mannivakkam. It is situated between Padappai and Vandalur. It is here that Lord Manneeswara is found in a temple along with His consort Maragadhãmbika. There is a beautiful Uma-Maheswara ‘Pancha loka’ (five metals) idol here. One finds Ambãl and Lord Siva embracing each other. One cannot find such a ‘Pradosha’ ‘Utsav murti’ (idol taken on procession on ‘Pradosha’ day) in any other Siva Kshetra. No words can describe the beauty of this 2 feet tall Uma Maheswara!

Moreover, in this temple Nandi Bhagavãn (Bull, the Divine vehicle of Lord Siva) is seated facing the temple entrance instead of facing the Lord. There is an interesting ‘stala purãna’ (history of the place) behind this. Aathondai Chakravarti who ruled Thondai Mandala was an unmatched Siva Bhakta. During his rule, the Kurubãs attacked his kingdom and troubled him in various ways. The ‘stala purãna’ says that due to deep compassion towards His bhakta, Lord Siva sent Nandi for war and brought the Kurubãs under control. This is the reason that here the Nandi is seated facing the temple entrance in the position of being ready to go to war.

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Radhe Krishna