Temples of Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry #101: Sathyagirisvarar Temple, Thirumayam
- Sudharshan
- 5 hours ago
- 3 min read
சத்தியகிரீசுவரர் திருக்கோயில், திருமயம்
This Sivan temple abuts the adjacent Sathyamoorthy Vishnu temple beside it. In ancient times Thirumayam was called Thirumeiyyam. Mei (மெய்) means truth in Tamil and so does Sathya in Sanskrit. Over time, the name of the place became known as Thirumayam. The temple, like its twin Perumal temple, is a cave temple carved out of the southern face of the Sathyagiri hill which has been a military outpost and fortress since time immemorial.
The twin cave temples are thought to have been excavated in the 7th century by Pallava kings. Legend says that the great sage Sathya Maharishi once worshipped here. The fact that the two shrines are carved out of the same rockface symbolises unity and harmony between the two faiths at the time of their initial construction.
It has a three tiered, intricately carved rajagopuram followed by kodimaram, balipeedam and Nandi. The excavated cave shrine faces east. There is a large mahamandapam with carved pillars. There is one pillar with a carving of Lord Nataraja which is believed to be one of the oldest depictions of the deity. The cave part of the temple consists of the sanctum and the artha mandapam. The sanctum is a square chamber carved into the western wall of the cave and faces east, flanked by two dvarapalakars. The Lord graces from inside in the form of a lingamoorthy on a circular avudayar, all carved out of the granite bedrock. Opposite the sanctum, carved into the eastern wall of the cave is a large and beautiful Lingothbavar. The consort Venuvanesvari Ambal has a shrine of her own, which also faces east. Venu means bamboo and in ancient times this place is said to have been a Venuvanam or bamboo forest.
The original cave was likely excavated by the great Pallava emperor Mahendravarman I (590-630 CE). Some historians attribute the original excavation and development of the twin temple complex to Pandiyan kings. Some contributions are from the Mutharaiyar kings, vassals of the Pallava. Vijayanagar and Nayakkar kings also made their own contributions and the Sethupathy kings of Pudukkottai became the major benefactors after the fall of the Nayakkar.
There are many important inscriptions here that not only shed light on the history of this temple, but are also very interesting in many other ways. Some of the earliest inscriptions in this temple are the set of musical inscriptions that have been dated to the 7th century. They are inside the cave shrine on the northern wall. One describes the playing of the parivadinida, a veena like instrument. The other describes musical notes and is similar to other inscriptions from the same era found around this region. It seems identical to the famous inscription at Kudumiyanmalai. These inscriptions have been wilfully mutilated and partially erased. They are in Tamil and Sanskrit in the Pallava Grantha script and dated to the reign of Mahendravarman I. A later inscription dated to 1245 CE, the 7th regnal year of Sundarapandian II, mentions that the above inscription from the 7th century in Pallava Grantha was erased as it was written in an unreadable language. This inscription from the 13th century also describes the settlement of the dispute between the two temples on the division of the property where the temples stand. It is a very involved document that records the members of the public and officials who participated in the presence of one Appanna Dandanaykkar who was an official of the Hoysala kingdom during the reign of Vira Someswara. There are at least two other inscriptions from the same period during the reign of Sundarapandian II in the mid 13th century. There is an inscription dated to 1004 CE, the 19th regnal year of Rajaraja Cholan I and another dated to 1033 CE, the 21st regnal year of his son and successor Rajendra Cholan I.
The sthalavirutcham is the bamboo. The theertham is a tank called the Sathyapushkarani. The 10 day Chithirai festival in April/May, the Adi Pooram in July/August, also a 10 day event, and the Thai Poosam in January/ February, are the major festivals that draw thousands of devotees. The twin temples are co-administered by the ASI and the HR and CE. They are protected sites of national importance together with the fort.
The temple is located 100 km or 1.5 hours northeast of Madurai, about the same distance and time south of Thiruchirapalli and is close to Pudukkottai. We visited in June 2025. We were based in Kanadukathan.
Sources: Dinamalar Temples
Thirumayam - The Land of Truth - Saurabh Saxena, Puratattva.in
Census of India 1961. Temples of Tamil Nadu IX Part XI-D Volume 2 Page 248
Courtesy Google Maps
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