Malaiperumal Temple, also popularly known as Arut Chiththar Temple, is located at Alathur village of

Nagapattinam district Nagapattinam District is one of the 38 districts of Tamil Nadu state in southern India. Nagapattinam district was carved out by bifurcating the erstwhile composite Thanjavur district on 19 October 1991. The town of Nagapattinam is the district ...

, Tamil Nadu. This temple was built over the

Samadhi Statue of a meditating Rishikesh.html" ;"title="Shiva, Rishikesh">Shiva, Rishikesh ''Samādhi'' (Pali and ), in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, is a state of meditative consciousness. In many Indian religious traditions, the cultivati ...

of a famous saint of

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

, known as Malaiperumal Swamigal.

History

The construction of the temple started by the initiative taken by the local villagers, when the Siththar was alive, during the 19th Century. Due to additional funds required to complete the construction, a local businessman, Subba Pillai, travelled to South Africa, and provided additional funds to complete the work. It is said that once he returned from South Africa, the saint, Malaiperumal Siththar attained Samadhi in the temple. Later, a

Shiva Lingam A lingam ( , lit. "sign, symbol or mark"), sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or aniconic representation of the Hindu god Shiva in Shaivism. The word ''lingam'' is found in the Upanishads and epic literature, wher ...

was placed over the mausoleum of the saint and worshipped. This idol is still kept intact and worshipped by the Alathur village residents and devotees from around the world.

Idols in the temple

There are other idols in the temple too, including those of

Vinayaka Ganesha or Ganesh (, , ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped Deva (Hinduism), deities in the Hindu deities, Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in the Ganapatya sect. His depictions ...

, Subramaniya-

Valli Valli () is a devi, Hindu goddess, and the second consort of the deity Murugan. An incarnation of the goddess Sundaravalli, daughter of Vishnu, Valli is born on earth as the daughter of a chieftain, leading a life of a huntress. Murugan, the god ...

Deivayanai Devasena (, , ) is the Hindu goddess of aspirations, and the consort of the war god Kartikeya (Murugan). She is also known as Devayanai, Deivanai, and Deivayanai in Tamil texts. Her name is also spelled as Teyvanai or Tevayanai (). Devasena ...

Bhairava Bhairava (, ), or Kāla Bhairava, is a Shaivite and Vajrayāna deity worshipped by Hindus and Buddhists. In Shaivism, he is a powerful manifestation, or avatar, of Shiva.Kramrisch, Stella (1994). ''The Presence of Śiva''. Princeton, NJ: P ...

, goddess Kamalambika, Chandikeswarar. Also, we can find the Sun God and Shani God placed on a single dais inside the temple. The temple also hosts an idol of Sri Malaiperumal Siththar. SriMalaiperumalIdol

Temple Renovations

Currently, this temple is going through renovation work with the help of funds flowing from within Tamil Nadu as well as around the world including Japan and Canada. The renovation work is led by Sri Malaiperumal Koil Trust, 9.Alathur, Nagapattinam - 609 604 One of the main accomplishments of the renovation work is the completion of a meditation hall in which the portrait of Sri Malaiperumal Swamy is placed. This hall can hold around 20 people at a time.

Festivals

Avani Magam
In the Tamil month of Avani, and the day pertaining to the star Magam, a festival commences in the temple and continues for 10 days. During the festival days, special prayers are organized and food is distributed to devotees visiting the temple. Pournami Pooja
On the full moon day of every month, special prayers are organized in the temple. Around 500 people participate in the event every month.

References

Blog on Sri Malaiperumal Siddhar
{{coord missing, Tamil Nadu Hindu temples in Nagapattinam district Samadhis