Thirumazhapadi Vaidyanathaswami Temple

The Vaidyanathaswami Temple at Thirumazhapadi, on the Kaveri’s northern bank in Ariyalur district, is a Paadal Petra Sthalam glorified by all three principal Nayanar saints — Sambandar, Appar, and Sundarar. Shiva is worshipped here as Vaidyanathaswami, alongside his consort Sundarambikai. The temple’s most distinctive living tradition links it directly to the Aiyarappar Temple at Thiruvaiyaru, also newly catalogued in this directory: each year during the Tamil month of Panguni, the Nandi (bull-mount) of the Thiruvaiyaru temple is carried by palanquin to Thirumazhapadi for the Nandi Kalyanam, a ceremonial wedding to the goddess Swayambikai, forming part of the wider Saptha Stanam festival cycle among seven regional Shiva temples.

Alongside its religious significance, the temple grounds hold a 750 kg bronze statue of the Tamil poet-saint Thiruvalluvar, described as the largest metallic statue of Thiruvalluvar in Tamil Nadu — a modern addition reflecting the temple’s continued local prominence.