As the Lok Sabha election campaign ended, Union Home Minister Amit Shah visited Tamil Nadu’s Tirumayam Fort Bhairava Thiruk Temple and offered prayers. What is special about Thirumayam Fort Bhairava Temple? Now let’s look at it.
Thirumayam is a town about 18 kilometers from Pudukottai. The name Thirumeyam is said to have later changed to Thirumaya, the town is famous for the Sathyagrieswarar Temple and Sathya Perumal Temple. These two temples share the wall of the southern part of Thirumayam Fort in common. And the back wall of these temples is the hill.
There are other temples around the hill. One of the two important temples among them is Fort Bhairava Temple. Another is Fort Muneeswarar Temple.
Tirumayam Fort was built on 40 acres of land 350 years ago in the 16th-17th centuries by the Sethupati kings. The fort was built with seven circular walls stacked one after the other, today only four walls remain.
It is also known as Oomaiyan Fort and Padmaga Fort after Oomai Durai, the brother of Veerapandiya Kattabomman who fought against the British.
The fort has three gates North, South and East. Muneeswarar and Bhairava are worshiped as guardian deities at the northern and southern gates.
The fort guarding this fort is called Bairava Fort. Generally in Shiva temples, Bhairava is placed in north-east or east-west kolam.
But this fort is towards north of Bhairava. This is the only north facing Bhairav temple in the world.
Also, this fort Bhairava is considered as the eye-catching deity who protects the vehicles passing through this route. It is believed that if one prays to the extremely powerful Kot Bhairava to break and break the fruit, one’s wish will be fulfilled.
It is customary to worship Fort Bhairav by lighting a pumpkin lamp, lighting a ghee lamp, lighting a pepper lamp in a red cloth, and preparing sesame rice.
Devotees who come to this temple wear chevvarali garlands, light ghee lamps and offer sandalwood abhishekam, punugu sarthi, sandalwood juice and vadaimalai sarthi. Even today many people worship Fort Bhairava to get rid of blindness, witchcraft, career problems and marriage obstacles.
Being a part of Chettinad, the worship of Bhairava is special here. Although pujas are usually performed on all Teipira Ashtami days, Margazhi Teipira Ashtami and Bhairava Janmashtami are celebrated with great fervour.
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