Lord Shiva is worshipped as Vaidyanathar or Vaitheeswaran meaning the “God of healing” and it is believed that prayers to Vaitheeswaran can cure diseases (physical and mental).. Vaitheeswaran is a Tamil derivative from vaidya (Doctor) and Ishvara (God/Master). Worship of Lord Siva is a cure-all. Vaidyanathar or Vaitheeswaran literally means the curer of ills, and is indeed worshipped by people who want to rid themselves of illnesses. The deeper, spiritual meaning is that the illness referred to is life on earth itself, and the cure is mukti.
Many are not aware of five Siva temples near Vaitheeswaran Koil, all of which are regarded as being older than the Vaidyanathar temple at Vaitheeswaran Koil. The moolavar in all these temples is called Aadi Vaidyanathar, referring to the earliest representation of Siva as Vaidyanathar, further reinforcing the primacy of these temples before Vaitheeswaran Koil. Equally interesting is the Mahabharatam connection between these temples, as well as some other temples in the region. 2. Group of Pancha(5) Shiva Temples Out of the thousands of Shiva temples, several groups of Pancha (5) Shiva temples exist.I have addressed some of them and created Blogs/ You Tube videos as below: Main Pancha Bootha Sthalams Pancha Bhootha Sthalams in and around Sankarankovil Tirunelveli Pancha Bhootha Sthalams Established by Sage Vashishtor in Salem District Pancha (Five) Shiva temples on the banks of the Manimutharu river worshipped by Bheema Madurai Pancha Bhootha Sthalams Pancha Bootha Sthalams in Chennai Pancha bootha sthalams in Nagapattinam District Panchalinga Kshetrams of Coastal Karnataka Pancha Guru Sthalangal around Tirunelveli Panchakrosha Kshetras around Tirunelveli Pancha Natarajar Sthalams around Tirunelveli Pancha Asana Sthalams around Tirunelveli Pancha Kadamba Sthalams – Shiva Temples Established by Lord Murugan near Kilvelur Pancha Vaidhyanatha Sthalams around Vaitheeswarankoil Seven (7) Sivan Temples in the Aiyaru River bed Sapta Karaikanda Sthalams around Tiruvannamalai Sapta Kailaya Sthalams around Tiruvannamalai Nava Kailayam (9) Temples around Tirunelveli Twelve Jyothirlinga Temples of Varanasi There are several Shiva Temples which Hopefully will be published in due course. 3. Historical background In the Mahabharatam, when the Pandavas were in exile, all five of them fell ill. They approached Krishna, who advised them to consecrate and worship a Lingam for Lord Siva as Vaidyanathar, in order to be cured. At the same time, in Kailasam, Lord Siva heard Krishna’s words, and make the vilvam tree in Kailasam shake. This led to five vilvam leaves separating from the tree, and falling in Bhulokam at specific spots in and around where the Pandavas were staying. When the Pandavas decided to search for a spot each to install a Lingam, they each found one of the five places where the celestial vilvam leaves had fallen. At these spots, the five Pandavas consecrated a Lingam and prayed to it, and in this way, they were all cured. These five places are what are today the five Pancha Vaidyanathar sthalams : Pandur, Ivanallur, Varakadai, Radhanallur and Mannippallam Interestingly, the name Pandur is a reference to the Pandavas, and supposedly the place where they lived here for a while during their exile. Aivanallur, which is also close by, has the same etymology, and derives from Aivar-Nallur (aivar being a Tamil reference to the five Pandavas). NB Kerala Ernakulam is not known as seen as a vaidyanatha swamy as Vaitheeswaran koil. K RAJARAM IRS 31725 On Thu, 31 Jul 2025 at 18:45, 'gopala krishnan' via KeralaIyers < [email protected]> wrote: > CHERANALLOOR MARAPARAMBU VAIDYANATHASWAMY TEMPLE, ERNAKULAM DIST., > KERALA-COMPILED > > > > Dear friends, > > Today my posting is about the Maraparambu Vaidyanathaswamy temple, > Cheranallur,Ernakulam District of Kerala. This is only Viadyanatha swamy > temple *just like Vaitheeswaran kovil near Mayavaram in Tamilnadu*.This > is one among the 108 Siva temples built by sage Parasurama. > > Hope a divine reading. > > Gopalakrishnan 31-7-2025. > > Introduction > > The Maraparambu Shiva Temple, also known as Vaidyanatha Temple, is located > in the Edappally Cheranellur region of Ernakulam district in Kerala, India. > It's situated near the Container Road, west of Raman Kartha Road. The > temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva, who is worshipped as Vaidyanatha, a > swayambumurthy (self-manifested deity). It's one of the 108 Shiva temples > in Kerala. > > Key Features: > > Main Deity: Lord Shiva, worshipped as Vaidyanatha, a swayambumurthy. > > Orientation: The temple is east-facing. > > Sub-deities: It includes shrines for Ganapathy, Mahavishnu, Subrahmanyan, > Bhagavati, Dharma Sastha, and Nagas. > > Significance: The temple is known for its association with healing and is > believed to be a place where devotees can seek relief from illnesses. > > Festivals: The temple celebrates Dhanu masa Thiruvathira Mahotsavam and > conducts a Ghritadhara (offering of ghee) on Thiruvathira day in Thulam > masa, which is considered important for those seeking relief from diseases > and for overall health. > > Other Rituals: The temple also performs Kumbha Ashwathi Nakshatra > Pratishtha Dinam (installation day) and a Maha Mrityunjaya Homam on Maha > Shivaratri in Kumbha masa > > "Cheraan Nalla Oru Ooru" - Cheranallur - A nice place for get together - > is what this pleasant looking place is being called. This village on the > banks of Periyar River with canals, backwaters and wetlands was probably > not just nice but the best place for a get together. > > It is a sheer paradox that the only Siva Temple in Kerala where Lord Siva > is worshiped in the form of Vaidyanatha (Healer of Diseases) is at > Cheranallur. > > History > > This temple is one of the 108 Siva Temples of Kerala and the deity here is > believed to be Swayambhu (self-incarnated). The temple is believed to have > existed 3000 years back. As we observe in several places, the pattern of > a temple close to a river is found here as well. > > Deity > > The deity here faces East and *is believed to cure the diseases of the > believers*. *Shiva is in his ascetic form here, hence worship with > fragrant flowers, incense sticks is forbidden*. The deity is also known > as Rina Mochaka, i.e., liberator of debts. > > Poojas > > As in all Siva temples. > > Offerings > > The Ghee Worship (Khritha Dhara) especially in the Malayalam month of > Tulam, Thiruvathira Day (October-November) is the main offering of this > temple. > > The Cheranallur Bhagavathi Temple here is one of the 108 Durga Temples and > is equally significant. > > Specialty > > Devotees will appreciate the warm hospitality of the temple staff and > the well-maintained grounds, which enhance the overall experience. With > ample parking and a focus on creating a nurturing space for prayer, > Maraparambu Temple beckons all who seeks one. > > Location > > A modest hoarding along the newly constructed Vallarpadom Container > Terminal Highway shows us the way to the temple. Going through the sub lane > one can reach the temple. > > Tidiness and neatness > > The temple as we found has been renovated in a modern way. Local people > took this initiative and have done their best. > > Opening times > > 05:00 AM - 09:00 AM , 05:30 PM - 08:00 PM > > Administration > > Cheranallur Maraparambu Siva Temple is under Cochin Devaswam Board > > Address of the temple > > Maraparampu Vaidyanathaswamy temple, Raman Kartha Road, Cheranallur, Kochi > – 682034, Phone : 0484-2431680 > > -- > On Facebook, please join https://www.facebook.com/groups/keralaiyerstrust > > We are now on Telegram Mobile App also, please join > > Pattars/Kerala Iyers Discussions: https://t.me/PattarsGroup > > Kerala Iyers Trust Decisions only posts : https://t.me/KeralaIyersTrust > > Kerala Iyers Trust Group for Discussions: > https://t.me/KeralaIyersTrustGroup > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "KeralaIyers" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To view this discussion visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/keralaiyers/1882253191.315729.1753967622036%40mail.yahoo.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/keralaiyers/1882253191.315729.1753967622036%40mail.yahoo.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. 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