Thayumanaswami Temple, Rockfort facts for kids

The Thayumanaswami Temple is a special temple found inside the famous Rockfort complex in the city of Tiruchirappalli, India. It sits near the bottom of the Rockfort hill. This ancient temple was built by King Mahendravarman I of the Pallava kingdom way back in the 6th century AD (that's over 1400 years ago!).

Here, people worship Lord Shiva, who is known as Thayumanavar. He is represented by a sacred stone called a lingam. His wife, Goddess Parvati, is also worshipped here as Mattuvar Kuzhalammai. This main god is mentioned in the Tevaram, a collection of holy songs from the 7th century. These songs were written by famous Tamil saint poets called the Nayanars. Temples mentioned in these songs are known as Paadal Petra Sthalam, which means they are very important holy places.

The Rockfort complex has three main shrines. Two of them are for Lord Ganesha: one at the very bottom of the hill and the Ucchi Pillayar Temple right at the top. The Thayumanaswami Temple is located right in the middle of these two Ganesha temples.

Images for kids

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  Thayumanaswamy Temple at Trichy

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  Shrine of Mattuvar Kuzhalammai

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  A view of pillared hall inside the temple

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  Ceiling with stonechains

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  Paintings on the wall of hall leading to the sanctum.