Situated on the banks of the
Kollidam, the Saameevaneswarar-Maatrarivaalar Temple is 12 km from
Tiruchirapalli to
Salem. This
Shivasthalam, Tiruppachilaasramam, is also known as Tiruvaasi. The temple is adorned with a five tired
Rajagopuram and two prakarams including the mandapam. The deity of the temple is
Lord Shiva in the form of Maatrarivaalar. There are separate shrines for
Natarajar,
Vinayakar, Somaskanthar and Goddess Angilamangai. Inscriptions from the period of the
Cholas add to the beauty of the temple. The main sanctum wall is decorated with the images of
Dakshinamurthy, Ardhanareeswarar and
Durga. Saint Sundarar is said to have glorified the lord with his hymns. Bhikshandar Kovil is located nearby.
