 Thirucherai is situated near Kumbakonam, Thanjavur. The temple dedicated to Lord Shiva in Thirucherai is known variedly as
Udayaar Koil, Sen-neriyappar Koil and Arul migu Gnanavalli-samedha-Sara Parmeswarar Koil, to mention a few. The Tamil word
Udayaar means, ‘one who owns, possesses, or one who is the Master’. The Lord is called
Udayaar in the sense that He is the Master of the entire universe and His Consort is known as
Udayaal. As He is the one who enables the minds of men to follow the path of rectitude, He is known as
sen-neri-appan. The Lord who is the path himself.
The Vaishnavites of Thirucherai use the attribute ‘Sara’ (quintessence, core, soul, etc.) to denote the Perumal enshrined here. The
kshetra is known as Sara-kshetra. The
Moorthi is known as Sara-nathan, His Consort as
Sara-nayaki, the temple tower as
sara-vimanam and the temple tank as sara-pushkarani. It is therefore that the Saivites have also chosen to call their Lord as
Sara-Parameswarar. The Lord who is the core of all beings. The temple is popularly known as
Arul migu Gnanavalli-samedha-Sara Parmeswarar
Koil.
This is a very ancient temple. It is a standard practice to mention the name of the saint or poet who sung verses in praise of the Lord enshrined in the temple. Such temples are known as
paadal-petra-thalam. The shrine that has been sung in praise of by such-and-such poet or Saint. That would immediately establish how ancient the temple in question is. The Lord of Thirucherai
Arul migu Gnanavalli-samedha-Sara Parmeswarar, has been sung by saints
Thiru-gnana-sambandhar and Thiru-naavukku-arasar. When these names are mentioned, one can readily reckon that the temple is more than 1200 years old.
According to the lore, Markandeya and Dhowmya worshipped the Lord in Thirucherai. The Sun god, seeking to be absolved of the sins that he committed during Dhaksha Yagna, worshipped the Lord in many places. Thirucherai is one such shrine where He worshipped the Lord.
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Every year in the Tamil month
Masi, (commencing approximately in the second week of February and ending in the second week of March) Surya Puja is performed in the temple on 13th, 14th and 15th of the Tamil month, which would be approximately in the last week of February or the first week of March. The rays of sun would fall directly on the presiding deity on these specific days. Rahu-kala puja is performed in the temple on every Friday, from 10.30 am till 12.30.
Generally, in all the temples, the sanctum sanctorum of the Consort is to be found in the
inner-prakara. The sanctum sanctorum of the
Gnanavalli, the Consort of the Lord, is found in the
outer-prakara, in Thirucherai.
The ‘Runa-vimOchana Lingam’ is installed in a separate
sannadhi. The Lord is worshipped with the firm belief that he absolves the devotees of all their debts, in whatever form it may be on them. The debt may or may not be monetary and is not limited to that alone. It is believed that the Lord helps those who worship him for 11 Mondays observing the prescribed rituals, to tide over many a difficulty in their lives - like delays and hindrances in getting married, or being blessed with a child, or settling down in life in a good profession, debts related to business and also in development of business.
 Special
abhishekam and aaradhana are conducted on every Monday at 6.00 p.m. and also on Thiruvadhirai, Maha Sivarathri, etc.
The temple is unique in that three deities of Durga in Her three different forms - Siva Durga, Vaishnavi Durga and Vishnu Durga - are enshrined in the same
sannadhi in the temple. The three forms of Durga are believed to bestow all benefits to the devotees.
Devotees, who come to the Lord for debt-relief, perform puja with recitation of
dhaaridhriya-dhukka-dhahana
Shiva-stotram, during which flowers are distributed to the devotees at the commencement and taken back from them at the end - signifying repayment of their debts and relief.
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