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 Legends abound on Pullirukkuvelur, or Vaitheeswaran Koil, as it is more popularly known. Situated about 24
km. from Chidambaram, Vaitheeswaran Koil can be reached by all modes of transport. It is on the Chennai - Mayavarm railway line. The nearest airport is in Trichy. There are a number of buses plying from Kumbakonam, Trichy and Chidambaram.
The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva, who is worshipped as Vaitheeswaran or Vaidhyanadha Swamy. His Consort is known as Thaiyal Nayaki. Unlike most other temples that are known by the presiding deity, Lord Muruga is a celebrated deity in Vaitheeswaran Koil. Though the name Vaidhyanadhan is associated with Lord Shiva, poet Arunagiri-nadhar prefers to call Muruga by that name in one of his verses, known for the beauty of their rhythm.
'varathurai nIdharkku oru sEyE, vayiththiya naadhap perumaaLE,'
is how he addresses Lord Subramanya in Thiruppugazh (urath thurai bOdhath thaniyaana).
The Temple
 The temple is enshrined at the centre of the town with tall and imposing granite walls surrounding it. The temple has three
gopurams. The main tower, an imposing structure, is on the western side. On the eastern side, there is an equally imposing
gopuram. The third tower on the northern side is relatively smaller. On the south, we have the temple tank, known as the
Sidhdha-amrita-theertham, whose water is considered divine and is believed to cure many incurable diseases. For some strange reason there are no frogs, nor there are snakes in and around the tank. Legend has it that sage Sadhananda was meditating in the banks of the tank when a frog, chased by a snaked, leaped on him. It is said that he ordained that no frogs or snakes should be found in the vicinity of the tank.
There are two big prakarams - corridors - with inner corridors surrounding the shrines of the presiding deity, Vaidhyanadha and His Consort, Thaiyal Nayaki. Vaidhyanadha is facing the west while Thaiyal Nayaki is facing the south. There are several minor deities installed along the corridors. Two
dwajasthambas, (flag staff) one golden and the other silver, are installed in the corridor.
On the northern side, under the smaller tower, is installed the deity of Muruga, who is known as Selva Muthukumaraswami. He received his
'vel', the spear with which he killed Surapadman, from Shakthi in Vaitheeswaran Koil. Interestingly, the
'vel' represents Him to many of his devotees and there are several temples where one can find a separate shrine for the divine spear, which is worshipped as a deity by itself.
The Legends
 One of the important legends is that it was here that Sri Rama and Lakshmana cremated Jatayu, the vulture king and the younger brother of Sampati. There is a theertham by name Jatayu Kundam, and the holy ash -
vibuthi - available in the Kundam is believed to cure diseases. The word,
puL, bird, refers to Jatayu in the name puL-irukku-vel-ur.
Irukku stands for Rg Veda, Vel
represents Muruga and ur stands for Sun. Tradition has it that all the four (puL-irukku-vel-ur) along with Sampati, worshipped Lord Shiva in this shrine.
Another legend has it that Chitrasena, son of king Veera Sena was cured of his illness by smearing the Holy Ash from Jatayu Kunda on his person. There is yet another story which states that Angaraka (Mars) was cured of his illness by Vaidhyanadha Swami with the tiny pellets of Thiru Chandhu. Paste of sandalwood and saffron mixed in equal proportion is used to cover the feet of Lord Muruga and is distributed as
prasadam, after abhishekam.
Daily worship and festivals
There are six daily worships and the temple is closed in the afternoon between12 noon and 5pm. There are festivals throughout the year. There are special pooja every month during 'Karthikai' with the main festival falling on the month of 'Thai' (Jan/Feb) to Sri Selvamuththukumaran. Special 'pooja' is performed for Ankaragan on Tuesdays and the deity is taken in procession. On these days large numbers of devotees bathe in the water of the
Sidhdha-amrita-theertham and offer their prayers to the deities.
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