The temple pond belonging to the historically significant Theerthamalai Theerthagireeswarar temple is in a state of ruin due to the negligence of the HR&CE department.
The Theerthagireeswarar Temple is situated on a small hillock called Theerthamalai in Harur taluk of Dharmapuri district. The temple derives its name from the five springs in the temple. It was built in the 7th century and inscriptions here tell us that the Chozha and Pandya emperors regularly visited this temple including the Rajendra Chozhan.
It is said that Lord Rama prayed to Lord Shiva at two places – Rameswaram and Theerthamalai – after winning the war against Ravana and returning to Ayodhya. Lord Hanuman was sent by Rama to fetch water from the River Ganga in order to worship Lord Shiva, but when Hanuman did not come back at the scheduled time for the pooja, Rama released an arrow onto the rocky slope of the hillock from where water started flowing here. This is now called the ‘Rama Theertham’, a tiny waterfalls which never dries out even during peak summer. The water from the ‘theertham’ constantly pours through a pipe about 50 feet high from the spring that is present on the cliff on which the temple complex is present.
Devotees who come to the temple take a dip in the temple pond. But the pond is currently covered with plastic debris without maintenance and is sometimes found without water. Locals also say that many places around the temple are being occupied and buildings are being constructed. The Theerthamalai Government Primary School has a campus situated on the land owned by the temple.
The people of the area have said that no action has been taken despite multiple complaints to top government officials. They have demanded the Theerthamalai Theerthagireeswarar temple administration to remove the encroachments and the temple pond be rejuvenated.
Click here to subscribe to The Commune on Telegram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.