a holy dip in Yama theertham, the temple tank here to regain the Ashtamasiddhi (powers) lost on account of a curse from the sage Uttala. Shiva and Parvati appeared here in the northern banks of Cauvery and Bhuma Devi is believed to have worshiped Shiva and the place is called Bhooomipuram hence. Shiva rescued the life of a child who was killed by a thief for his jewels on a Shivaratri and attained the name Makavaruleeswarar. During the great deluge, the land was supposed to be destroyed and the world worshipped Shiva, who rose in the form of Vilva tree to save the land. The presiding deity obtained the name Vilvavanehswarar hence. The temple is counted as one of the temples built on the northern banks of River Kaveri. Architecture Vilwaneswarar temple is dedicated to Shiva and is located in Thiruvaikavur, a village in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The nearest railway station is in Kumbakonam, about 8 kilometres from the place. The nearest airport is in Trichy. The temple has a 3-tier Rajagopuram and an outer prakaram(closed precincts of a temple). The sanctum of Sakshinatheswarar is in the second precinct and the shrine of Amman is located perpendicular to the Swami shrine. The shrine is Nandi is located in front of Swami, with the Palipeeda and Dwajasthambam located right behind the Nandi. There is a Nataraja hall and a yagasalai. There are separate shrines for Natarajar, Somaskanda, Karpaga Vinayagar and Navagrahas. There are separate shrines for Nalvar, Dakshinamurthy, Arthanariswarar, Mahalakshmi, Arumugam, Brahma, Durga and Chandikeswarar. There are four water bodies associated with the temple, with the Yama theertha located right in front of the temple. There is no form of life that does not fear death. The Yama theertha(Temple tank named after Lord Yama) here reduces the fear of life. The Yama Theertham is one similar to the one present in Tiruneelivaneswarar temple in Trichy. Dakshinamurthy holding a soolam (trident). There are two image of Chandikeswarar opposite to the shrine of Durga. The stucco image of the legend is sculpted in the entrance. There are images of other deities like Vishnu, Narayani, Bhairava, Surya, Chandra and Shani located in the second precinct. The temple is revered by the verses of Tirugnana Sambandar. Religious significance The temple finds mention in Tevaram, the 7th century 12 volume Saiva canonical work by Tamil saints, namely Appar, Sundarar and Campantar. It