History :

Vaidyanathar temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Shiva located in Tamil Nadu, India. Shiva is worshipped as Vaidyanathar or the “God of healing” and it is believed that prayers to Vaitheeswaran can cure diseases. It is located in Madavar Vilagam, one kilometer from Srivilliputhur in Virudhunagar district.

The holy waters of the Siddhamirtham tank in the temple complex contains nectar, and a holy dip is believed to cure all diseases. The temple was built by Thirumalai Nayak during the 16th century.
As per local legend, the Nayak king Thirumalai Nayak suffered from stomach pain and he arrived at Madavar Vilagam in an ivory palanquin and stayed there for 48 days. He was completely cured and as a mark of his gratitude, he constructed the Natarajar hall as in Madurai Meenakshi temple. He also built drum halls from the temple to Madurai as he would take his midday meal only after hearing the drum sounds indicating the mid day pooja is complete in the temple. The temple has a five-tiered gopuram (temple tower) and large precincts. The central shrine is that of Vaidyanathar present as lingam in the inner most sanctum. The first precinct around the sanctum has the metal images of Somaskanda and stone sculptures of Nataraja, Durga, Dakshinamoorthy, Surya (Sun god). The shrine of Sivakami is located in a parallel shrine to the right of the sanctum. There are two gates to the temple, each leading to the Shiva and Sivakami shrnies. The Sthala Vriksha (temple tree) is margosa (Azadirachta indica) which possesses medicinal properties. The temple has two water tanks, one located opposite to the temple and one right to the main gate. The temple has a Kalayana Mahal (marriage hall) in front of the Sivakami shrine and the sculpture of Nayak king can be found there. There are paintings from the Nayak period in ceiling of the hall leading to the sanctum.