Other Shrines inside and around the Temple
There are many small shrines inside this temple in the Praharams dedicated to other goddesses.
“Murugan” Sannadhi on the way to Amman temple from Swami temple is an important shrine. Lord Muruga is in the form of “Aandi” (like the one in “Palani”). One the month of “Aadi” on the day of “Krithigai” star (the birth star of Lord Muruga) it draws thousands of devotees from all around. The “Kaavadi” (offerings carried as a procession) and continued “Abisheka” on that day are very famous.
Adjacent to Lord Muruga is the Sannadhi for Lord Sanishwara (Saniswarar – Saturn) with Jeshtadevi. Thiruvanaikoil is one of the very few temples where you can find a separate sannadhi for Sanniswarar that to with the goddess Jeshtadevi.
There is a “Vallabhai Ganapathy” sannadhi on the 2nd Praharam of the Swami temple. It’s on your right just before entering the 1st Praharam of Swami temple.
Raja Rajeswarar Shrine deserves special mention. The Lingam installed here has five faces and is known as Panchamukha Lingam.
In the Swami temple just opposite to the Navagraha you can see the “Sagasra Linga”. Sagsram means 1008. The “Sagasra Linga” is one large Linga on which 1008 small Lingas were carved.
Other Sannadhis at Swami temple are Sangareswarar, Dakshinamoorthy (Guru Bahavan), Lakshmi, Subramaniar, Natarajar and statues and “panchaloga” (five metal) idols of 63 Nayannmars.
Sri Rama & Thiruvanaikoil
Sri Rama on his way back to Ayodhya after the war with Ravana installed a Lingam (Marakata (Green Stone) Lingam now known as Nilavindis - warar) in Thiruvanaikoil to eliminate the ghosts of the “Assoras”, which followed him.
Ellaiyamman Temple
Each and every village will have a “Kaaval Deivam” (protector God/Goddess). Usually the temple of that God/Goddess will be at the boundary of that village. Thiruvanaikoil also have one “Kaaval Deivam” and its “Pidari Amman” also called as “Ellai Amman” and “Iraniyamman”. This Ellaiyamman is an Ugra Devatha (Goddess with Fury). It’s believed that Ellaiyamman is formed from the sweat of Goddess Devi Akilandeswari. Ellaiyamman protects the Thiruvanaikoil village from the evil. The temple of the Ellaiyamman is in the South East corner outside the Thiruvanaikoil temple. You can see this in the Trichy – Chennai By-Pass road. Every year in the month of Thai a five day festival is celebrated for this Goddess and the Goddess is taken into procession in side all streets of village in four different Vahanams (Yannai – Elephant, Kudhirai – Horse, Botham and Ther – Chariot).