Maappadugai and Chozhanpettai are twin villages situated on the outskirts of Mayiladuthurai. They can be reached either through Thiru Indalur, a Vaishnavaite town,2 km from Mayiladuthurai or through Siddharkadu on Mayiladuthurai- Kumbakonam route. Many tiny villages like Ramapuram, Kozhikuththi surround this region Manny stories related to Ramayana are connected to this region.When Maareecha appeared in front of Rama in the form of deer, Rama wanted to catch it and bring it to satisfy Sita. The deer ran swiftly and took Rama to this place and finally covered itself from beeing seen. Hence the name ,Maappadugai derived from this story as "Maan (deer) padhungiya idam" . Rama stayed at Ramapuram and worshipped Shiva. Maappadugai is not a small village but it is divided into Keezha Maappadugai and Mela Maappadugai. There are Shiva temples at both these places, the one at Keezha Maappadugai (Sundareswarar Temple) is undergoing renovation. The other one at Mela Maappadugai has a temple dedicated to Sri Chandrasekara. The former temple seems to be of ancient origin.
Sri Swa
yambunathaswami Temple at Cholanpettai belongs to Chola period. The Dwara palas at the entrance of Swami Sannadhi are amazing. Since the Devi is called Abhirami, people refer this temple as Abhirami Temple. The Local children are taught Divine Hymns and are engaged in group singing. As the priest has to come from a nearby village, puja is being carried out only once in a day. Sri Su
ndareswarar (Azhagiya Nathar) Temple in the other part of Cholanpettai is a big one. The deity is worshipped by PurushaMirugam ( whose sculpture is seen in the temple in the form of a Rishi with a long beard and his body is that of a Tiger(?) . Another place where PurushaMirugam has worshipped Shiva is ThiruMazhapadi,on the banks of the river,Collidam.
ndareswarar (Azhagiya Nathar) Temple in the other part of Cholanpettai is a big one. The deity is worshipped by PurushaMirugam ( whose sculpture is seen in the temple in the form of a Rishi with a long beard and his body is that of a Tiger(?) . Another place where PurushaMirugam has worshipped Shiva is ThiruMazhapadi,on the banks of the river,Collidam. Since 
Sun God has also worshipped here, a 21/2 feet well carved sculpture of Surya is also installed in the Temple. Sheer Negligence has caused vast damage to the shrine. A portion adjacent to the front Mandapam has fallen down. Vimanam is engulfed with trees and shrubs that could collapse the structure at any time. The person who does the daily rituals stays near the temple and hopeful of early renovation. As this temple is not known to the outside world, very few visitors come here for worship and it is upto the locals to bring it to limelight.
Sun God has also worshipped here, a 21/2 feet well carved sculpture of Surya is also installed in the Temple. Sheer Negligence has caused vast damage to the shrine. A portion adjacent to the front Mandapam has fallen down. Vimanam is engulfed with trees and shrubs that could collapse the structure at any time. The person who does the daily rituals stays near the temple and hopeful of early renovation. As this temple is not known to the outside world, very few visitors come here for worship and it is upto the locals to bring it to limelight. The 
priest expects the "Balalayam" ceremony to be carried out before the end of the year. Only then the renovation work can be taken up to preserve this Historic Temple. As this place is close to Mayiladuthurai, initiative to mobilise support from philanthropists of the town can be taken up to focus attention on this dilapidated temple. A monthly visit organised by small groups from nearby towns can draw attention of people towards preservation of our rich Heritage.
We do not know the blessed souls for whom the restoration work is waiting to take off.
priest expects the "Balalayam" ceremony to be carried out before the end of the year. Only then the renovation work can be taken up to preserve this Historic Temple. As this place is close to Mayiladuthurai, initiative to mobilise support from philanthropists of the town can be taken up to focus attention on this dilapidated temple. A monthly visit organised by small groups from nearby towns can draw attention of people towards preservation of our rich Heritage.We do not know the blessed souls for whom the restoration work is waiting to take off.
