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அருள்மிகு சுவேதாரண்ய சுவாமி திருக்கோயில், திருவெண்காடு.

This is a Budan (Mercury) sthalam.

Swetharanyeswarar is the main god in this temple. It is said that Agora Murthi was one of the furious incarnation of Lord Shiva. There was a demon named "Maruthuvasuran" in Thiruvengadu. 

He was in deep meditation on Lord Bhrama for power. Satisfied with his meditation, Lord Bhrama offered him many powers. But he used those powers in  wrong ways. He started to torture the saints and innocent people. 

The saints and other people requested Lord Shiva to put an end to this evil. As they asked, Lord Shiva took His incarnation 'Agora murthi' and killed the 'Maruthuvasuran under a tree (which is now in Thiruvengadu temple).

This Shiva temple is one of the 6 most sacred places on the banks of river manikanigai and Cauvery which is considered as equivalent to the temple at Varanasi. The other 5 shivasthalams: Thiruvaiyaru,Chaayaavanam, Mayiladuturai, Tiruvidaimarudur and Tiruvanchiyam.

The image of Natarajar here is of great beauty. Worship to Aghoramurthy is said to be of significance on Sunday nights. As found in Chidambaram, there is also a shrine for Lord Vishnu near the shrine for Natarajar. This is adi (first) Chidambaram because before dancing in Chidambaram He danced here.

Lord Shiva is known to have performed His seven forms of dance or Tandavam viz Ananda tandavam, Sandhya tandavam, Samhara tandavam, Tripuranta tandavam, Urdhva tandavam, Bhujanga tandavam and Lalita tandavam here.

The three holy tanks here, known as Agni Theertham, Surya Theertham and Chandra Theertham are believed to have been created out of the three drops which fell from Lord Shiva’s eyes when He was dancing.  

 Another rare feature is that the deity is present here with five faces viz Easanam, Tatpurusham, Aghoram, Vamadevam and Sadyojatam.  They represent direction and an aspect of Lord Shiva.  Easanam is facing the sky and represents purity, Vamdevam faces north and represents sustenance, Tatpurisha faces east and represents spirituality that has destroyed the ego, Aghoram faces south and represents the destructive and regenerative aspect of Shiva,  Sadyojatam faces west and represents creation.

 Thiruvenkadu’s Sanskrit name is Shwetaranya and both literally mean – sacred white forest. This is also called Adhi Chidambaram and the Chidambara Rahasyam is also here. As seen in Chidambaram, Vishnu is near Nataraja. Special worship services are offered to Natarajar and the associated Spatikalingam, as in Chidambaram.