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Located 50 kms from Tiruvarur on Thiruthuraipoondi - Adiramapattinam ECR is the Veera Kothandarama temple in the Dhandakaranya Kshetram of Thillai Vilagam, a temple whose legend dates back to the Ramayana. After defeating Ravana, and on his way back to Ayodhya, Rama stayed here in the ashram of Bharadwaja Rishi.

Anjaneya is seen next to Sita (who is seen in a Kalyana Kolam) in a Dasa Posture with his right hand close to his mouth in a posture of whispering something to Lord Rama.

The story goes that Anjaneya was reminding Lord Rama of the promise to Baratha to return to Ayodhya within the stipulated time. Hearing this, Sita asked Anjaneya to carry curd rice to Bharatha with the message that they were on their way.

On finding Bharatha in a state of disbelief, Anjaneya lifted him on his shoulder and carried him to this region. It is at Mudi -Kandan (now Mudikondan) that Bharatha found Rama’s hair and instantly recognized that his Lord was genuinely on his way back.

 It was at Mudikondan that Rama hugged his brother Bharatha as he was happy to meet him again after many years .

The 5-feet Moolavar Rama is seen in a majestic posture sporting a handsome smile. To his right is Sita seen in a Kalyana Kolam.

Kothandarama shows a ‘Tribangi’ posture here at this temple. The neck has one kind of a curve, the hip a different curve, and the leg has a bent posture. 

The Moolavar idol of Kothandarama is believed to be at least a 1000 years old. Rama is holding the bow in his left hand. On a close look at his hands, one is able to see the veins, the ring, and his sharp nails. One is also able to see the sharp distinctive fingers on each hand.

On his right hand, Rama is seen holding the arrow that contains the writing ‘Rama Saram’, the only one of its kind in a Rama temple. These writings refer to his philosophy of life – Oru Sol (Rama would not go back on the word he has given), Oru Il (Only one wife – he would not look at another woman) and Oru Vil (The special bow).

He used his special arrow only thrice during his life. The first time was in Chitrakoodam to kill Kakasuran. The story goes that while he was resting on Sita’s lap, the asura took the form of a crow and pecked Sita. As blood started flowing, a drop fell on Rama, waking him from his sleep. Realizing what had happened, he let go this special arrow at the asura ‘crow’. Surrendering to Rama, the asura gave away an eye as punishment for his wrong doing. Hence, to this day, crows cannot see straight.

The second time Rama used the arrow to kill Vaali in Kishkinda and the third occasion was to kill Ravana in Lanka.

Another interesting feature of the moolvar Rama is the distinctive marks. One is able to also see clearly the veins and moles on the legs of Lord Rama. Also, one is able to see the knee cap on both the legs of the lord.

On his left leg, one finds the Raksha bandhan tied by mother Kausalya when Rama was young, to protect him from evil forces.

The majestic posture of Veera Kothandarama at Thillai Vilagam is similar in facial posture to the ones at Mudikondan (Baalya Rama), Sri Vanjiyam (Hathambavur Rama), Madurantakam ( Eri Kaatha Rama) and Punnai Nallur (Saligrama Rama).

Thillai Vilagam is off the Tiruvarur / Thiruthuraipoondi Muthupet highway 19kms West of Thiruthuraipoondi and 6kms East of Muthupet.