Theerthapaleeswarar Temple, Triplicane (Mylapore), Chennai

By -
 Theerthapaleeswarar temple in Triplicane is the second Sapta Sthana Shiva temple of Mylapore in Chennai (seven great temples of Mylapore). Even though this ancient temple is considered one of the most important temples of the historically rich Mylapore area, the temples' location is part of the current Triplicane area.

The temple is located in a highly congested area at Dr. Natesan Street near Lloyds Road in Triplicane. By looking at the temple's current state, anyone hardly would believe that this temple had such a significance in the past.

Legend

The current structure of the temple might be around 500 years old. However, as per the legend, the temple was worshiped by the sages, Agastya and Atri.

In the olden days, 64 sacred ponds were leading from this temple till the ocean. The current situation is terrible. Forget about 64 sacred ponds; you cannot find even a single pond. Even the temple remains little known and is located in an encroached lane.

When Lord Shiva and Parvati's divine marriage happened in the Himalayas, all the Devas went there to attend the function. To balance the earth from the south, Shiva asked Agastya to go towards the south direction. On his way to Podhigai hills, Agastya took rest under a Vanni tree where this temple is located today. 

As per the advice from Lord Shiva, he took a dip in the ocean and also performed pooja to Shiva Linga using the seawater. As the seawater was used for abhisheka by the sage, the deity was named Theerthapaleeswarar. To help the dwarf sage Agastya to perform poojas, the Shiva Linga Murti reduced his height.

Temple Layout


The east-facing temple does not have a tower but has an arch at the entrance. Although the temple is supposed to be very old, the current structure seems to be new.


The presiding deity of the temple is Shiva Linga named Theerthapaleeswarar. The Goddess Tripurasundari is found in a separate shrine. Theerthapaleeswarar and Tripura Sundari are very small idols.


Nardana Vinayaka, Dakshinamurti, Vishnu, Brahma, and Durga are found as the Koshta (niche) idols on the sanctum's outer wall.


Some of the other idols and small shrines found in this temple:


  • Festival (utsava) idols
  • Nataraja
  • Bhairava
  • Lakshmi Narayana
  • Surya
  • Nalvar
  • Chidambara Vinayaka
  • Chandikeshwarara
  • Subramanya with Valli and Devasena
  • Hanuman
  • Shaneeswara
  • Navagraha


Vanni tree is the Sthala Vruksha (holy tree) of this temple.


It is unique to find seawater being used for poojas in this temple.


Happy travelling.


Visit my site, krishnakumartk.com, to know more about the travel guides and other books that I have written.




Location: Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Tallest Murugan of Chennai

By -
Image
Consecrated in March 2021, the 40 feet high Bala Murugan icon at Saveetha Medical College campus is the tallest image of Murugan in Chennai. Malaysia has 140 feet tall Murugan. In April 2022, the 146 feet tall image of Murugan was consecrated near Salem in Tamil Nadu. However, they are all stucco images. But, the one that we find on the college campus is a monolithic granite icon. Thus, it is the tallest stone icon of Murugan in the entire world. A stone weighing 320 tonnes was brought from Siruvambur near Wallajah, and it was carved to 140 tonnes to get this beautiful and gigantic sculpture. The entire temple complex is designed in the shape of the Devanagiri letter "Om", which can be appreciated in the aerial view.  The west-facing gigantic sculpture is located atop the star-shaped pedestal. It dominates the entire landscape. A large meditation hall is situated below the pedestal. On the open corridor in front of the presiding deity, smaller shrines are found. They enshrine...
Read more

Little known Nimishamba Temple of Chennai

By -
Image
Site Name:  Nimishamba Temple Site Type:  Hindu Temple Location:   Kasi Chetty Street, Sowcarpet, Chennai city, Tamil Nadu state, India Highlights:   A rare temple of Nimishamba in Chennai city Nearest Railway Station:   Chennai - well connected from the cities/towns all over India Nearest Airport:   Chennai has both national and international airports How to reach:   Easily reachable by road as this is centrally located in the city Hotel:  Many star hotels, luxury hotels/resorts, and budget hotels are available in Chennai Restaurants:  All options - vegetarian, non-vegetarian, Chinese, South Indian, Gujarati, North Indian, Punjabi,....- you can find everything in Chennai city Chennai is considered as the gateway to South India. The capital city of Tamil Nadu state of India has hundreds of tourist sites which include museum, British period monuments, temples, beach, etc. Let us explore a little known temple called Nimisham...
Read more

Hastinapuram Navapashanam Murugan Temple

By -
Image
Navapashanam is an amalgam of nine poisonous herbs. It is said to act as a remedy for all types of diseases. It is believed that the Siddhas knew the secret formula to prepare this medicinal potion.  The sculpture of Murugan from the famous Palani is claimed to be made of Navapashanam. Similarly, there is a lesser-known temple near Chennai, which has a Navapashanam Murugan. In Hastinapuram near Chrompet in the southern outskirts of Chennai, in a congested lane called Masjid Street, this tiny temple of Bala Murugan is situated. Murugan, made of Navapashanam, is the presiding deity.  Jalakandeeswara Linga, Meenakshi, and the Siddha who found this temple are the other Murtis found in the temple. Happy travelling.
Read more