Pattinathar Samadhi - Tiruvottiyur
Pattinathar was a great Hindu saint who lived in the 10th century CE. He had written many songs, and his lyrics were primarily about the self-realization concept of Hinduism.
Pattinathar was a wealthy merchant who became a saint after realizing that his adopted son was an incarnation of Lord Shiva. He attained knowledge and self-realization due to some incidents related to his son. He got rid of everything and started traveling to various temples. At last, he reached Tiruvottiyur. (Tiruvottiyur is a small locality located near Chennai, mainly famous for its gigantic ancient temple of Vadivudai Amman and Thyagarajar.)
Tiruvottiyur is the last site visited by the great saint Pattinathar. He attained jeeva samadhi (moksha) in Tiruvottiyur. His samadhi (tomb) is situated in a slum locality near sea shore at around 1 km from the famous Tyagarajar-Vadivudai Amman temple in Tiruvottiyur. It is unfortunate that those who visit Tiruvottiyur just visit Tyagarajar temple and do not attempt to visit Pattinathar samadhi. One of the reasons is that it is located in a remote slum area. I hope the Government should take the necessary measures to promote this site.
Pattinathar samadhi is basically in the form of a temple today. As per the legend, Pattinathar used to amuse people by performing miracles. For example, he would get into a pit in one place and come out in another place. One day, he asked some boys to place over him a big vessel covering his entire body. When everyone expected that he would come out at some other place, it didn't happen so. When they removed the vessel, they found an idol of Shiv Linga instead of Pattinathar. Everybody realized that Pattinathar got transformed into a Shiv Linga.
Today, you can find this Shiva Linga in a small temple called "Pattinathar Samadhi". Apart from Shiv Linga, the temple also houses the icons of Ganesha and Murugan. There is a Nandi opposite the main shrine.
When you visit Tiruvottiyur, please also see the samadhi of the great poet and saint.
Happy travelling.
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