Thirumazhisai Nagar Jagannatha Temple

Tirumazhisai Alwar is one of the twelve Alwars - the twelve great devotees of Lord Vishnu from South India. The town where Tirumazhisai Alwar was born is Thirumazhisai Nagar, located near Chennai. This town has an ancient temple dedicated to Lord Krishna, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Here, he is known as Jagannatha.

Lord Jagannatha temple in Thirumazhisai Nagar is one of the three important Jagannath temples in the world. Jagannath is a name given to Lord Krishna. Puri is considered Uttara Jagannath Kshetra (Northern Jagannath), Tiruppullani is regarded as the Dakshina Jagannath Kshetra (Southern Jagannath), and Thirumazhisai Nagar is viewed as the Madhya Jagannath Kshetra (the middle Jagannath site).

Even though the exact age of the Jagannatha temple is unknown, from the records and inscriptions, it is evident that this temple was maintained by Kulothunga Chola III in the 12th century CE. Tirumazhisai Alwar, the great devotee of Lord Vishnu, who was associated closely with this temple, belonged to the 8th century CE. Hence, this temple should be older than Kulotunga's period.

The temple has a majestic tower (Rajagopuram) with five tiers. The temple tank (Bruhu Teerth) and a mandapa are outside the tower.

The east-facing sanctum enshrines Jagannatha flanked by Rukmini and Satyabhama. All three gigantic icons are in sitting posture. The images of the saints Markandeya and Bhrighu are also seen here.

There is a separate shrine for Tirumazhisai Alwar - a significant icon in the sitting posture with his third eye on the thumbnail in his right leg.

The goddess, Tirumangai Valli Thayar, has a separate shrine in the corridor. There are separate shrines for Andal and Narasimha, with Lakshmi on his lap in the prakara. Adjacent to the shrine of Tirumazhisai Alwar, there is a shrine for a beautiful Kannan (Krishna). 

Garuda is found in front of the sanctum, as usual.

There are shrines for other Alwars, too, in this temple. The temple walls have niche images of Ganesha, Vishnu and Vaishnavi.

Tirumazhisai Alwar's story is an interesting one. He was born to Bhargava Rishi, and he was born as a lifeless fetus without limbs. He was thrown into a forest. Lord Vishnu appeared and granted him life and limbs. Then, he was found out and picked up by a tribe named Tiruvalan. Tirumazhisai learned about Buddhism and Jainism in the beginning. Later, he became a great devotee of Lord Shiva. It was Peyalwar who converted him to Vaishnavism. Lord Shiva once appeared to him and was ready to grant a boon. When Tirumazhisai Alwar requested Moksha, Shiva answered that it could only be blessed by Lord Vishnu. After a few arguments, Tirumazhisai Alwar made fun of Shiva. Shiva got angry and showed his third eye on his forehead. Immediately, Tirumazhisai Alwar also showed his third eye on the thumbnail of his right leg. Shiva appreciated his Bhakti towards Vishnu and disappeared.

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