Thirumazhisai Nagar Othandeswarar Temple

Thirumazhisai Nagar is a small town located at about 25 km from Chennai on the route to Tirupati. The town got its name from Tirumazhisai Alwar, one of the twelve Alwars (important devotees) of Lord Vishnu, who was born here. Othandeswarar temple, located here, is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is one of the two important temples. The other noteworthy temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu named Jagannatha.

Sri Othandeswarar temple is architecturally built in the Gajaprshtha (back side of the sleeping elephant) style by the Chola kings.

Legend:

As per the legend, all the divine beings gathered in the Himalayas to attend the holy wedding of Lord Shiva with Parvati. The earth lost balance and tilted. To set its balance right, Shiva ordered the sage Agastya to travel in the south direction. 

Later, the sage Agastya caught the scene of divine marriage in Tiruverkadu. (You can find similar legends in various temples of South India.) However, Agastya's disciples, including Pulastya, didn't get a chance to attend the marriage. As per their request, Agastya selected a forest of Azhinjal trees near Tiruverkadu. He made a Shiva Linga icon and worshipped there. Subsequently, he made his disciples get sight of the divine wedding on the site. The place which we call Thirumazhisai Nagar nowadays is that holy place.

In due course, the image of Shiva Linga got submerged, and the site turned into a forest. When Karikal Chola ruled this region, he had to fight against a group called Kurumbar. After his battle, he passed through this forest on the elephant's back. His elephant couldn't move as a creeper encircled its leg. Karikal Chola got down and tried cutting down the creeper with his sword. Immediately, the blood oozed out of place, and he found the Shiva Linga there. He felt guilty and cut his own arm using his sword. Instantly Lord Shiva appeared in front of him, and he brought his arm back. Some people claim that it was Kulothunga Chola II and not Karikal Chola. As the Lord gave back the hand to the king, the Lord (Othandeswarar) is called 'Kai Thanda Piran' (meaning the Lord who gave hand in the Tamil language).

Temple Layout:

Sri Othandewarar temple is located on the high road connecting Chennai and Tirupati. The east-facing temple has a stunning tower at its entrance.

The east-facing sanctum enshrines Othandeswarar in Linga form. Behind the Shiva Linga, the images of Shiva and Parvati depicting the marriage scene are found. There is a separate shrine for the Goddess Kulirnda Nayaki facing south. Othandeswarar is also called as Agasteeswarar. The goddess also has another name - Seethalambikai.

Facing the sanctum, the flag staff, bali peetha, and Nandi mandapa are located. The holy tank is also found nearby.

The wall surrounding the sanctum of Othandeswarar has niche images of Ganesha, Dakshinamurti, Vishnu, Brahma and Durga.

The metal icons, such as Nataraja-Sivakami, Somaskanda, Risabhavahana and others, are kept in a separate shrine in the inner prakara. 

Devaraja Ganapati's shrine is seen near the main entrance. Surya, Chandra, Bhairava, Nalvar and  Adhikara Nandi are found in the inner prakara. Chandikeswara is seen in a tiny shrine in the usual location near the niche image of Durga. Subramanya, flanked by his two consorts adorn a sub-shrine.

As stated in the legend, the sage Pulastya has a connection with this site. The Shiva Linga he installed is worshipped as Gangadareswara, along with his consort Parvadavardini.  

Siva Subramanya-Valli-Devasena, Navagrahas and Shaneeswara are the other deities in the outer prakara.

The temple tank is named Agastyar Teertha or Kalyana Teertha. The sthala vrukshams of the temple are Azhinjil, Vilvam and Parijatham.

Happy travelling.

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