Tiruvottiyur Tyagarajar and Vadivudai Amman Temple - Part 1

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This blog post continues my previous post on Tiruvottiyur Tyagaraja and Vadivudai Amman temple. As I mentioned, it is only possible to cover some things about this great temple in a single post. Hence, I will write multiple articles about this ancient temple.


Tyagaraja and Vadivudai Amman temple, located at Tiruvottiyur, a town near Chennai was originally called Adipureeswarar temple. Even today, this temple is referred to either as Adipureeswarar temple or Tyagaraja temple. Lord Shiva is found in this temple in three main modes - formless, physical form, and also in an indescribable state.


The sanctum of the temple enshrines Lord Shiva in three states. The first form is either Agni (fire) or light, which is not seen by human eyes. As this is referred to as the first temple in the world, this is called Adi Pureeswarar (the word "Adi" means "ancient"). The second form of Shiva is a snake pit (Swayambhu Lingam - the self-manifested form). The Shiv Linga is always covered with kavacha (covering), which is removed only on the full moon day of Krithika month. The third form of Shiva is indescribable, present inside the snake pit, and cannot be touched. He is called as Padampakka Nathar. Hence, we can find (or feel) all these three forms of Shiva in the same sanctum. If we visit this temple on a normal day, we can find an extensive and broad Shiv Linga (the snake pit covered with kavacha) in the sanctum.

As I write this post, I wonder if this temple is a single one. Nope, it is a temple containing multiple temples within it. Apart from the Adipureeswarar shrine, there is a separate shrine for the Goddess Vadivudai Amman, considered one of three important Goddesses in and around Chennai. There is another shrine for Tyagarajar, yet another name given to Lord Shiva. This is one of the important temples of Tyagarajar. Also, we can find the shrine Tirovottreeswarar and the original Shiva Linga near the sthala vruksha (the sacred tree of the site). Besides, the temple also houses a lot of shrines. I will write in detail about all these shrines in the forthcoming posts.

Till then....Happy travelling.


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