Tiruvanmiyur

Marundheeswarar Temple, Tiruvanmiyur (Chennai)

This temple is located at about 15 Kms from Chennai Central railway station and about 1 Km from Tiruvanmiyur Bus Terminus. The presiding male deity is Lord Shiva known as Marundeeswarar (Lord of Medicines) manifests himself in the form of Swayambu Lingam. His divine consort is known as Thiripurasundari. According to legend, Lord Shiva is said to have given relief from health problems to the great sage Agasthiyar, the Sun God and the Moon God. It was Sage Agasthiyar who named the deity as Marundeeswarar. Unlike in other Shiva temples, there is no separate shrine for Navagrahas here becaue of the Sun and Moon who are in the prayer mood here. There are shrines for Lord Vinayakar and Lord Subramanya and also to Sage Valmiki. It is said that God Shiva gave Darshan to Sage Valmiki in a dancing pose beneath the temple tree located on the north-west corner of the outer corridor of the temple. Saints Tirunavukkarasar and Thirugnanasambandar, who lived in the 7th century, have composed numerous hymns on their visits to this temple. It is one of the oldest shrines in Chennai city dating back to Chola and Pallava period.

There are 2 five-tier Gopurams at the western and eastern entrances to the temple. The shrine of Lord Marudeeswarar is facing west and the shrine of female deity Tiripurasundari is facing south.There are many carved stone sculptures around the shrine. The west tower entrance directly leads to the shrine of Marundeeswarar. There is also an entrance to the sanctum of Marundeeswarar from the outer southern corridor. The shrine of Lord Thyagarajar can be seen just before this entrance on the left side and the Lord is facing east. The female deity’s shrine is located on the north-east corner of the outer corridor and is facing south. The inner corridor surrounding the sanctum of Marudeeswarar houses the idols of Lord Natarajar, 108 Sivlingams, Kalabairavar. On the eastern inner corridor, the sivlingams of Kedareeswarar, Ramanatheswarar, Sundareswarar, Arunachaleswarar and Jambhkeswarar can be seen, all facing west. On the southern inner corridor, the idols of 63 Nayanmars are kept. The idol of Mahavishnu found on the eastern wall of the sanctum deserve special mention.