Mahalakshmeeswarar, Tirinindriyur, Nagapattinam

Basic information about the temple

Moolavar:	Mahalakshmeeswarar	Ambal / Thayar:	Lokanayaki
Deity:	Siva	Historical name:	Tirunindriyur
Vriksham:	Vilvam	Teertham:	Lakshmi Teertham
Agamam:		Age (years):
Timing:	6 to 11 & 4 to 8	Parikaram:
Temple group:	Paadal Petra Sthalam (Kaveri Vada Karai)	–
Sung by:	Sambandar, Appar, Sundarar	Temple set:
Navagraham:		Nakshatram:	Anusham
City / town:	Tirinindriyur	District:	Nagapattinam
Maps from (click):	Current location	Mayiladuthurai (12 km)	Kumbakonam (50 km)
	Tiruvarur (52 km)	Nagapattinam (57 km)

Location

Sthala puranam and temple information

Mahalakshmi, consort of Vishnu, worshipped Lord Siva at this temple, and so the moolavar deity is called Mahalakshmeeswarar or Lakshmipureeswarar. When Lakshmi came here, she stayed in this place for some time. Another name for Lakshmi is “Tiru” or “Sri”, and so the place is called Tiru-Nindra-Oor (the place where Lakshmi stayed).

There is another story as to the name of the place. Tribhuvana Chakravarti Sri Rajaraja Deva, a Chola king, used to travel to Chidambaram every day to worship Siva there. Once, he observed that all the lamps went off when he was passing through, and then automatically lit up back again after he had crossed the place. Strangely, this was repeated every time. Upon inquiry, a shepherd told him that a cow was pouring its milk every day at a particular place and time. The king realised that this time coincided precisely with the time that the lamps went off as he crossed the place. When the king had the place dug up with an axe, blood started oozing out, and they found a Siva Lingam at that spot, with an injury to its head (which is said to be visible even today). Saddened to have caused this, the king prayed for pardon, by building a temple in honour of Siva here. The place is said to get its name from the fact that the wicks of the lamps (tiri in Tamil) stopped (nindra in Tamil) glowing when he was passing through the place (the Sanskrit name of the place is Varti-Nirvapanapuram, meaning the same thing). [Note: While the puranam has its own merits, this etymology of Tiri-Nindra-oor seems a bit far fetched! The Sanskrit name could well be a later interpolation.]

Worshipping at this temple is considered particularly auspicious for those born under the Anusham nakshatram. Interestingly, devotees offer pomegranate seeds to worship Lord Siva.

At the instruction of his father Sage Jamadagni, Parasurama beheading his mother Renuka. Then he worshipped Siva for pardon (there are various temples where he is said to have worshipped, including at Pazhuvur and Muzhayur). Jamadagni also realized his hasty decision, and prayed to Siva here. The Lord pardoned both father and son. Siva here is also worshipped as Jamadagneeswarar (the Lingam installed by Jamadagni). There is also another Lingam installed by Parasurama.

This is one of the 78 maadakoil temples built by Kochchenga Cholan, and much of the architecture indicates this is a Chola temple. In a rather unique Navagraham arrangement, Suryan and Chandran face each other (Chandran is said to be Lakshmi’s elder brother, as he emerged before her, from the churning of the ocean).