Tamilnadu is located on the southern part of India. It is bounded by the Bay of Bengal on the east, and by Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh states on the other three sides.
Adipureesar Temple, Tiruvotriyur, Chennai
| Location of the temple | Located at Tiruvotriyur in Chennai City |
| Lord Shiva known as | Adipureesar, Padampakka Nathar, Thyagarajar |
| Female deity known as | Vadivudaiamman, Thiripurasundari |
| Pathigam | Thirunavukarasar, Sundarar, Sambandar |
| How to reach | This temple is 8 Kms from Chennai and is well connected by town buses from every part of Chennai city. There is also a suburban railway station known as Tiruvotriyur on the Chennai Central - Gummidipoondi route and the temple is within a short distance to the east of the railway station. |
Glorified in the hymns sung by the 3 saivite saints Appar, Sundarar and Sambandar is the famous Shivasthalam at Tiruvotriyur in Chennai. Lord Shiva is known here as Adhipureesar, Tyagarajar and Padampakka Nathar. The marriage of Sundarar, one of the Nayanmars, to Paravai Natchiar and Sangli Natchiar was held here with the bleesings of Lord Shiva. The temple main tower (Rajagopuram) is 120 feet height. This is a big temple with big corridors and visited by devotees in large numbers. The shrine of female deity Vadivudai Amman attracts a large gathering of devotees on Fridays and full moon days.
According to mythology, this shivasthalam is considred as the first shivasthalam after the great deluge (pralayam). Lord Shiva is hence known as Adhipureeswarar and is a lingam of earth. This lingam is covered with a kavasam which is removed only during the full moon day in the Tamil month of Karthigai (November 15th to December 15th). The special poojas performed during this time is considered very auspicious and devotees assemble in very large numbers to witness the pooja and get the blessings of Lord Shiva.
The pillars in this temple mandapam have inscriptions from the period of Chola Kings Parakrama Chola I and Uttama Chola. There are 108 sivalingams in this temple. The festival conducted during the Tamil month of Masi (February 15th to March 15th) is the main attraction of this temple.
Tiruvotriyur Adipureesar temple photos
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Adipureesar temple, Tiruvotriyur - east entrance tower
Adipureesar temple, Tiruvotriyur - East tower another view
Adipureesar temple, Tiruvotriyur - Vadivudai Amman Sannidhi entrance
Adipureesar temple, Tiruvotriyur - Navagriha Sannidhi
Adipureesar temple, Tiruvotriyur - Murugar and Kuzhandai Easwarar Sannidhi
Adipureesar temple, Tiruvotriyur - Kalyanasundarar Sannidhi
Adipureesar temple, Tiruvotriyur - Bairavar Sannidhi
Adipureesar temple, Tiruvotriyur - Ekapathamurthy
Adipureesar temple, Tiruvotriyur - Ekapathamurthy another view
Adipureesar temple, Tiruvotriyur - Temple tree