Othandeeswarar Tirumazhisai

Saivite Temples, Thiruvallur District

God

Othandeeswarar,
facing east,
Suyambu Lingam (self occurring)

Goddess

Kulirnthanayagi, facing south

Other Deities

Prasanna Vinayagar, Devaraja Ganapati, Sivasubramaniar, Veegavagudevar, Gangadareswarar, Parvadavardhini, Kala Bairava, Saneeswara, Nataraja, Sivakami, Katchikodutha Nayagar, Surya, Naalvar, Virushanadevar, Muruga with consorts, Dakshinamurthy, Vishnu, Brahma, Durga, Chandikeswara, Bairava, Somaskandar, Bagampiriyal Amman, Piriyavidai Amman

Othandeeswarar Tirumazhisai is an east facing temple with a 5 tier Rajagopuram at the entrance in the south. A tunnel is believed to exist under the well and some statuettes of Nataraja and Sivakami are said to have been recovered from here. The depiction of the 63 nayanmars in the temple Vimaanam is a unique feature here. The temple car is 47 ft tall. There is a Temple tank east of the temple inside the campus.

Holy water (Theertham) – Temple tank

Sacred Tree (Sthala Vriksham) – Azhinjal (Alangium salvifolium) in olden days. Vilvam (Aegle marmelos), Parijatham (Nyctanthes arbor-tristis) in recent times.

Vimaanam – Gajaprashtam

History

Othandeeswarar Tirumazhisai Temple dates back to the times of Karikala Chola. Stone inscriptions of land grants, cow donations date back to 1070 CE. The temple was originally called Agastheeswaram. As per inscriptions dating 1290 CE the Vijayanagar Kings who came after the Cholas called the temple with its existing name today.

Legend

Saint Agastya who was sent south to balance the earth during the huge congregation of people in the northern part of India for the marriage of Shiva and Parvati is believed to have been blessed by the lord to see the marriage 21 times. Othandeeswarar Tirumazhisai is one of the spots where he and his disciples saw the scene.

The leg of King Karikalan’s elephant got entangled in weeds while passing this area and he cut off the weeds with his sword. The sword hit a concealed lingam and it started bleeding. Feeling bad he cut off his hand. The lord gave him back his hand and he built the temple.

Directions

Cross Poonamalle, take right after Motel Highway and drive on the Thiruvallur road, a couple of kilometers to reach Othandeeswarar Tirumazhisai which is on the main road itself.

Stay and Food

Motel Highway’s Hotel Durga Prasad and Sri Krishna Sweets provide excellent food and snacks.

Saivite Temples