God
The main deity of temple is Marundeeswarar or Paalvannanadha Oushadheeswarar or Vedapureeswarar and faces who is an incarnation of Lord Shiva faces West direction. The main deity is about 1 foot high and is present in a slightly slanting position in white colour and Swayambhu Linga. Kamadenu worshipped the lingam here and the foot marks of Kamadenu can be seen at the Lingam.
Interesting Facts
- It is one of the 275 Paadal Petra Sthalams, where the three of the most revered Nayanmars (Saivite Saints), Appar and Thirugnana Sambandar have glorified the temple with their verses during the 7th-8th century.
- This is the 25th Paadal Petra Shiva Sthalam of Thondai Naadu.
- Arunagirinathar has visited this temple and has sung praises of Subramanyar here.
Best Season To Visit
The best season to visit the temple is Winter season. The best months to visit are September to February.
Weather
Highest - April to June (42 °C during day and 30°C during night)Average - May (33.7 °C during the day and 28 °C during night)Lowest - October to February (26 °C during day and 21 °C during night)Monsoon season - June to September
Dress Code
- For men the dress code is Shirt & Trouser, Dhoti or Pyjamas with upper cloth.
- For women the preferred dress code is saree or half-saree with blouse or chudidhar with pyjama and upper cloth.
- Shorts, mini-skirts, middies, sleeveless tops, low-waist jeans and short-length T-shirts are not allowed.
Do's & Dont's
- Do bathe and wear clean clothes before you enter the temple.
- Do respect ancient customs and co-piligrims while at temple.
- Smoking and drinking is prohibited in this temple.
- Chewing betel leaves, tobacco, gutka and spitting inside temple is strictly prohibited.
transport connections
| Name | Distance | Contact Number |
|---|---|---|
 Thiruvanmiyur |
3.5 KM | 18004194287 |
 Thiruvanmiyur Railway Station |
1.3 KM | 139 |
 Chennai International Airport |
14.5 KM | 044-22560551 |
Architecture
Lord Shiva imparted sage Agastya on curative properties of various herbs and plants. Since then the Marundeeswarar temple has been a place of worship for people with diseases and various problems with their health. Hence is also praised as Marundeeswarar – Marundhu in Tamil means medicine and Easwara God – God of Medicines. Temple facing West direction. Appayya Dikshitar, whose original works and commentaries on our sacred books had enriched the Sanskrit literatures and the spiritual heritage of South during the twentieth century, was unable to have the darshan of Lord due to heavy floods. He was able to see only the back of Lord. He said to the Lord, “I came here to worship you with your face, can’t you oblige me.” Moved by the prayer of Dikshitar, Lord Shiva turned West and granted darshan. The temple has two seven-tiered gateway towers, a 7 tier Rajagopuram facing East direction. Another on the West side. The Vimana (tower above the sanctum sanctorum) of the presiding deity is of Chaturvastam design. The temple has 2 Prakarams, one on the outer and the inner Prakarams are present for both the main deity and goddess separately. The main temple consists of two separate spacious chambers, Thyagaraja mandapam and Marundeeswarar mandapam. The mandapam (hall) housing the Somaskanda form of Shiva has 36 massive pillars adorned with carvings. Devasriyan mandapam inside the temple conducts Shiva Siddhartha lectures every day. Jenmanasini, Kamanasini, Pavanasini, Gnanadhayini, Motchadhayini are the five teerthams here.
Religious Significance
Thiruvalmikiyur - It is said that even The Sage Valmiki, who wrote The Ramayana, came here to The Marundeeswarar temple to worship Shiva and corrected himself from the ways of his past life as a robber. Pleased with the sage, Lord Shiva appeared before him under the Vanni tree in the temple. The place as requested by the sage, was named after him. The Vanni tree is in the prakara where Lord granted darshan to Sage Agasthya and Sage Valmiki. This event forms part during the Panguni Brahmmotsavam in the temple. After this incident, this place was to be known as Thiruvalmikiyur, the name gradually changed to Thiruvanmiyur. There is a place present in Thiruvanmiyur called Valmiki Nagar in his honour. There is also a temple built for Sage Valmiki in the middle of the East Coast Road, very close to the Marundeeswarar temple.
Paalvanna Nathar - Recognizing the penance of Sage Vasishta on Lord Shiva, Indira sent his Kamadenu the divine cow with the sage. Once the cow delayed to pour the milk for pooja. The angry sage cursed it to become an ordinary cow losing its divine status. He also suggested the cow to go to this place and worship Lord Shiva under the Vanni tree to recover its divinity. Kamadenu poured the milk on the Lord and got back its original supremacy. Hence Lord has the name as Paalvanna Nathar. Paal in Tamil means milk. When Sage Valmiki came there to worship Lord Shiva, Kamadenu ran in fear pressing its feet on the head of the Shivalinga, the scar of which is still visible on the presiding deity.
History
The temple is praised in the Thevaram hymns of Saint Thirunavukkarasar, Saint Sambandar and by Arunagiriar in his Thirupugazh Hymns. This is the 25th temple in Thondai region praised in Thevaram hymns. The temple was built 1000-2000 years old this temple held a high position for centuries and it gradually fell in repair. Temple renovations started from the beginning of the 20th century, first in the year 1903 and then in 1970’s and presents a great picture today. The lingam for which Lord Hanuman performed pooja, The lingam (Meenakshi Sundareswarar) that cured the curse of Lord Indra, the Lingam for which Saint Bharadwaja performed pooja are present here. Markandeyar performed a penance and prayed to Lord Shiva here, Lord Brahma is believed to have conducted a festival here for Lord Shiva. There is a story that Vishnu worshipped Shiva with his family here to get a son, but he forgot to worship Parvati devi who cursed his son to die at once after birth. Vishnu apologised and she took away the curse. Tirugnanasambandar and Tirunavukkarasar (7th Century CE) the Saivite saint poets have visited and sung the praises of this temple, testifying its existence even before their times. Arunagirinathar has visited this temple and sung praises of Subramanya here.
Temple Timings
| Day | Timings | |
|---|---|---|
| All Days | 05:00 AM - 12:00 PM | 04:00 PM - 09:00 PM |
Tours
Airports
| Airport Name | Distance |
|---|---|
| Shamshabad | 40 KM |
| Lorem Ipsum | 12 KM |
Railway Stations
| Railway Station Name | Distance |
|---|---|
| Secunderabad | 10 KM |
| Nampally | 12 KM |
| Begumpet | 6 KM |
| Lingampally | 20 KM |
Bus Stations
| Bus Station Name | Distance |
|---|---|
| MGBS | 35 KM |
| CBS | 28 KM |
| kukatpally | 20 KM |
| Lingampally | 30 KM |
| Uppal | 35 KM |
Private Transports
| Transport Name | Distance | Contact Number |
|---|---|---|
| Private Transport | 8 KM | 9546858757 |
| Private Transport1 | 8 KM | 9546858757 |
| Private Transport1 | 8 KM | 9546858757 |
| Private Transport1 | 8 KM | 9546858757 |
| Private Transport1 | 8 KM | 9546858757 |
Local Transports
| Transport Name | Distance | Contact Number |
|---|---|---|
| Local Transport | 5 KM | 9546858757 |
| Local Transport1 | 5 KM | 9546858757 |
| Local Transport1 | 5 KM | 9546858757 |
| Local Transport1 | 5 KM | 9546858757 |
| Local Transport1 | 5 KM | 9546858757 |
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The temple was designed and constructed in the shape of 'AUM'
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300 years old temple exhibits Pallava Architecture in typical Dravidian style
MUNDAKA KANNI AMMAN TEMPLE
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Ambal appears with twin arms and donned with serpent crown
KOLAVIZHI AMMAN TEMPLE
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This is one of the few temples of Chennai where Valmiki Rishi is found
SRI SIVA SUBRAMANIA SWAMI TEMPLE
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300 years old and built by the Sengunthar Community
SRI PARTHASARATHYSWAMY TEMPLE
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Pre Pallava Period temple in existence from beyond 7th century CE
SRI KANDHA KOTTAM TEMPLE
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This is associated with the life of Saivite Saint Ramalinga Swamigal
SRI VADAPALANI ANDAVAR TEMPLE
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Lord Muruga graces with His Padukas-chappals here
SRI KAALIKAMBAL TEMPLE
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Kalikambal sits in an Artha padmasana pose holding pasa and angusam
SRI THIYAGARAJA SWAMY TEMPLE
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One of the 276 Devara Paadal Petra Sthalams and 20th Shiva Sthalam
Nearest Attractions
Wildlife
GUINDY NATIONAL PARK
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The park has many impressive memorials to modern India’s leaders
Beach
V.G.P. GOLDEN BEACH
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One will witness several people on morning walks at this beach
Museum
FORT ST. GEORGE MUSEUM
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Fort St. George Museum houses oldest exhibits of English rule over India
Outdoor
KISHKINTA AMUSEMENT PARK
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Kishkinta Theme Park is ideal for spending time with friends, family and loved ones
Caves
VARAHA CAVES
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One of the finest testimonials to the ancient Vishwakarma
Heritage Monuments
GROUP OF MONUMENTS AT MAHABALIPURAM
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Nestled on the Coromandel Coast of Bay of Bengal
Fort
SADRAS DUTCH FORT
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Remain as one of the last remnants of Chennai’s Dutch heritage
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