Mahalakshmeeswarar Temple Of Thirinindrayur



In this article, we will read about Mahalakshmeeswarar temple which is located in a town called Thirinindrayur in Mayiladuthrai district of Tamil Nadu. The presiding deity is Lord Shiva, referred to as Mahalakshmeeswarar. His consort is Devi Ulaganaayaki.

This temple is believed to be the place where Lord Shiva appeared before Parashurama in His divine form and granted him absolution from the sin of having used his axe on his own mother. 

Maha Lakshmi is also said to have worshipped Lord Shiva here, thereby, giving the temple the said name. 

Legend has it that there was a king who used to travel to Chidambaram everyday to see the Lord. Every time his entourage passed one particular place, the flame of the torches carried by his men would get extinguished and would lit up again once they had crossed that place. The king enquired for the reason for the same from a cowherd who told him that there was a Shiva-lingam buried on the ground in that place. The king arranged a search and found a lingam deep into the ground. While trying to take it out with the help of an axe, the king found that the lingam had started bleeding. The king decided to build a temple surrounding the lingam. Thus the Mahalakshmeeswarar temple came to be built there. The place came to be called as Thirinindrayur, thiri meaning wick/flame in Tamil. The town is also referred to as Thirunindrayur as Maha Lakshmi is also referred as Thiru respectfully. It is said that the lingam still has the cut from the axe. 

Lord Ganesha is in the form of Selva Ganapathy here and is believed to help get rid of loans and debts. Lord Muruga is also present with His consorts Valli and Devyani. There is also a deity of Lord Dakshinamurthy and the asura, symbolising ignorance, who usually lies beneath the feet of Lord Dakshinamurthy, stands to the left, holding a serpent in his hand.

The temple has deities of Navagraha where the sun and the moon face each other. It has the lingam that was worshipped by Parashuram. There is also another lingam named after his father - Jamadagniswarar lingam beside which there is a deity of Maha Vishnu. There are three holy tanks beside the temple which have been described as a beautiful garland by Sambhandar, an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva. 

People praying in this temple are believed to be free of all kinds of ailments and troubles and attain peace. People also pray here on Amavasya for their ancestors. 

Om Namaha Shivaaya! Om Devyai Namaha!


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Stories From The Bhagavatham - Narasimha Avatar (Part 1)

Image
In the previous chapters of Bhagavatham, we read about how the doorkeepers of Vaikuntha, the abode of Maha Vishnu, had been cursed to take three births as the enemies of the lord. One of their births was as Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakashipu, two Asuras who wreaked untold damage upon the earth and made life miserable for all the devotees of the Lord. Hiranyaksha was killed by Maha Vishnu in His form as Varaha. Angered by the killing of his brother, Hiranyakashipu issued a command to his followers. “My brother has been killed by Narayana. I must destroy him. Go to the earth and wherever you see people performing Tapas, Yajna and other spiritual activities, kill them. Narayana is said to be present at the places where people worship him. I do not want him to be worshipped! Destroy anyone who utters his name!” Eagerly following his orders, the asuras went on a rampage, destroying places of worship, obstructing spiritual activities and harming every one who proclaimed themselves to be a de...
Read more

Stories From The Bhagawatham - Prelude To An Avatar (Part 1)

Image
  While the Devas and Asuras were always rivals, once it so happened that the Devas lost all their strength and the Asuras began to conquer them. Worried about the future of the universe, the Devas approached Lord Brahma, the Creator to seek His help. Lord Brahma advised the Devas to seek Lord Narayana. The Devas, along with Lord Brahma approached Maha Vishnu and asked for His guidance. “I know what you need to win over the Asuras.” Maha Vishnu said. “First and foremost, you need to make peace with them. You need time to recover your strength and should avoid any fights. You need to obtain Amritha, the nectar of life which will grant immortality to you. To get this nectar, you need to churn the ocean using Mount Mandara as the churning staff and the serpent Vasuki as the rope. This churning will require powerful hands and you will need the assistance of the Asuras for the same.” Maha Vishnu also gave some advice to the Devas. “Whatever happens, agree with the Asuras for every...
Read more

Stories From The Bhagawatham - Gajendra Moksham

Image
  In a hill named Trikuta, there was a garden named Rituman which was a paradise in itself. One could find every kind of tree, flower, fruit and animal there. In this hill, lived an elephant with his herd. The elephant was the leader of the herd and is referred to by devotees as Gajendra, and this leela of Maha Vishnu is named as Gajendra Moksham. This story is very special. I grew up listening to this story and simply love it because for me, it stands as a validation that no cry or prayer goes unheard in the Universe. Once, feeling thirsty, Gajendra entered a lake with his herd. After drinking water, the herd bathed in the lake. Unaware to the elephants, a crocodile stealthily swam up to the herd and clutched the leg of Gajendra. The elephant trumpeted loudly in pain. But try as he might, he could not lift his leg from the jaws of the crocodile. Seeing their leader in trouble, the other elephants tried to help him, but all their efforts went in vain. The crocodile kept tryin...
Read more