Sri Thiruthaleeswarar Temple, Aranvoyal, Thiruvallur

 

Moolavar: Sri Thiruthaleeswarar
Amman:Sri Maragadambikai Ambal

A 1200 year old temple which was built by Pallava Ruler Nandhivarman II and later renovated during the Chola period. Inscriptions about Aditya Chola period are found in the temple. It is a Nagha dhosa parihara sthalam as per what the locals and the temple kurukal has to say.

The Swamy is called Thiruthaleeshwarar as he was found under one of the types of palm tree which is called Thali whose leaves were used those days to write and hence he is called Thiruthaleeshwarar. It is said that Murugan worshiped him here before going to the sura samharam and you can see the murugan with North facing peacock which is called Deva Mayil. After the samharam he has a peacock which faces south called Asura Mayil.

The temple is situated in a huge ground area of 14 acres of which 7 acres (approx.) is occupied by the holy temple tank. The temple has a built up area of around 5000 sq. ft. At the entrance of the temple, an old idol of Ganesha is found, which looks attractive.

This is a south facing temple with 5 tiered newly built Rajagopuram. The ancient temple has been renovated recently and looks more like a modern day temple now though you do find the stones with inscriptions on them which shows its antiquity.

The moolavar Thiruthaleeshwarar sannidhi is facing east and is in the Gajabrushta architectural style. ln the ghoshtam you can see the sculptures of Ganapati, Dakshinamurthy , Vishnu, Brahma and Durgai as found in most Shiva temples. The Dhakshinamurthy has a small idol inscribed in the hair knots which looks like an alien which has the reference to Mayan and the Mayan calendar.
Goddess Maragadambikai’s sannidhi is facing south and The temple has many pillars with beautiful sculptures.

The prakaram has the upasannishi of Pillayar, Murugan with Valli and Devasena, Vishalakshi and Vishwanathar, Nataraja-Sivakami, Meenakshi-Chokkanathar, Somaskanda Murti and of Utsava idols such as Uma, Chandrasekhar, Ganesha and Murugan with his two consorts.The murthies of Surya, Chandra, Manikyavachagar and Bhairava are also found in the prakaram. The Kali urchava vigraham is very beautiful and one can see the scenes of asura Bali shown under her feet.

There is a special shrine where Vishnu is found along with Lakshmi on his lap. He is called as Bhoga Murti. Under thst sannifhi there is a Suranga padhai through which the munivars and rishies used to come to worship this lord. One can also see a lot of inscriptions and markings on the temple walls and also the murtham of Nandhivaram II and other rishis is found on the pillars.

A beautiful temple with serene and peaceful atmosphere and as always a must visit shiva temple for people in and around Chennai.

Timings: The temple opens by7:30 am

Contact: The priest Bhubalan can be reached on his mobile number 9444532886

Location:
Sri Thiruthaleeswarar Temple, Aranvoyal, Thiruvallur