01Where do I sleep?
The sthala purana tells that the sage Salihotra did tapas here and offered his first meal to a hungry old brahmin who came by. The guest then asked, ‘Evvul?’, where may I sleep? The sage showed him his hut, and the guest lay down and revealed himself as Vishnu. So the place was Thiruevvul, now Thiruvallur, and Vishnu reclines here with his right hand on the head of Salihotra. Thirumangai Alvar and Thirumazhisai Alvar sang the temple.
02Vaidya Veeraraghava
Veeraraghava is prayed to as a physician. Pilgrims dissolve jaggery, salt and pepper in the temple tank, the Hrit Tapa Nasini, the remover of heart’s pain, and pray for relief from sickness and skin disease; they also offer small silver models of the healed limb. On Amavasya, the new moon, devotees come in large numbers to bathe in the tank. The temple is administered by the Ahobila Matham.
The life of this place
- Alvar periodThirumangai Alvar and Thirumazhisai Alvar sing Thiruevvul.
- Vijayanagara periodGopurams and mandapas are added.
Thiruvallur is on the Chennai–Arakkonam suburban rail line, about an hour from Chennai Central. Amavasya days are crowded.
