हिंदीOn this day
Standing

Tiruvalleeswarar Temple, Tiruvalithayam (Padi)

A Chola temple in Padi, north-west Chennai, where Maharshi Bharadwaja is said to have worshipped Shiva in the form of a sparrow. Sambandar sang it.

Built: Chola temple of about the 11th century, with later additionsWhere: Tamil Nadu (Padi, Chennai)Deity: Bhagwan Shiva as Tiruvalleeswarar (Valeeswarar); Devi as Jagadambikai13.10° N, 80.19° E
Photo: AnonymousUnknown author · Public domain

01The sparrow’s shrine

Vali, or valiyan, is the sparrow, and the place name keeps the katha. Maharshi Bharadwaja, the temple says, took the form of a small bird and came here to worship the linga, and Shiva took the name Tiruvalleeswarar, Lord of the sparrow. Brihaspati, the guru of the devas, is also said to have worshipped here, and so the shrine is counted a Guru sthalam; Thursdays bring devotees to the Dakshinamurti niche. Sambandar’s hymn on Tiruvalithayam is in the Tevaram. The sanctum is Chola work of about the eleventh century and carries Chola inscriptions.

02Among the city’s old shrines

Chennai holds a cluster of Tevaram temples within a few kilometres of each other: Tiruvottiyur, Tirumullaivoyal, Mylapore, Tiruvanmiyur, Tiruverkadu and Padi. Tiruvalithayam is the quietest of them. A three-tiered gopuram opens on a courtyard with two prakarams, and Jagadambikai has her own shrine facing south. Devotees who follow the Guru sthalam custom offer yellow cloth and chana dal on Thursdays, and the Guru peyarchi day, when Jupiter changes sign, fills the small courtyard.

Visiting

In Padi near the Anna Nagar–Padi flyover, about 3 km from Villivakkam station.

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