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{{Short description|Hindu temple in Tamil Nadu}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox temple
| name = Masilamaniswara Temple
| image = Tirumullaivayil2.jpg
| caption =
| map_type = India Tamil Nadu
| map_caption = Location in [[Tamil Nadu]]
| coordinates = {{coord|13.136417|N|80.132400|E|type:landmark_region:IN|display=inline,title}}
| native_name =
| country = [[India]]
| state = [[Tamil Nadu]]
| district = [[Tiruvallur district|Tiruvallur]]
| location = [[Thirumullaivoyal]]
| elevation_m =
| deity = Masilamaninathar([[Shiva]])
Kodiyidai Nayagi([[Parvati]])
| facade_direction =
| temple_tank = Manasa Pushkarani
| tower =
| Poets =
| Prathyaksham =
| temple_tree = Mullai Kodi
| festivals=
| architecture = [[Dravidian architecture]]
| temple_quantity =
| monument_quantity=
| inscriptions =
| year_completed = 9th century CE
| creator =
| website =
}}

The '''Masilamaniswara Temple, Thirumullaivoyal''' or ''Masilamaniswara Temple'' is a [[Hindu]] temple dedicated to [[Shiva]] located in [[Thirumullaivoyal]] in the [[Chennai]]-[[Avadi]] road, [[India]]. The temple is incarnated by the hymns of [[Thevaram|Tevaram]] and is classified as ''[[Paadal Petra Sthalam]]''. The temple is incarnated by the hymns of [[Sundarar]], [[Ramalinga Swamigal]] and [[Arunagirinathar]].<ref>{{cite book|title=History of the Tamils: from the earliest times to 600 A.D|page=26|first= P. T. Srinivasa |last=Iyengar}}</ref> His consort [[Parvati]] is depicted as Piraisoodi Amman. The presiding deity is revered in the 7th-century Tamil Shaiva canonical work, the ''[[Tevaram]]'', written by Tamil saint poets known as the [[nayanars]] and classified as ''[[Paadal Petra Sthalam]]''.

The temple is believed to have been built by [[Cholas]] during 9th century CE and with significant additions from later [[Chola]] kings and by the subsequent ruling empires. It houses five-tiered gateway towers known as ''[[gopurams]]''. The temple has numerous shrines, with those of Masilamaniswarar and Kodiyidai Nayagi Amman being the most prominent. The temple has six daily rituals at various times from 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., and four yearly festivals on its calendar.

The temple is one of the Sakthi triad in the region of [[Tondaimandalam]], the other two being the [[Vadivudai Amman Temple]] at [[Tiruvottiyur]] and the [[Thiruvudai Amman Temple]] at [[Minjur]].

==Legend==
[[File:Main Entrance TirumullaivoyalShivaTemple.jpg|thumb|left|Main Entrance of the Thirumullaivoyal Masilamaniswara Temple]]
[[File:Dwajasthambham TirumullaivoyalShivaTemple.jpg|thumb|left|Dwajasthambham (mast) on the eastern side of the temple]]
[[File:Main Entrance Side view TirumullaivoyalShivaTemple.jpg|thumb|Slant view of the main entrance]]
[[File:Eastern Entrance TirumullaivoyalShivaTemple.jpg|thumb|Eastern entrance]]
In ancient times, the forest surrounding [[Tirumullaivayil]] was ruled by two notorious tribesmen, Vaanan and Onan from the [[Kurumbar]] tribe. they are feudal lords of thirumullaivayil. King Thondaiman wanted to the area under his control . All his attempts went futile and finally he decided to defeat them in war. He set out for the war with all his infantry and cavalry with elephants and chariots. En route to the war, they waded through a dense growth of ''Mullai'' plants ([[Jasmine]] climbers). The foot of the elephant on which he was mounted was entangled in the dense foliage. The king and his men, in an attempt to free the elephant from this mess, went on to cut the wild twines with their swords and daggers. Suddenly they noticed blood gushing out from the leaves and found a '[[lingam]]' bleeding. Shocked, the king was in great distress that he has committed a sin. Seeking mercy and forgiveness from Shiva, he prayed to him. Without any delay [[Shiva]] and [[Parvathi|Parvati]] appeared before the king lest he indulge in causing self-inflicted injury out of grief. Shiva asked the King to build a temple for him right there and promised that he would reside there as Masilamaniswara, Shiva who is as precious as a gem, but without stains ['maasu' - dirty or stain (caused by the profuse bleeding), 'ila' - without, 'mani' - gem]. It is believed that Shiva also promised to support him in destroying the Kurumbars by sending his holy steed, the [[Nandi (bull)|Nandi]] bull. On his orders, the [[Nandi (bull)|Nandi]] also gets ready to go and fight for the King. This is why the [[Nandi (bull)|Nandi]] in this temple faces outwards, ready to leave for the battle on the orders of Shiva, whereas in all other Shiva temples, it faces inwards facing the sanctum.<ref name=dinamalar/>

==History==
The temple has inscriptions from the period of [[Chola]] and [[Pandya]], as per which, it was located on the banks of a tributary of river [[Palar]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Madras, Chennai: A 400-year Record of the First City of Modern India, Volume 1|editor-last=S.|editor-first=Muthiah|page=107|publisher=Palaniappa Brothers|year=2008|isbn=9788183794688}}</ref> The temple has inscriptions from the period of [[Medieval Cholas]] and has received various architectural additions during their regime. An inscription from the period of [[Uttama Chola]] (970-85 CE) recorded as AR 669 of 1904 indicates that [[Sembiyan Mahadevi]], the mother of Uttama bought 9,300 ''kulis'' of land for 80 ''kalanju'' of gold from the Mahasabha of Ambattur and made a gift to the temple. This is the northernmost of temples where Sembiyan Mahadevi donated for the temple construction. There are also inscriptions from the regime of Parthivendravarman, a feudatory of Uttama Chola, which mentions the reconquest of the regions lost to [[Rashtrakuta dynasty|Rashtrakutas]] during the [[Battle of Takkolam]] fought during 949 CE. Another inscription recorded as 677 and 678 of 1904 from the period of [[Rajendra I]] (1012–1044 CE) records gifts to the temple. There are other inscriptions from subsequent Chola kings like [[Kulothunga Chola III|Kulothunga III]] (1178–1218 CE) and [[Rajaraja III]] (1216–1256 CE). There are inscriptions from [[Pandya]] king [[Jatavarman Sundara Pandyan I]] and from kings of [[Vijayanagara Empire]] like [[Harihara Raya II]] (1377–1404 CE), [[Harihara Raya II]] (1377–1404 CE) and [[Mallikarjuna Raya]] (1446–1465 CE).<ref name=early>{{cite book|title=Early Chola temples Parantaka I to Rajaraja I (AD. 907-985)|last=S.R.|first=Balasubramanyam|year=1975|publisher=Thomson Press (India) Limited|url=http://ignca.gov.in/Asi_data/49443.pdf|pages=209–14|format=PDF}}</ref> The large [[Nandi Bull]] statue is believed to have been built to commemorate the victory of king Thondaiman over two demon brothers.<ref>{{cite book|title=Myth quest 2: Nandi: The Divine gatekeep|page=39|last=Kumar|first=Anuradha|publisher=Hachette UK|year=2012|isbn=9789350093917}}</ref>

==Architecture==
[[File:Tirumullaivayil3.jpg|Outer view of the temple|250px|left|thumb]]
The ''vimana'' (roof) of the sanctum sanctorum is designed in a special way that is exclusive to [[Pallava]] architecture - the Gaja Prishtam, that looks like the rear of an elephant (''Gaja'' - elephant, ''prishtam'' - rear). It is built on a circular base and is known as ''Thoonganai Maadam'' in [[Tamil language|Tamil]] (''{{Transliteration|ta|thoong(um)}}'' - sleeping, ''{{Transliteration|ta|aanai}}'' - elephant, ''{{Transliteration|ta|maadam}}'' - top of a building (or temple)) or simply, 'a building that looks like the rear of a sleeping elephant'. The Goddess is called ''Kodiyidai Nayagi'' - She who has a waist as slender as the Jasmine climber. She is considered to be a very powerful deity and is known to bestow Her gracious blessings for newly weds, unwed girls for speedy marriage and for a happy married life. There is a scar on the [[lingam]], which is covered with sandalwood paste. There is a smaller linga made of mercury on which ablution is performed. The Vinayaka in this temple is called Valampuri Vinayaka. The temple tank is located outside the temple premises. Unlike other temples, the image of [[Nandi Bull]] faces a direction opposite to the sanctum. There are smaller shrines in the temple for Cholapureeswar and Kuchalapureeswarar who are believed to have been worshipped by [[Lava (Ramayana)|Lava]] and [[Kusha (Ramayana)|Kusha]], the sons of [[Rama]].<ref name="dinamalar">{{cite web|title=Sri Othandeeswarar temple|url=https://temple.dinamalar.com/en/new_en.php?id=141|publisher=Dinamalar|access-date=31 May 2014|year=2014}}</ref> The positions of the deities - Shiva and Parvati (Kodiyidai Amman) is also found to be interchanged as against what is usually found in Shiva temples. It is believed to be so because Shiva and his Consort were in a hurry to give '[[Darśana]]' (holy appearance) to the King. With Shiva's blessings and [[Nandi (bull)|Nandi]]'s support, the King did win over the battle and proceeded to his capital. As a memoir of the victory, he seized a very prized possession of the [[Kurumbar]]s—two pillars made of the tree trunk of 'Vellerukku' (white Crown flower - [[Calotropis gigantea]]). These pillars can be seen even today placed on both sides, decorating the sanctum sanctorum of the presiding deity.<ref name=R/>

==Religious importance==
Thirumullaivoyal is one of the many temple towns in the state which is named after the grooves, clusters or forests dominated by a particular variety of a tree or shrub and the same variety of tree or shrub sheltering the presiding deity. The region is believed to have been covered with Chamapaka forest and hence called Chamapakavanam.<ref>{{cite book|title=Alayam - The Hindu temple - An epitome of Hindu Culture|publisher=Sri Ramakrishna Math|year=2013|location=Mylapore, Chennai|last=Reddy|first=G.Venkatramana|isbn=978-81-7823-542-4|page=10}}</ref> She and Her counterparts, ''Tiruvudai Amman'' [[Thirumanangeeswarar Temple]]- She who symbolises [[Lakshmi]] and ''Vadivudai Amman'' [[Thyagaraja Temple, Tiruvottiyur]]- She who is resplendent with her gracious beauty, are believed to be three Goddesses who shower all auspicious things in life if visited and worshipped on the same day of ''Chitra Pournami'' - the full moon day in the Tamil month of Chithirai.

[[Sundarar]], an 8th-century Tamil ''Shaiva'' poet, venerated Masilamaniswarar in ten verses in ''[[Tevaram]]'', compiled as the ''[[Tirumurai|Seventh Tirumurai]]''. As the temple is revered in ''Tevaram'', it is classified as ''[[Paadal Petra Sthalam]]'', one of the 275 temples that find mention in the Shaiva canon. The temple is counted as the 52nd in the list of temples in the northern banks of Cauvery.<ref name="appar">{{cite web |url=http://projectmadurai.org/pm_etexts/pdf/pm0188.pdf|title=Tevaram Of Tirunavukkaracu Cuvamikal Tirumurai 5 part - 2 Poems(510-516)|access-date=2011-12-13 |last=Swamigal |first=Tirunavukkarasu |publisher=projectmadurai.org|pages=33–34}}</ref>

The temple with Kodiyidai Amman as its chief goddess is the third of the Sakthi temple triad in the region of the [[Tondaimandalam]], namely, Thiruvudai Amman (also known as ''Ichchaa Sakthi'', the goddess who fulfills devotees' wishes), Vadivudai Amman (also known as ''Gnaana Shakti'', the goddess who blesses with gnana or knowledge), and Kodiyidai Ammam (also known as ''Kriya Shakti'', the goddess who assists in all actions). The [[Thyagaraja Temple, Tiruvottiyur|Vadivudai Amman shrine]] or Thyagaraja Temple is at [[Tiruvottiyur]] while the [[Thirumanangeeswarar Temple|Thiruvudai Amman shrine]] or Thirumanangeeswarar Temple is at [[Minjur]].<ref name=R>{{cite book|title=An introduction to religion and Philosophy - Tévarám and Tivviyappirapantam|last=R.|first=Dr. Vijayalakshmy|publisher=International Institute of Tamil Studies| location=Chennai|year=2001|edition=1st|pages=386–7}}</ref>

==Worship practices ==
[[File:Manasa Pushkarini TirumullaivoyalShivaTemple.jpg|thumb|Manasa Pushkarini, the sacred pond on the eastern side of the temple]]
The temple priests perform the ''[[Puja (Hinduism)|puja]]'' (rituals) during festivals and on a daily basis. Like other Shiva temples of Tamil Nadu, the priests belong to the [[Shaiva]] community. The temple rituals are performed four times a day; Ushathkalam at 6:30 a.m., Kalasanthi at 8:00 a.m., Uchikalam at 12:00 a.m., Sayarakshai at 5:00 p.m., and Ardha Jamam at 8:00 p.m. Each ritual comprises four steps: ''[[abhisheka]]'' (sacred bath), ''alangaram'' (decoration), ''[[Naivedhya|naivethanam]]'' (food offering) and ''deepa aradanai'' (waving of lamps) for both Masilamaniswarar and Kodiyidai Nayagi. The worship is held amidst music with ''[[nagaswaram]]'' (pipe instrument) and ''[[tavil]]'' (percussion instrument), religious instructions in the [[Vedas]] (sacred texts) read by priests and prostration by worshipers in front of the temple mast. There are weekly rituals like ''{{lang|te-Latn|somavaram}}'' (Monday) and ''{{lang|te-Latn|sukravaram}}'' (Friday), fortnightly rituals like ''[[pradosha]]m'' and monthly festivals like ''[[amavasya|amavasai]]'' (new moon day), ''kiruthigai'', ''[[pournami (festival)|pournami]]'' (full moon day) and ''sathurthi''. Mahashivaratri during February - March and Thiruvadihari during December are the major festivals celebrated in the temple.<ref name=dinamalar/> Every year in the month of ''Chittirai'' (Mar-Apr), on ''Sadaya nakshatra'' (Sadayam star), the ''Santhana kappu'' is refurbished with ''Veru kappu''. This is believed to be the treatment for the blood that oozed out of the deity because of the king's attack.<ref name=dinamalar/>

==See also==
* [[Heritage structures in Chennai]]
* [[Religion in Chennai]]

==External links==
* [https://www.dharisanam.com/temples/sri-masilamaneeswarar-temple-at-thirumullaivoyal (Official site)]

==References==
{{reflist|20em}}

{{Places of worship in Chennai}}

[[Category:Hindu temples in Tiruvallur district]]
[[Category:Padal Petra Stalam]]
[[Category:Shiva temples in Tiruvallur district]]

Masilamaniswara Temple, Thirumullaivoyal - Revision history

JulianaThurston: created a location from scratch.