Metraleeswar Temple

Getting there

• By air

  It is the nearest domestic and international airport for the city.

• By train

  The city is connected to the railway network through Kanchipuram railway station.

Why devotees come here

Metraleeswar Temple stands in Pillaiyar Palayam, Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu. It is dedicated to Shiva, also called Kanchi Metrali, and is one of the Paadal Petra Sthalam temples praised in the Tevaram. Kanchipuram is a city in the Chennai metropolitan area.

Metraleeswarar is revered in the Tevaram, the Tamil Saiva hymn collection written by the nayanar saints in the 7th century. The temple is classed as one of the Paadal Petra Sthalam shrines, the places praised in that canon. Parvati has her own shrine here, known as Metralinayagi. The temple is listed among the historic and religious places of Kanchipuram city, alongside the Kanchi Mutt of Adi Shankara and the Varadharaja Perumal Temple.

Legend says the saint Thirugnana Sambandar was singing praise of Shiva at a nearby site, and Shiva was mesmerized by that devotion. It is also believed that 108 Rudras did penance here, which is why the temple is called Ananda Rudresam and Maha Rudresam.

The temple is believed to have expanded in the 13th century under the Later Cholas, as the inscriptions indicate. Its complex has two prakarams, or courtyards, and a three-tiered rajagopuram, the gateway tower, that faces west. The central shrine also faces west and holds a granite lingam of Metraleeswarar. The Nataraja shrine has only a printed image of the dancing form of Shiva, not an idol.

Festivals

• March to AprilThirugnana Sambanda Gurupuja and Panguni Uthiram

  The most prominent festivals of the temple.

• November to December, February to MarchThirukarthikai, Mahashivarathri and Kanthasashti

  Other major festivals celebrated in the temple.

Tips for your visit

• Look for the Nataraja shrine, which has a printed image in place of an idol.
• The three-tiered gateway tower and the central shrine both face west.

Questions people ask