Oondreswarar Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Chennai International Airport is about 42 km southeast of Chennai city.

• By train

  Tiruvallur railway station serves the area on the Chennai suburban network.

• By road

  The temple is about 11 km from Thiruvallur on the Thiruvallur to Uthukottai road.

Rules to know

• The lingam is not anointed with oil, unlike other Shiva temples.

Why devotees come here

Oondreswarar Temple stands in Poondi village, Tiruvallur district, Tamil Nadu. Shiva is worshipped here as a lingam, and the Tevaram, the Tamil Saiva canon, praises it as a Paadal Petra Sthalam.

The temple is a Paadal Petra Sthalam, a Shiva shrine praised in the Tevaram, the Tamil Saiva canon written in the 7th century by the Nayanmar saint poets. Legend says the Nayanmar saint Sundarar lost his sight on the way here. Pleased with his devotion, Shiva gave him a club, called oondr in Tamil, and the deity came to be known as Oondreeswarar.

The original complex is believed to have been built by the Cholas, while the present masonry structure was built in the 16th century. The Chola-era temple was moved in 1942 to make way for the Poondi reservoir, from which drinking water is drawn for Chennai city. A flat entrance tower faces south, and the shrines are enclosed in concentric rectangular granite walls.

The central shrine faces east and houses the lingam of Oondreswarar. Unlike other Shiva temples, anointing with oil is not performed here. The shrine of Minnoli Amman, Shiva's consort, faces south and has a gopuram-type roof. All the shrines sit inside the same concentric granite walls.

Festivals

• Vaikasi month (May to June)Brahmotsavam

  The most prominent festival celebrated at the temple.

Tips for your visit

• The central shrine faces east, and the Minnoli Amman shrine faces south.
• The flat entrance tower faces south, and the shrines sit inside concentric granite walls.

Questions people ask