மருந்தீசுவரர் திருக்கோயில், திருவான்மியூர், சென்னை
Marundhu means medicine in Tamil. Lord Siva manifests as a healer. at this temple. It is believed that people with incurable diseases have sought his blessings here from time immemorial. The Lord here is also known to protect devotees from future illness and bless them with good health. Thus it is a very popular temple.
Located in the heart of the bustling southern suburb of Thiruvanmiyur in Chennai, it is a very ancient temple. As a Paadal Petra Sthalam sung in praise by Thirugnanasampanthar and Naavukkarasar, it must have existed in some form in the early seventh century. Together with the Kapaleeswarar at Mylapur and the Thiyagaraja Swamy temple at Thiruvottriyur, it forms the trinity of ancient shore temples of the Thondai Mandalam.
Today the very busy East Coast Road or ECR abuts it on the west side. This road was known as the Vadugaperuvazhi (வடுகப்பெருவழி) in imperial Chola times and was an important route for trade and conquest. It was the gateway to the northern Andhra country. As such the location of this temple was very strategic and gave it a lot of importance. The inscriptions here, which are many, bear witness to this.
With obscure origins, it was extensively renovated by the Cholas in the 11nth century, by Rajendra Cholan I and others. It has been renovated many times over the centuries ,most recently in the early 20th century and in 1970. The last Kumbabishekam was in 2008. The imposing Rajagopuram over the eastern entrance was only reconstructed within the last 50 years. Thus it sports a relatively modern look. The inner ancient core is intact.
The whole temple complex is about an acre in area. The Lord faces west, which is rare as in most temples the sanctum faces east or sometimes north. Although the main entrance is on the West, the road is very busy there and most people enter from the east. There are three rajagopurams, two in the east and one in the west. There are two prominent sacred water bodies, one between the two rajagopurams in the east and the other just outside the outer rajagopuram of the east entrance. The Amman sannithy of Thiripurasundari is to the right as you go through the second rajagopuram in the east. The sculpture of Lord Sarabeshwarar (a fierce form of Lord Shiva) on one of the pillars in front of the Amman sannithy, is very special. The Vanni tree is the sthala virutcham and is much revered. It is on the south side of the temple. If you enter from the east, as most people do, you will veer left and go past the Thiyagaraja mandapam and enter the sanctum of Lord Siva on the south side and turn left,
We visited in August 2017 and August 2024. We stayed in Chennai.
Credits: Google Maps
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