மருந்தீசுவரர் திருக்கோயில், திருக்கச்சூர்
This ancient Sivasthalam is found in the small nondescript village of Thirukachur in Chengalpattu District, not far from Chennai. Although the area around is developing fast, this village is hidden from all the bustle around and appears forgotten by time. It is a Paadal Petra Sthalam and is praised in the Thevaram by Sundaramoorthy Nayanar in the early 8th century, in the same Pathikam as the Kachabeswarar temple in the same village. The Marundeeswarar is the smaller temple compared to the Kachabeswarar and is about ten minutes away by car. We recently looked at the Kachabeswarar in an earlier post.
This is a fairly small temple and is about an acre in area. It is on a small hillock and the villagers refer it to as the Malai Koil (Hill Temple). It is surrounded by a granite wall and has various shrines with the primary shrine dedicated to Lord Sivan in the form of a lingam and is known as the Marundeeswarar. There is no superstructure enclosing the temple. The individual shrines are independent structures. The entrance is a small flat gateway tower or a Mottai Gopuram.
The temple was in existence in the early 8th century as Sundarar mentions it when he visited here. It was built as a granite structure in the 11th century by Kulothunga Chola I. It has been renovated by the Nayakkar in the 16th century. Today it is administered by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu. It is poorly maintained and is in a state of acute disrepair.
Marunthu (மருந்து) means medicine in Tamil. The temple has a number of legends linking it to various cures for a variety of diseases. The herbs that grow on this hill are believed to have curative properties. Consuming the plants, the water and even the earth here is considered medicinal. Legends claim that once this area was beset by a plague and the people survived by praying to the Lord here and treating themselves with herbs found here. There is also a belief that a small bit of the Sanjeevi Hill fell here when Hanuman was carrying it from the Himalayas to Lanka.
Sundarar sings thus:
மேலை விதியே வினையின் பயனே
விரவார் புரமூன் றெரிசெய்தாய்
காலை யெழுந்து தொழுவார் தங்கள்
கவலை களைவாய் கறைக்கண்டா
மாலை மதியே மலைமேல் மருந்தே
மறவேன் அடியேன் வயல் சூழ்ந்த
ஆலைக் கழனிப் பழனக் கச்சூர்
ஆலக் கோயில் அம்மானே.
The temple is located in the small village of Thirukachur and hidden away from the bustling highways close by. It is about 55 km or 2 hours southwest of Chennai city. We visited in August 2017 and August 2024. We were based in Chennai.
Credits: Google Maps
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