Presiding deity : Bakthavathsala Perumal
Procession Deity: Patharavi Perumal
Position Standing: facing the east
Goddess Mother: Ennai Petra Thayar meaning the mother who gave me birth.
Also called: Sudhavalli
Holy spring: Varuna Pushkarani
Holy tree: Parijatham
Sung by: Mangalasasanam by Thirumangai Azhwar
Scriptural name: Thinnanur
District: Thiruvallur
Samudrarajan and Varuna enjoyed the darshan of the Lord in this shrine
History:
Thirumangai Azhwar on his way to visit the Vaishnava shrines was passing through Thirunindravur but did not sing about the shrine here. Mother Goddess asked the Lord to meet the Azhwar and get a song for the shrine. But the Azhwar had reached Mamallapuram by the time the Lord stopped him for the song. Azhwar’s joy knew no bounds. Apt came song.
Cloud coloured Lord I saw at Kadalmallai
Who burnt the Kandava jungle?
At Tirunindravur garden bound shrine
Meaning that he had the darshan of the Lord of Tirunindravur at Mamallapuram. (Even the best English scholar cannot translate the hymn of the Azhwar as every word in the poem is pregnant with deep meanings linking some history behind it)
The reputation of the Tirunindravur is such that the Lord Himself went to the Azhwar for a song for a record in Divyadesa history.
The story further goes that the Lord needed further hymns from the Azhwar and followed him by which time the Azhwar had reached Thirukannamangai and was praising the Lord. However, he sighted the Tirunindravur Perumal also and did his Mangalasasanam jointly to Kannamangai and Tirunindravur Perumals.
Thiru, Mahalakshmi had a feud with Lord in Vaikunda and came to earth and stopped here. As Thiru stood here, (The English words Stand in present tense or Stood in past tense mean Nindra in Tamil and Oor means place) the place came to be known as Thirunindravur. Her father Samudrarajan came to her and requested her to go back to Vaikundam to join the Lord, but she refused. The worried father went to Vaikundam, met the Lord and asked him to come and console her daughter and accept her back. The Lord conceded to the request of the father-in-law and advised him to go to Thiru first and he would follow him. All met at Tirunindravur. A compromise was reached. Lord and Tiru returned to Vaikundam. As samudrarajan was a devotee (Bhakta) of the Lord, the Lord conceded to his request and came to be known as Bhaktavatsala.
Again at the request of Samudrarajan, Lord and Thiru appear in their wedding form in the shrine here. Those facing problems in marriage alliance come here for solution praying to the Lord.
The other story attached to the shrine is that Kubera, the Lord of Wealth visited the Ennaipetra Thayar of this temple when he lost every thing and got back his wealth with the grace of Thiru-Mahalakshimi-Ennaipetra Thayar. She is the Vaibavalakshmi pouring all wealth to her devotees
There is a separate shrine for Adisesha, the snake bed of the Lord. People worship Adisesha here during Wednesday’s lighting ghee lamps; offer milk porridge (Palpayasam) for relief from the adverse effects of the planets Rahu and Ketu and any snake-linked effects (Sarpa dhoshas).
The Temple:
The construction belongs to Vijayanagara period. The Rajagopuram (tower) is very beautiful. After passing through the Balipeeta, flag post, Garuda Sannidhi, Maha Mandapam (the great Hall) Inner Mandapam, the devotee will be delighted to see the Lord with Sridevi and Bhoodevi on both sides holding the Panchayudha (five weapons – Conch, the wheel, bow, Gadha and sword). There is also Goddess Sannidhi on the right side of the Presiding Deity. And in the rounding way, Andal, Azhwars, Hanuman, Sri Rama, Adisesha grace the devotees. Poornima (new moon day) Uthiram, Fridays and Saturdays are important days.
Festivals:
Thiruvonam in Panguni (March-April), birth star days of Azhwars and Acharyas, Chitra Poornima, Wedding festival, Deepavali, Vaikunda Ekadasi. Masi Magam, Pongal and Rathasapthami festivals are celebrated devotionally in the temple.
Puja time is 7.30 a.m. to 11.30 a.m. and 4.30 to 8.30 p.m.
Tirunindravur railway station lies on Chennai-Thiruvallur rail route. Devotees can reach the temple by Bus No. 71E from Broadway and Koyambedu and by 54A from Poonamallee. Temple contact No. 044-5517 3417. Nearest Railway station is Tirunindravur and airport Chennai.
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