Masilamaniswara Temple, Thirumullaivoyal or Masilamaniswara Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva located in Thirumullaivoyal in the Chennai-Avadi road, India. The temple is incarnated by the hymns of Thevaram and is classified as Paadal Petra Sthalam. The temple is incarnated by the hymns of Sundarar, Ramalinga Swamigal and Arunagirinathar. His consort Parvati is depicted as Piraisoodi Amman. The presiding deity is revered in the 7th-century Tamil Saiva canonical work, the Tevaram, written by Tamil saint poets known as the nayanars and classified as Paadal Petra Sthalam.
The temple is believed to have been built by Cholas during 9th century CE and with significant additions from later Chola kings and by the subsequent ruling empires. It houses five-tiered gateway towers known as gopurams. The temple has numerous shrines, with those of Masilamaniswarar and Kodiyidai Nayagi Amman being the most prominent. The temple has six daily rituals at various times from 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., and four yearly festivals on its calendar.
The temple is one of the Sakthi triad in the region of Tondaimandalam, the other two being the Vadivudai Amman Temple at Tiruvottiyur and the Thiruvudai Amman Temple at Minjur.
Legend
In ancient times, the forest surrounding Tirumullaivayil was occupied by two notorious tribesmen, Vaanan and Onan from the Kurumbar tribe. King Thondaiman, the then ruler of the land, wanted to put an end to their atrocities. All his attempts went futile and finally he decided to defeat them in war. He set out for the war with all his infantry and cavalry with elephants and chariots. En route to the war, they waded through a dense growth of Mullai plants (Jasmine climbers). The foot of the elephant on which he was mounted was entangled in the dense foliage. The king and his men, in an attempt to free the elephant from this mess, went on to cut the wild twines with their swords and daggers. Suddenly they noticed blood gushing out from the leaves and found a 'lingam' bleeding. Shocked, the king was in great distress that he has committed a sin. Seeking mercy and forgiveness from Shiva, he prayed to Him. Without any delay Shiva and Parvathi appeared before the king lest he indulge in causing self-inflicted injury out of grief. Shiva asked the King to build a temple for Him right there and promised that he would reside there as Masilamaniswara, Shiva who is as precious as a gem, but without stains ['maasu' - dirty or stain (caused by the profuse bleeding), 'ila' - without, 'mani' - gem]. It is believed that Shiva also promised to support him in destroying the Kurumbars by sending his holy steed, the Nandi bull. On his orders, the Nandi also gets ready to go and fight for the King. This is why the Nandi in this temple faces outwards, ready to leave for the battle on the orders of Shiva, whereas in all other Shiva temples, it faces inwards facing the sanctum.
History
The temple has inscriptions from the period of Chola and Pandya, as per which, it was located on the banks of a tributary of river Palar. The temple has inscriptions from the period of Medieval Cholas and has received various architectural additions during their regime. An inscription from the period of Uttama Chola (970-85 CE) recorded as AR 669 of 1904 indicates that Sembiyan Mahadevi, the mother of Uttama bought 9,300 kulis of land for 80 kalanju of gold from the Mahasabha of Ambattur and made a gift to the temple. This is the northernmost of temples where Sembiyan Mahadevi donated for the temple construction. There are also inscriptions from the regime of Parthivendravarman, a feudatory of Uttama Chola, which mentions the reconquest of the regions lost to Rashtrakutas during the Battle of Takkolam fought during 949 CE. Another inscription recorded as 677 and 678 of 1904 from the period of Rajendra I (1012–1044 CE) records gifts to the temple. There are other inscriptions from subsequent Chola kings like Kulothunga III (1178–1218 CE) and Rajaraja III (1216–1256 CE). There are inscriptions from Pandya king Jatavarman Sundara Pandyan I and from kings of Vijayanagara Empire like Harihara Raya II (1377–1404 CE), Harihara Raya II (1377–1404 CE) and Mallikarjuna Raya (1446–1465 CE). The large Nandi Bull statue is believed to have been built to commemorate the victory of king Thondaiman over two demon brothers.