Thirupathiripuliyur is a neighbourhood of

Cuddalore Cuddalore, also spelt as Kadalur (), is a heavy industries hub and a port city, and headquarters of the Cuddalore District in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Situated south of Chennai, Cuddalore was an important city and port during the Britis ...

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

, India. It is named for the ancient

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

temple located in the locale, which is named after the Pathiri tree and Puliyur, a tiger-legged saint who obtained absolution in the area.

Padaleeswarar Temple

Padaleeswarar temple is among the ancient 274 Siva temples whose history reportedly dates back to more than 2,000 years. The nearest railway station to the temple is . The temple is 0.5km from Thiruppathiripuliyur Railway Station and situated in Cuddalore. This is one of the temples that is a

Paadal Petra Sthalam The Paadal Petra Sthalams (), also known as Devara Sthalams, are 276 temples that are revered in the verses of Shaiva Nayanars in the 6th-9th century CE. The Divya Desams by comparison are the 108 Vishnu temples glorified in the poems of the ...

situated in Nadunadu. Here the name of the main deity is Padaleeswarar, and the Goddess is Periyanayaki or Arundhava nayaki.

History

The temple plays a unique role in the history of Hindu religion, art, and architecture. Padaleeswarar Temple is a Hindu shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva in the town of Cuddalore. It was constructed during the Pallava and Medieval Chola periods. The lord of this temple saved Saint Appar from drowning when he was tied with a stone column and launched into sea as per the orders of the then Pallava king Mahendra Varman. Appar, along with the stone, floated on the sea and safely drifted ashore here at Thirupathiripuliyur by the grace of god. Overwhelmed, he sang the thevaram "Eendralumai enaku endhaiyumai" in praise of the lord. There is a belief/myth that by worshiping this god one single time is equal to 16 times worshiping the Shiva in Kasi, eight times in Thiruvannamalai, and three times in Chidambaram.

References

External links

Official Web Site of Cuddalore District
{{Cuddalore-geo-stub Cities and towns in Cuddalore district