Magaraleeshwarar Temple – A temple with Shiva Linga in the form of the Tail of a Reptile !!

Magaraleeshwarar Temple is a famous Shiva temple located in a place called Thirumaagaral near Kanchipuram district. It is one of the Paadal Petra Sthalam in the Thondaimandalam region praised by the saint Thirugnanasambandar in the Thevaram hymns. Thirumaagaral is a serene and calm village located in the North of Cheyyar River.

Unlike any other Shiva Temple, the Shivalingam of this temple is in the form of the tail of an Udumbu (Iguana – A Giant Lizard). As per Mythology, it is believed that Lord Brahma, after performing puja to Lord Shiva, planted a jack fruit tree that would yield one fruit each day irrespective of the season. King Rajendra Chola was charmed by the taste of the fruit and he ordered that one person from each family should carry this fruit on their head to Chidambaram temple to be offered as offering to the Lord. After the pujas, it should be sent to the king at his palace in Thanjavur. This task was very hectic as the route was a dangerous and long one. Unable to accept this hardship to his villagers, a bachelor boy burnt the tree, knowing the punishment he might face from the king. When he was questioned by the King, the boy replied that he should have appointed his own soldiers/ messengers on horseback for this job instead of burdening the public so he burnt the tree. On knowing the motive, the king decided to give a simple punishment. He ordered the boy to be exiled after covering his eyes. He was made to walk overnight and he was let loose in the early morning wherever he was, under the condition that he should never return back.

When the king was returning back to his palace, he saw an Iguana (Udumbu) with golden skin. He chased it and it went into the snake pit. Before it could go in completely, the king shot an arrow and got hold of Iguana’s tail. Later he found that it got hurt in its tail. The iguana is supposed to be the incarnation of Lord Shiva and so the Shiva Lingam looks sharp and thin like the tail of the giant lizard in this temple. (i.e) the Shiva Linga looks like the posterior portion of the reptile. Hence the name Udumbu Shiva Lingam.

The Goddess of the temple is known as Thiribhuvana Nayaki. Few other aspects of this temple are that Lord Muruga graces His devotees with Valli and Devayanai sitting on an elephant instead of the usual peacock. Lord Dakshinamoorthy graces with Veena in His hand.