Tiruvalidhayam Tiruvallesvarar Temple: History, Timings & Visitor Guide

Tiruvalithayam Tiruvallesvarar Temple is a temple dedicated to the Hindu deity Shiva, located at Padi, a north-western neighbourhood of Chennai, India. Shiva is worshiped as Thiruvalleswar meaning as Divine (Thiru) God (Eeswar) of Valiyan (Sparrow), referring to Maharishi Bharadwaj, and is represented by the lingam and his consort Parvati is depicted as Jagathambikai. The presiding deity is revered in the 7th-century Tamil Saiva canonical work, the Tevaram, written by Tamil poet saints known as the nayanars and classified as Paadal Petra Sthalam.

The temple is associated with sage Bharadwaja, who worshipped the presiding deity in the form of a sparrow, giving the name Thiruvalithayam to the temple. There are many inscriptions associated with the temple indicating contributions from Cholas. The oldest parts of the present masonry structure were built during the Chola dynasty during the 11th century, while later expansions, are attributed to later periods.

The temple houses a three-tiered gateway tower known as gopuram. The temple has numerous shrines, with those of Tiruvalleswarar and Jagadambiga being the most prominent. The temple complex houses many halls and two precincts. The temple has four daily rituals at various times from 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., and five yearly festivals on its calendar. The Brahmotsavam during the Tamil month of Chittirai is the most prominent festival celebrated in the temple. The temple is now maintained and administered by Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu.