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Nalladai Sivan Temple – Agneeswarar Temple at Nalladai near Mayiladuthurai

Agneeswarar Temple, located at Nalladai in Nagapattinam District in Tamil Nadu, is dedicated to Hindu God Shiva. The temple is located on the Mayiladuthurai – Karaikal road via Nedungadu on State Highway 149. It is around 15 km from Mayiladuthurai. The shrine is popularly known as Nalladai Sivan Temple.

Agneeswarar temple is believed to me more than 1000 years old. Shiva is worshipped here in the form of a Shivling and it faces west not the usual east. A unique feature of the Shivling is that water is collected around the Shivling to calm down the fire or agni effect of Agneeswarar. Mother Goddess is worshipped here as Sundaranayaki and faces east. The tree associated with the temple is Vanni or Bilwa.

Nalladai Sivan Temple Timings

Morning Puja Time – 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Evening Puja Time – 5:00 PM to 8:30 PM

Nalladai Sivan Temple Contact Address

Sri Agneeswarar Temple,
Nalladai
Tharangampadi Taluk,
Nagapattinam District
Tamil Nadu
Pincode – 609 306


The subsidiary deities worshipped in the temple are Dwara Vinayaka, Balamuruga, Selva Vinayaka, Vishnu, Somaskanda, Lakshmi, Shani, Kailasanthar, Kalyani, Bhuvaneshwari, Chandikeshwara, Veerabhadra, Dakshinamurti, Surya, Bhairava and Mother Goddess Durga.

Legend has it that Sage Mruganda once performed a yajna here. The people of the region created a beautiful dress for Shiva and gave it to the sage. The sage offered it to yajna pit and it was consumed by fire. People were greatly surprised by this act of the Rishi. When people wanted to know how they could be sure the dress reached Shiva, the sage asked them to go and look in the shrine. When they looked in the sanctum sanctorum of Nalladai Sivan Temple, they found the Lord dressed in the dress gifted by them.

The important festivals and rituals observed here are Annabishekam in Aippasi month, Mondays in Karthigai Month, Panchamurthi procession on Sundays in Kartik month, Pujas in Margazi month, Arudra Darshan, Thaipoosam, Fridays in Thai month, Shivratri and Panguni Uthiram.

The temple is associated with Bharani birth star. The popular belief is that offering prayers here help Bharani Nakshatra born people. Offering prayers in the temple on Bharani Nakshatram day in Karthigai month is considered highly meritorious.