Theerthapaleeswarar Temple, Triplicane – Legends
Theerthapaleeswarar:
When the divine marriage of Lord Shiva and Parvati
happened in the Himalayas, all the Devas went there to attend the function. To
balance the earth from the south, Shiva asked Agastya to go towards the south
direction. On his way to Podhigai hills, Agastya took rest under a Vanni tree
in the site where this temple is located today. As per the advice from Lord
Shiva, he took a dip in the ocean and also performed pooja to the Shiva Linga idol
using the sea water. As the sea water was used for abhisheka by the sage, the
Lord was named as Theerthapaleeswarar. In order to help the dwarf sage Agastya
to perform poojas, the Shiva Linga Murti reduced his height.
Agastya
& Atri worshipped Lord Shiva here:
The current structure of the temple might be around 500
years old. However, as per the legend, the temple was worshiped by the sages
Agastya and Atri.