Thirumarperu is a Hindu temple

Hindu temple

A Mandir, Devalayam, Devasthanam, or a Hindu temple is a place of worship for followers of Hinduism...

 dedicated to Shiva

Shiva

Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...

 located in Tirumalpur

Tirumalpur

Tirumalpur is an important temple town and a suburb of Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu. It is also an important suburban train station along the south west line of Chennai Suburban Railway.The place is famous for the historic Thirumarperu Siva temple.-References:...

 in Kanchipuram

Kanchipuram

Kanchipuram, or Kanchi, is a temple city and a municipality in Kanchipuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a temple town and the headquarters of Kanchipuram district...

, Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...

, India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. The temple is revered by the Tevaram

Tevaram

The Tevaram denotes the first seven volumes of the Tirumurai, the twelve-volume collection of Tamil Saivite devotional poetry. All seven volumes are dedicated to the works of the three most prominent Tamil poets - Campantar , Appar and Cuntarar...

hymns of 7th century Saiva nayanars

Nayanars

The Nayanars or Nayanmars were Shaivite devotional poets of Tamil Nadu, active between the fifth and the tenth centuries CE...

 - Tamil

Tamil people

Tamil people , also called Tamils or Tamilians, are an ethnic group native to Tamil Nadu, India and the north-eastern region of Sri Lanka. Historic and post 15th century emigrant communities are also found across the world, notably Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, South Africa, Australia, Canada,...

 saint poets and is also classified as a Paadal Petra Sthalam (temple revered by the nayanars).

The Temple

Vishnu

Vishnu

Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....

 (called Tirumal) is believed to have worshipped Shiva in this temple and hence the name Thirumalpur. The temple has a four-tiered rajagopuram

Gopuram

A Gopuram or Gopura, is a monumental tower, usually ornate, at the entrance of any temple, especially in Southern India. This forms a prominent feature of Koils, Hindu temples of the Dravidian style. They are topped by the kalasam, a bulbous stone finial...

(temple tower). The temple has set of inscriptions from Chola period of Rajaraja Chola I

Rajaraja Chola I

Raja Raja Chola I born Arunmozhi Thevar , popularly known as Raja Raja the Great, is one of the greatest emperors of the Tamil Chola Empire of India who ruled between 985 and 1014 CE...

 (985 – 1014 CE

CE

CE, Ce or ce may refer to:* Common Era , secular alternative to Anno Domini * Cerium, chemical element with symbol Ce- Titles :* Chief Executive, administrative head of some regions...

). Appar, the 7th century saint poet glorified the deity in Tevaram in one verse. The temple is also referred as Hari-chakrapuram. The Nandi

Nandi

Nandi may refer to:* Nandi , the white bull on which Lord Siva rides* Nandi Awards, Film awards given to Tollywood personalities and films* Nandi people, an ethnic group from Africa** Nandi languages...

 (sacred bull of Shiva) is in standing portion in this temple unlike other Shiva temple where Nandi is in sitting posture. The temple tree is Bilva.

Legend

Some of the local tradition indicates Tirumalpur as the place where Vishnu asked Mahabali

Mahabali

Mahabali , also known as Bali or Māveli was a benevolent Asura King, and the grandson of Prahlada. The festival of Onam commemorates his yearly homecoming after being sent down to the underworld by Vamana, the fifth avatar of Vishnu.-Conquest of the Universe and banishment:Bali, an asura, was the...

Chakravarthy to give him land of the extent measured by three steps of Vishnu.