Mahalingeswarar Temple Tanjore

Located in Tiruvidaimaruthur, a village in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, Mahalingeswarar Temple is a well known Hindu temple. The temple is dedicated to the deity Shiva and is one among the seven major Shiva temples. The temple was built back in the 9^th century during the Chola dynasty.

Lord Shiva is worshiped as Mahalingeswaraswamy in the temple. Lord Shiva is represented by the lingam and it is believed to be the focal point for the seven consorts of Shiva.

One can find around 149 inscriptions in the temple which indicate contributions from Pandyas, Cholas, Thanjavur Nayaks and Thanjavur Maratha kingdom. The structure of the temple is very large and it has four gateway towers which are known as gopurams.

Other than prominent shrines like Mahalingeswaraswamy, Pirguchuntaragujambigai and Mookambigai, there are many more shrines in the temple. Six daily rituals are performed in the temple where priests pay homage Lord Shiva.