and the king had to build a temple for his propitiation. Since Shiva appeared as , an iguana, the place came to be known as Magaral and Shiva is called as Magaraleeswarar. Architecture This temple is situated in Magaral, a village in Kanchipuram district, located 12 km from Uthiramerur on the Uthiramerur - Kanchipuram highway. The temple is located on the northern banks of Cheyyar River. The nearest railway station is at Kanchipuram and the nearest airport is Chennai International Airport. The Shiva temple at Magaral is spread over an area of . The main rajagopuram is on the east side with seven tiers and pierces the large rectangular granite walls. The temple tank, Indra Theertha, is located inside the main entrance. The temple is built on an elevated platform and there are two corridors inside the temple. At the main entrance, the sculptures of Ganapathy and Muruga can be found on both the sides. The main shrine accommodates the image of Shiva known as Thirumakaraleeswarar in the form of Lingam, of the size of the tail of an iguana. There is a separate shrine for Balambigai to the right of Thirumakaraleeswarar's sanctum. The first precinct on the four sides of the sanctum sanctorum are decorated with the images of Nayanmars, Navagrahas, Bhairava, Murugan Sannadhi in the northwest and Durga Sannadhi on the northeast. The vimana of the temple is called Gajabrusta in model, replicating the hip of an elephant. History and religious importance The original complex is believed to have been built by Cholas, while the Rajagopuram and masonry structure was built during the Vijayanagar Dynasty Nayakkar Kings during the 15th century. There are several inscriptions from the period of Kulothunga Chola I (reigned 1070–1120), Sundara Pandiyan and Vicayakanta Kopaletevar, indicating generous gifts to the temple. In modern times, the temple is maintained and administered by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu. It is one of the shrines of the 275 Paadal Petra Sthalams - Shiva Sthalams glorified in the early medieval Tevaram poems by Tamil Saivite Nayanmars Thirugnana Sambanthar. As the temple is revered in Tevaram, it is classified as Paadal Petra Sthalam, one of the 276 temples that find mention in the Saiva canon. As per Periya Puranam, the hagiography depicting the life of the 63 Nayanmars, Sambandar visited the place before moving on Kuranganilmuttam and Kanchipuram. Festivals The temple