The Ratnagirishwar Temple is a temple which was created as a tribute to its presiding deity, Lord Shiva. The name Ratnagirishwar can be translated into the Lord of Ratnagiri, which is another name for Lord Shiva. This temple is located in one of Chennai’s rather affluent suburbs, called Besant Nagar which is located near the coast of Chennai. This means that this temple is blessed with a very pleasant climate as well. There is a great influx of devotees to this temple on a regular basis and the number of devotee’s increases by a great degree upon the two major festivals which are celebrated here. The first of these is the Maha Kumbh-Abhishekam celebration and the other is the Maha Shivaratri festival, both of which are attended by a large number of devotees who spend all day here, immersed in the various rituals which form part of these celebrations. These rituals are performed as per the customs and formalities prescribed by the Vedas.