• Masi Magam is an auspicious day celebrated when Magha Nakshatra coincides with the full moon in the month of Masi (Kumbha).
• Once Lord Varuna, the king of the oceans, was afflicted with Brahmahatti dosha. He withdrew into the sea. This caused drought and famine in the world since rains also stopped. All the Devas went to Lord Shiva and prayed to release Lord Varuna from the dosha. Accepting their request, Lord Shiva relieved Lord Varuna of the Brahmahatti dosha. The day this occurred is celebrated as the Masi Magham festival. The grateful Lord Varuna was happy and requested Lord Shiva for the boon that whoever took a holy dip at specific pilgrimage places on this day should beget good fortune. So the Masi Magham holy bath became special.
• On the day of Masi Magham, the seven seas come together at Saptasagara Tirtha in Tirunallur, so a holy dip there is special.
• Maha Magham is a great Masi Magham that comes once in 12 years.
• Tirugnana Sambandhar in his Mylapore pathigam mentions Kapaliswarar's bathing in the ocean on Masi Magham.
• An inscription during the reign of Rajaraja Chozha I (ACE 1009) mentions a feast endowed for Mahadeva at Tiruparaiturai in the Tiruchirappalli district on Masi Magham, for which one and a half acres of land was given so that two bags of rice were made available for the festival from that land.
• In the 4th regnal year of Rajendra Chozha (1016 ACE), the villagers of Nagapattinam donated land for the expenses of the sixth day of the Lord's Masi Magham festival, which was recorded through an inscription in that place.
• Kulothunga Chozha I (1070-1126 ACE) has inscribed the works done by Thalapathy Naraloka Veeran for Chidambaram Temple as beautiful Tamil songs and Sanskrit hymns on the pillars of Chidambaram Hall. In one of the songs, he mentions the Masi Kadaladal (ocean bathing) , the mandapam and highway built by that king for it.
• It is said that Palayur Kizhavan Naranan gave forest land to Lord Mohanadeva in order to donate seventy kalams of paddy per day during the seven-day Masi festival celebrated in Vedaranyam. Two years later, the same king donated more land to Lord Mohanadeva for the grand feast for the Lord during the same festival.
• Inscriptions of Kulothunga and another Chozha king with the title of Parakesari on the Kudumyan Hill mention the first offering of 15 kalanju gold to feed the Brahmins and fifteen Shivanadiyars on the day of Masi Magha. 
• The above inscriptions explain the tradition of the deities to take a holy dip during the Masi Magham festival and then to give darshan in the nearby mandapam or grove. Large donations were offered to celebrate this festival.

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