VIRUPAKSHEESWARAR TEMPLE, MYLAPORE




        Virupaksheeswarar Temple, Mylapore. This Chola era temple is one of the Saptha Shiva  temples of Mylapore. It is situated in a lane  off Bazaar  Road. The  presiding deity Virupaksheeswarar is in a big Linga form facing  East.  Amman Visalakshi is in the  same maha mandapam facing South. Legend  says Sage  Kutsa worshipped  Shiva  here and Sundaramoorthy Nayanar after worshipping the  God here saw Nataraja  Thandavam.  In  one of the pillars  in the  Mandapam  a statue of a person is etched facing  North. Enquiry with the temple authorities  revealed that the person was Sivanesan  Chettiar whose daughter Poompavai  was resurrected by Thirugnanasambandar. It is believed that the temple was built by him. There are separate shrines for Shanmugar, Sandikeswarar, Saniswarar, Dakshinamoorthy and Navagraha.  According to  Dr.Nagaswamy's book there are 20 inscriptions dating from 11th century to  16th century.  Many of them are in the Sanctum Sanctorum and are inaccessible. The  oldest is the  11th century kalvettu of Veera  Rajendra  Chozha  (1063-70) in the  Karuvarai of the temple mentioning the donation of cows. Unfortunately except for a few inscriptions in the South and  North walls of the temple most of them are dilapidated or are covered  with new structures due to  renovations. The Ganesh shrine facing  West is a recent one  constructed in 1936 by a local  merchant.  The  temple is also endowed with a beautiful Tank which serves as a rain water harvesting place for the neighbourhood.  The  Rajagopuram  facing south is a recent  addition constructed recently replacing the old entrance. The  Kumbhabhishekam was held in May 2016.   It can be reached easily from All India Radio bus stop on Marina.

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