Thiruporur Murugan Temple

Thiruporur Murugan temple is one of the most important temples near Chennai. For the sake of non-Indians, let me briefly mention who is Lord Muruga. Lord Muruga is one of the sons of Lord Shiva. He is also called as Lord Subramanya or Lord Karthik. As per Hindu mythology, he waged war against Asuras (one kind of powerful demons) and won them. Thiruporur is believed to be one of the places where Muruga won the battle against Asuras. The word 'Thiruporur' means 'battlefield' in Tamil.

Lord Muruga is called as Kandaswamy in this temple. It is believed that the idols of Lord Kandaswamy along with his consorts Valli and Devayani are swayambu (idols originated on their own). The original temple can be dated back to 1118-1133 AD (the king Vikrama Chola's period). The temple had lost importance down the course of the years. A saint named Chidambara Swamigal unearthed the idols and rebuilt the temple with great difficulty during the middle of 17th century AD.

Apart from the main shrine where Lord Kandaswamy with Valli and Devayani are there, there are five smaller shrines in the temple. Three of those shrines belong to Lord Muruga in various forms and the remaining shrines belong to Durga and Ganesha. The temple is huge and it has architecturally beautiful towers similar to that of other ancient temples of Tamil Nadu state. There is a beautiful tank located in front of the temple. It is said that the tank has never dried so far.

The temple is located in Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) in Thiruporur which is around 41 km from Chennai.You can reach the place by your own vehicle or taxi easily. Or else, you can take the Chennai to Mamallapuram bus to reach the place.

Visit this place to get the blessings of Lord Kandaswamy.

Happy travelling.