Poonamallee Vaideeswarar Temple (Angarak/Chevvai Kshetra)

Poonamallee, a renowned locale situated approximately 25 kilometers away from Chennai, the gateway to South India, bears historical significance. The original name of Poonamallee was Poovirundavalli. Within Poonamallee, two ancient temples hold prominence: one dedicated to Lord Vishnu and the other to Lord Shiva. The Shiva temple in Poonamallee is known as the Vaidheeswaran temple. Another well-known temple named Vaidheeswaran is located near Kumbakonam in central Tamil Nadu. Consequently, the Vaidheeswaran temple in Poonamallee is also referred to as the 'Uttara Vaidheeswararn' temple, with "Uttara" signifying "Northern."

Similar to the southern Vaidheeswarar temple, this northern counterpart is revered as the Navagraha Sthalam for Angaraka (Sevvai), which corresponds to the planet Mars. (Navagraha denotes the nine celestial bodies.) (For those unfamiliar with Navagraha sthalams, there are nine temples near Kumbakonam in Central Tamil Nadu, India, dedicated to each of the nine planets. These collectively form the Navagraha sthalams. Similarly, there are nine temples around Chennai, known as Navagraha sthalams.)

The temple features a tower and a reservoir within its premises. The central deity is Vaidheeswarar, in the form of a large east-facing Shiv Linga. Nearby, a separate shrine houses the goddess Thaiyal Nayaki, facing south. The temple's main entrance is adorned with exquisite wall carvings. Opposite the sanctum stand the flagstaff and a Nandi, known as Vishnu Nandi. The sacred tree of the site, the Sthala vruksha, is the Thaazhi Panai Maram (Palm tree).

This thousand-year-old Vaidheeswaran temple boasts intricately designed sculptures in its inner corridor. The courtyard entrance features images of Ganesha and Murugan on either side. The sanctum entrance of Vaidheeswaran presents the icon of Alagu Vinayaka (Ganesha) on one side and the Sevvai Padam (footprints of Angarak) on the other – a rare symbol. Angarak is believed to have worshipped Lord Shiva here.

The inner corridor houses icons of Surya (sun), Veeran, Vinayaka, Vishwanatha with Vishalakshi, Kumbeswara, Kailasanatha, Annapoorni, Mahalingeswara, Adi Shanka, and Maha Lakshmi. A notable addition is the Subramanya Chakra, Sri Chakra, and Shiva Chakra, installed by the revered saint Adi Shankaracharya. The corridor also encompasses shrines for Nataraja with Sivakami, Somaskanda, and Murugan with consorts Valli and Devasena. Further, Navagraha, Bhairava, Chandikeshwara, Nalvar, and Chandran find their place here. Niche images of Nardana Vinayaka, Dakshinamurti, Vishnu, Brahma, and Durga embellish the walls surrounding the shrines. The outer corridor houses a single large Shiv Linga.

An extraordinary phenomenon occurs in the temple. On the 21st to 25th days of the Maasi month in the Tamil calendar, around 6 AM, sun rays directly illuminate the presiding deity.

Happy travelling.