Nungambakkam Agasteeswarar Temple - Chennai, India

Nungambakkam, one of the most vibrant areas of Chennai, may seem like an unlikely place for an ancient Hindu temple. However, the locality is home to two significant temples—Agastheeswarar Temple and Prasanna Venkatesa Perumal Temple.

The Agastheeswarar Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva, known here as Agastheeswarar. According to legend, a Vaishnavite prince named Booma Rajan suffered from a severe ailment called "sulai." In a dream, Lord Vishnu appeared and instructed him to worship Lord Shiva at this site to be cured. The prince followed the divine guidance and was healed. As a result, Shiva came to be known as 'Agaththu Ishwar,' which later evolved into 'Agastheeswarar.' The Vishnu who appeared in the dream is enshrined nearby in the Prasanna Venkatesa Perumal Temple.

Another version of the legend attributes the temple’s origins to the great sage Agastya, who is believed to have installed one of many Shiva Lingas here.

The Agastheeswarar Temple features a large temple tank, near which stand the icons of Ganesha, Murugan, and Nagas. The temple’s entrance is marked by an east-facing Raja Gopuram (tower). In the sanctum, Agastheeswarar is worshipped in the form of a Shiva Linga, while the Goddess Akilandeswari has a separate south-facing shrine. It is said that apart from Tiruvanaikka, this is one of the rare temples where Akilandeswari is enshrined. As is customary, Nandi and the flagpost face the main shrine.

The outer walls of Agastheeswarar’s sanctum feature niche images of Ganesha, Dakshinamurti, Vishnu, Brahma, and Durga. Similarly, the walls of Akilandeswari’s shrine house images of Ichcha Shakti, Kriya Shakti, and Gnana Shakti.

The inner prakara contains sub-shrines for Nataraja with Sivakami, Somaskanda, Nalvar, Chandikeswara, and Sandana Kuravars. The outer prakara includes shrines for Ganesha, Shanmukha with Valli and Devasena, Durga, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Vishwanathar with Visalakshi and Annapoorni, Navagrahas, and Bhairava. A unique feature of this temple is a separate shrine for Nandi alongside his consort, Surasa. Surya and Chandra also have dedicated shrines, and another shrine houses Sage Agastya with his consort, Lopamudra.

Happy travelling.