Villivakkam Sowmya Damodara Temple - Chennai

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Sowmya Damodara is one of the twelve important names of Lord Vishnu. Even though there are a lot of temples for Lord Vishnu and his incarnations, there is no temple dedicated to Sowmya Damodara. Perhaps, the only temple for Vishnu in the name of Sowmya Damodara is located in a Villivakkam in the northern part of Chennai.


The temple, having a big tank, is believed to have been built around 600 years ago. It could have been built by the Pandya kings, though there are no records about the history of the temple found.

The temple's presiding deity is Lord Vishnu called Sowmya Damodara, who is found along with his two consorts, Sri Devi and Bhoo Devi, in the standing posture. 

The goddess of the temple, Amritavalli, is found in a separate shrine in the corridor of the temple.

Garuda is found facing toward the sanctum.


The temple also has the shrines of Hanuman, Kannan (Krishna), Rama, Nammalvar, Ramanujar and other Alwars. Ganesha is also found in the niche.

Happy travelling.



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