Mylapore Kapaaleeswarar Temple
Kapaaleeswarar is also counted among the Devara Paadal Petra Sthalams of the Tondai region; the shrines praised in the Devaram hymns, holding the position as the 24th in that regional list. Saints such as Tirugnana Sambandhar and Appar have sung of this sacred space, with Appar referring to it as “Mayilappu.” The temple’s festivals, and especially its famed tank, the Mylapore Theppakkulam, continue to remain among Chennai’s most recognisable heritage images.
- Sambandhar has revered the temple in his verses in Devaram
- Appar has referred this site as Mayilappu in his verses
- God - Kapaaleeswarar
- Goddess - Karpagambal
- Teerth (Holy water) - Kapali Teerth
- Sthala Vruksha (Holy tree) - Punnai tree
- 24th Devara Paadal Petra Sthalam located in the Tondai region
- Uma worshiped Shiva in the form of peahen
- Rama is believed to have worshiped Lord Shiva of this temple.
- One of seven Sapta Sthana Temples of Chennai
- One of the most popular temples of Chennai
- Arunagirinathar has sung hymns on Singara Velar of this temple in his Tiruppugazh.
- The temple tank (called as Mylapore Theppakkulam) and the festivals of this temple are some of the important heritage symbols of Chennai.
Legend:
One well-known tradition explains the name Kapaaleeswarar through the word “kapaalam” (head). In an episode where Brahma fails to show due respect, Shiva is said to remove one of Brahma’s heads. Brahma, seeking grace, worships Shiva at this site, and the Linga here comes to be known as Kapaaleeswara.
Another deeply loved tradition speaks of Uma arriving on earth due to a curse, taking the form of a peahen, and worshipping Shiva here. This peahen-worship becomes central to the identity of the place, Mayilappu, later known as Mylapore.
There is also a Murugan-related tradition: Kartikeya is believed to have received the divine Vel from his mother at this site. Other narratives speak of worship by Brahma regaining his creative power, Shukracharya regaining vision, and Rama conducting worship and festivals here; each story reinforcing the sense that this is a deeply charged sacred landscape.
A particularly moving episode from Sambandhar’s life is associated with Mylapore too. Shivanesa Chettiar, a resident of the area, is said to have lost his daughter Poompavai to a snake bite. Her ashes were preserved in a pot, and Sambandhar’s hymns are believed to have brought her back to life, an event remembered within the temple even today.
History:
Local belief holds that an older Kapaaleeswarar temple once stood closer to the seashore, possibly dating back to the Pallava period (around the 7th century CE). Another widely repeated view is that after the Portuguese established control in the early 16th century, the original structure was lost, and the present temple rose at its current location, possibly using material from the older site.
There is also an important tradition that the Singara Velar (Murugan) shrine existed here first, and that the complex later expanded to accommodate Kapaaleeswarar and Karpagambal. Many place the major construction of the present temple in the Vijayanagara period (16th century CE).
Entrance:
The temple has two entrances. The main gateway faces east, crowned by a towering seven-tiered Rajagopuram, richly covered with colourful stucco figures. The western entrance opens towards the Theppakkulam, making the tank and the temple feel like two halves of one heritage image.
Just outside the eastern tower, a mandapa welcomes you; its pillars carved and sculpted, inviting you to slow down before stepping into the inner rhythms of the temple.
Kapaaleeswarar:
The sanctum of Kapaaleeswarar is west-facing, which is notable; only a handful of temples have the Shiva linga oriented this way. The sanctum houses a big Shiva Linga, serene and powerful in presence.
On the exterior wall niches (koshta), you see the familiar sequence: Selva Ganapati, Dakshinamurti, Lingodbhava, Brahma, and Durga.
The inner prakara around the sanctum is packed with sacred presences: small shrines and icons that reveal themselves as you circle: forms of Ganapati, the 63 Nayanmars and their utsava forms, Nataraja–Shivakami, Somaskanda, several utsava deities including Singara Velar with Valli and Devasena, Chandrasekhara–Uma, Veerabhadra, a combined presence of Saraswati–Lakshmi–Durga, nagas, multiple Shiva lingas, Bhairava, Sekkizhar, the line of Saiva Siddhanta acharyas, Surya, the Nalvar, and Chandikeshwara.
Aligned to face the main sanctum are the familiar temple elements: dhwaja stambham, bali peetham, and the Nandi mandapam.
The goddess Karpagambal resides in a separate south-facing shrine, and its scale matches the importance she holds in this temple. A small prakara surrounds her shrine, carrying the presence of her utsava form.
The shrine of Singara Velar (Murugan with six faces) is one of the temple’s most vibrant spaces. It has its own mandapa and even a flagstaff, emphasizing that this is not a minor side shrine but a principal axis of worship. Singara Velar, with six heads and twelve arms is found seated on a peacock, with Valli and Devasena, standing on his either sides. And traditions about the site often return to the idea that this Murugan shrine may have been the earliest core around which the temple later expanded.
Near the Singara Velar area, a large mandapa is used for recitations and temple functions. Close by are shrines for Palani Andavar and Vaayilar Nayanar, the Nayanmar believed to have been born in Mylapore and to have attained liberation here.
Poompaavai:
The temple also preserves memory through icons. Near the flagstaff, you can find a shrine that depicts the Poompavai episode, with figures representing Sambandhar and Poompavai, anchoring the legend in visual form.
- Nardana Vinayaka in the east facing shrine; this is the first shrine found as one enters through the east facing tower.
- Annamalai - a big sized Shiv Linga along with his consort Unnamulai in a separate shrine
- Navagraha
- Arunagirinathar
- Jagadeeswara (Shiv Linga)
- Sundaresha (Shiv Linga)
- Shaneeswara
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