Valasaravakkam Velveeswarar Temple - Chennai

By -
Valasaravakkam, a fast growing residential area of Chennai city in South India, has an ancient temple for Lord Shiva. The temple is called as Velveeswarar temple or Agastheeswarar temple. It is believed that this temple belongs to the period of Kulothungan Chola.

Velveeswarar temple is located on the Arcot Road in Valasaravakkam area of Chennai. A very big lotus pond is found inside the temple complex. The temple is surrounded by open space in all the four directions. Moreover, as the temple doesn't have surrounding compound walls, the temple looks beautiful and spacious.

The main shrine of the temple has Velveeswarar in the form of a big Shiv Ling facing the east direction with a Nandi idol in front. There is no rajagopuram (tower) or flag staff found in this ancient temple. Adjacent to the shrine of Velveeswarar, there is another shrine with big Shiv Ling named Agastheeswarar. This shrine also faces the east direction. The temple is named after these two Shiv Lingas.

The Goddess of the temple Tripura Sundari is found in a separate shrine facing the south direction.

The prakara (corridor) surrounding these three main shrines has few small shrines and idols of other Gods and Goddesses. Lord Ganesha is found in the name of Vinai Theertha Vinayakar in a separate shrine. Lord Subramanya along with his consorts Valli and Devasena is also found in a separate shrine.

Apart from Velveeswarar and Agastheeswarar, there is another Shiv Ling found in this temple. This Shiv Linga is named as Bana Pureeswarar. Dakshinamurti, Bhairav, Hanuman, Rama-Sita-Lakshman, Navagraha, Natraj-Sivakami and Karumari are also found in small separate shrines in this temple.

The wall surrounding the shrine of Velveeswarar has the niche images of Ganesha, Dakshinamurti, Vishnu and Brahma. Chandikeshwara is also found in his usual location. The wall surrounding the shrine of Tripura Sundari has the niche images of Brahmi, Vaishnavi and Maheswari.

Happy travelling.


Fast Facts:
Site Name: Velveeswarar aka Agastheeswarar Temple
Site Type: Temple
Location:  Valasaravakkam, Chennai city, Tamil Nadu state, India 
Highlights: A little known Chola period temple in Chennai
Nearest Railway Station: Chennai - well connected from the cities/towns all over India
Nearest Airport: Chennai has both national and international airports
How to reach: Easily reachable from any part of the city
Hotel: Many star hotels, luxury hotels/resorts, and budget hotels are available in Chennai
Restaurants: All options - vegetarian, non-vegetarian, Chinese, South Indian, Gujarati, North Indian, Punjabi,....- you can find everything in Chennai city

View Larger Map

Comments

  1. UnknownSunday, August 21, 2016

    Thanks for this information. planning to visit tomorrow. gives me info on what to look for.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Tallest Murugan of Chennai

By -
Image
Consecrated in March 2021, the 40 feet high Bala Murugan icon at Saveetha Medical College campus is the tallest image of Murugan in Chennai. Malaysia has 140 feet tall Murugan. In April 2022, the 146 feet tall image of Murugan was consecrated near Salem in Tamil Nadu. However, they are all stucco images. But, the one that we find on the college campus is a monolithic granite icon. Thus, it is the tallest stone icon of Murugan in the entire world. A stone weighing 320 tonnes was brought from Siruvambur near Wallajah, and it was carved to 140 tonnes to get this beautiful and gigantic sculpture. The entire temple complex is designed in the shape of the Devanagiri letter "Om", which can be appreciated in the aerial view.  The west-facing gigantic sculpture is located atop the star-shaped pedestal. It dominates the entire landscape. A large meditation hall is situated below the pedestal. On the open corridor in front of the presiding deity, smaller shrines are found. They enshrine...
Read more

Little known Nimishamba Temple of Chennai

By -
Image
Site Name:  Nimishamba Temple Site Type:  Hindu Temple Location:   Kasi Chetty Street, Sowcarpet, Chennai city, Tamil Nadu state, India Highlights:   A rare temple of Nimishamba in Chennai city Nearest Railway Station:   Chennai - well connected from the cities/towns all over India Nearest Airport:   Chennai has both national and international airports How to reach:   Easily reachable by road as this is centrally located in the city Hotel:  Many star hotels, luxury hotels/resorts, and budget hotels are available in Chennai Restaurants:  All options - vegetarian, non-vegetarian, Chinese, South Indian, Gujarati, North Indian, Punjabi,....- you can find everything in Chennai city Chennai is considered as the gateway to South India. The capital city of Tamil Nadu state of India has hundreds of tourist sites which include museum, British period monuments, temples, beach, etc. Let us explore a little known temple called Nimisham...
Read more

Hastinapuram Navapashanam Murugan Temple

By -
Image
Navapashanam is an amalgam of nine poisonous herbs. It is said to act as a remedy for all types of diseases. It is believed that the Siddhas knew the secret formula to prepare this medicinal potion.  The sculpture of Murugan from the famous Palani is claimed to be made of Navapashanam. Similarly, there is a lesser-known temple near Chennai, which has a Navapashanam Murugan. In Hastinapuram near Chrompet in the southern outskirts of Chennai, in a congested lane called Masjid Street, this tiny temple of Bala Murugan is situated. Murugan, made of Navapashanam, is the presiding deity.  Jalakandeeswara Linga, Meenakshi, and the Siddha who found this temple are the other Murtis found in the temple. Happy travelling.
Read more