Vedanta Desikar Temple - Chennai

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Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu in South India, is known for its many ancient and rare temples. Among them is the Sri Vedanta Desikar Temple in Mylapore, distinct because it is dedicated not to the Lord, but to one of His greatest devotees.

Vedanta Desikar was a celebrated Vaishnava acharya and an ardent devotee of Lord Vishnu, revered as a guiding guru by generations of Vaishnavites. Tradition also regards him as the incarnation of the divine bell of the Tirupati temple of Lord Balaji. The temple dedicated to him stands near East Mada Street in Mylapore and has been in existence for more than two centuries, though several shrines were added and the complex was expanded mainly during the 20th century CE.

This is a compact temple without a towering rajagopuram. A small temple tank lies close to the entrance. Mylapore is also associated with Peyalvar, one of the revered Alwars, and his shrine is located nearby. Even without a grand tower, the temple retains the key elements seen in traditional South Indian temples, bali peetham, flagstaff, and a Garuda figure.

Though the temple is named after Vedanta Desikar, the main sanctum enshrines a large icon of Srinivasa Perumal, standing with four arms. Beside this is a separate shrine for Goddess Alarmel Mangai; both these principal shrines face east. Another important shrine faces south and houses both the stone icon and the utsava (bronze) icon of Vedanta Desikar. This shrine also includes bronze icons of Lakshmi Varahar, the upasana deity closely associated with Vedanta Desikar.

In addition, the temple features several other shrines, including those for Hanuman, Rama–Lakshmana–Sita, Lakshmi Narasimha, Chakrathalwar with Narasimha behind him, Ramanuja, Andal, Peyalvar, and the Alwars.

Happy travelling.



Location: Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

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