Pallikkaranai Adipureeswarar Temple

Pallikkaranai, a bustling locality in Chennai, has gained prominence in recent years, primarily due to the presence of neighboring IT companies. Yet, amid the daily rush along the main road connecting Velachery to OMR or Tambaram, many may not realize that an ancient treasure lies along this path – the Adipureeswarar Temple. Although well-known to locals, this temple remains a hidden gem to those residing outside the Pallikkaranai area. In this article, we'll delve into the fascinating history and legends of this remarkable temple.

Highlights:

• God - Adipureeswarar
• Goddess - Shanta Nayaki
• Sthala Vruksha - Bilva
• The temple was renovated during the period of Krishnadeva Raya 
• It is a Rahu-Ketu parihara sthalam
• It is considered as equivalent to Kalahasti

Legend:

According to legend, the sage Vyagrapada sought a place with abundant Bilva trees to perform a sacred puja to Lord Shiva. To fulfill his wish, Shiva granted him the legs of a tiger, enabling him to collect flowers and leaves swiftly for the worship. From that day onwards, he became known as Vyagrapada. Later, a king in the region learned of Vyagrapada's story and erected a temple in this location, naming it Puliyur Kottam. (In Sanskrit, "Vyagra" means tiger, and "Puli" in Tamil holds the same meaning.)

History:

The temple dates back at least 700 years and bears inscriptions documenting its renovation during the rule of Krishnadeva Raya.

Temple Layout:

The east facing temple has a small three tiered Raja gopura. 

The east facing sanctum enshrines Shiv Linga named as Adipureeswarar.

The south facing shrine of the Goddess Shanta Nayaki is found in the maha mandapa.

At the entrance of the sanctum, the images of Ganesha and Subramanya are situated.

The small flag staff, bali peetha and Nandi mandapa are found facing towards the main shrine.

The wall around the shrine of Shiva has Nardana Vinayaka, Dakshinamurti, Vishnu, Brahma and Vishnu Durga as the Koshta icons.

The wall around the shrine of Shanta Nayaki has Kamakshi, Lakshmi and Saraswati as the Koshta deities.

The following sub-shrines are located in the prakara:

• Maha Ganapati
• Subramanya-Valli-Devasena
• Hanuman
• 63 Nayanmars
• Navagraha
• Nataraj-Sivakami
• Utsav images such as two pairs of Somaskanda, two pairs of Uma-Chandrasekhar, Subramanya, Ganesha, etc
• Chandikeshwara

The icons that are found in the temple include:

• Surya and Chandra facing towards the main shrine
• Vyagrapada and Patanjali facing towards the main shrine (it is one of those temples believed to be visited by these two sages)
• Swarna Akarshana Bhairava with his consort
• Navagraha
• Rahu and Ketu along with Ganesha
• Ganesha and Sekkilar
• Bhairava in maha mandap area
• Bhairava in the prakara
• Sharabheshwara

There is a section where five sacred Bilva trees are found together. Few Nagas and other such icons are kept beneath those trees.

A very big temple tank is located on crossing the high road.

Happy travelling.