Kandaswamy Temple, Chennai

The Kandaswamy Temple of Chennai is in Cheyyur, 29 kilometers from Madurantakam. You can reach the temple from Chennai either by bus, rail or road. The nearest railway station to Cheyyur is the Chenglepattu. Taxis are available from there. Private cabs and frequent buses can be availed from Madurantakam.

The village of Cheyyur was built during the regime of Veera Rajendra Chola and Kulothungan-III. Besides this settlement, these rulers constructed three temples, among which the Kandaswamy Temple of Chennai is the most well-known. There are two temples here, dedicated to Vanmikhanathar (Lord Shiva) and to Perumal or Kariya Manicka Perumal respectively.

The Kandaswamy Temple of Chennai is located in between the Shiva and the Vishnu temples. Lord Kandaswamy or Shiva is the principal deity of this temple. Besides, there are the shrines of:
  • Lord Someswara
  • Goddess Meenakshi
  • Muthukumaraswamy, also popular as Samharamurthy.
There are several other deities as well, for instance the Vinayaka, Dakshinamurthy and Chandikeswara. You shall also find the deity of Murga, known to be a son of Lord Shiva. The Murga deity is observed to be standing in five different positions. These five postures are known by specific names such as:
  • Nrutta Skandar (dancing Muruga)
  • Brahma Sastha (created from Brahma)
  • Balaskandar (child Shanmuga)
  • Sivagurunathar (teacher to Siva)
  • Pulinthar (vedan hunter)
The Kandaswamy Temple of Chennai attracts tourists due to the different figures standing in specific postures. This temple does not contain mere deities. Here one may also notice the image of Kazhukundran who designed an exquisite temple chariot in 1521 AD. This is put to use during the Skanda Sashti festival.

The Kandaswamy Temple at Chennai is a very sacred shrine in the vicinity of Chennai.



Last Updated on 11/2/2011