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KUBERAPUREESHWARAR & VEMBUNAYAKI TEMPLE - KUBERA LINGAM - SUNDARACHOLAPURAM

 Ashthadikapala Temples - 5

KUBERA LINGAM
KUBERAPUREESHWARAR & VEMBUNAYAKI TEMPLE - SUNDARACHOLAPURAM - CHENNAI.


KUBERA is the lord of wealth. Kubera was the lord of Lanka & Lanka was the richest of nations. Kubera was born to Rishi Vishrava and his 1st wife Ilavida daughter of Bharadwaja rishi.His younger half brother Ravana ( Born to Rishi Vishrava and the Rakshasha Princess Kaikesi), because of the boon from lord Shiva became much powerful and dethroned Kubera and usurped the throne.
KUBERA being the lord of Yakshas and Gandharvas ( semi-divine) was protected by lord Shiva and gave him a place in the Himalayas known as ALAKA. He is regarded as the regent of the North as a dikapala, and a protector of the world as a Lokapala.
The Vedic scriptures call him the chief of the evil spirits and became a Deva only in the period of the Puranas and the Hindu Epics.
In the town named after the father of the great King Raja Raja Chola I SUNDARACHOLAPURAM, near Chennai is the temple of Shiva as KUBERAPUREESHWARAR along with his concert Devi Parvati as Vembunayaki.
The Temple has a large compound , without a Rajagopuram & at the centre of the compound is a chaturanga Garbhagriha where sits Mahadev as Kuberapureeshwarar representing the Kubera sthana ( Regent of the Northern cardinal direction) of the Ashthadikapala, facing east. To his left is the sanctum of Devi Parvati as Vembunayaki ( Goddess of the neem tree - Margosa) facing south.
Both the sanctum of Shiva & Parvathi are two celled complex including the Garbhagriha & ArdhaMandapam.
The Great Chola King Kulothunga II also known as Anabhaya Chola had built 108 Gajaprishtha ( Elephants back or Aspidal) Vimana temples around Thondaimandalam, now known as the region surrounding Chennai.
Being part of the Ashthadikapala temples surrounding the Vedapureeshwarar Temple, the temple would have been initiated during the reign of the great CHOLA King KULOTHUNGA CHOLA II, (1133 - 1150 CE) about 800 years ago and must have passed through many dynasties.
The Koshta of the Garbhagriha is lined up with Vinayaka, Dakshinamoorthy, Bramha & Durga. In the new compound is the Nandi and the Peetham. There is also a shrine of Nagaraja in the precinct.
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