VENGEESHWARAR or VYAGHARAESHWARAR TEMPLE - VADAPALANI - CHENNAI.
Across the street from the Vadapalani Murugan temple is the equally big temple of Bhagavan Shiva as VENGEESHWARAR or VYAGHARAESHWARAR, (Vengee in Tamil and Vyaghara in Sanskrit mean Tiger) so called as it was prayed to by the Sages Patanjali & Vyagharapada, who had waited in Chidambaram to witness the Cosmic Dancer Nataraja dance.
The temple has a seven tiered Rajagopuram facing east and three small gopuram on the other three sides. The Rajagopuram is flanked by Surya & Chandra I side on both sides.
Entering through this Rajagopuram, one comes on to a courtyard which has the Mukhamandapam consisting the Balipeedham, Dhwajasthambam & Nandi Mandapam with a small Nandi. This modern hall leads to an Ardhamandapam made of stone pillars which look to be incomplete. In the south side of the compound is a big Manimandapam or Bell tower.
Inside the Ardhamandapam, facing the lord is Sage Patanjali & Vyagharapada on both sides of the entrance. On the right is the shrine of the Nalvar or four Nayanar's or Shaiva saints who are part of the epigraphy of the Thevaram a tamil text on the Bhakti node from the 6th-7th century CE.
Two Dwarapalaka's flank the entrance to the Garbhgriha. In the Garbhgriha is Lord Shiva in the form of a large Shiva lingam, with a Square Avudayar or Pindika named VENGEESHWARAR facing east.
The Garbhgriha and the Vimanam are Apsidal (Thoonganai Mandapam or Gajaprishtha or shaped like the back of an elephant.
The Devakoshtha or the outer wall of the Garbhgriha is lined up with Ganesha, Dakshinamurthy, Mahavishnu, Bramha and Durga.
On the back of the compound behind the Garbhgriha are three shrines, Ganesha on the left, Murugan with his consort on the right and the shrine of Kasi Vishwanath & Vishalakshi on the extreme right. Circling around is a room where the Utsavabera's are kept. Kalabhairava is on the north east corner with Navagraha and Shani Shrine on the eastern side.
Post circumambulation, one comes in face to face with the shrine of the Goddess Parvati as Santhanayaki standing facing South which is a temple in itself.
The Lingam is very old and predates the Temple. The temple itself is more than a thousand years from the Chola period and in all probability was built by Kulothunga II(1133-1150 CE), who had built 108 Shivalaya's with Gajaprishtha vimana in Thondai Mandalam or Chennai area.
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