Arasaleeswarar Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Pondicherry Airport, at Pondicherry in Puducherry, is the nearest airport to Villupuram town.

• By train

  Villupuram is a major railway junction and the largest in the town. The town is about 145 km south of Chennai.

Why devotees come here

Arasaleeswarar temple stands in Olindiyampattu village, a village in Villupuram district in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu.Shiva is worshipped here as Arasaleeswarar, in the form of a lingam. It is one of the 275 Paadal Petra Sthalams, Shiva shrines praised in the Tevaram hymns.

The Tevaram, the Tamil Saiva hymns written by the Nayanars, praises the presiding deity here. The temple is classified as a Paadal Petra Sthalam, one of the Shiva shrines named in those early medieval poems. Hindu legend says sage Vamadeva visited many temples to worship Shiva, and at this place he worshipped Shiva at a peepli tree, and Shiva appeared in the tree.

The original complex is believed to have been built by the Cholas. The present masonry structure was built by chieftains in the 16th century. The complex covers about one acre and is entered through a three-tiered gopuram, the main gateway. All the shrines are enclosed within large concentric rectangular granite walls.

Another legend says a king's arrow struck the tree that was Shiva, and the scar on the lingam is believed to be that arrow. The temple's bronze idols were stolen at one point. The idol wing of the Tamil Nadu Police restored them in 2009.

Festivals

• Vaikasi month (May to June)Brahmotsavam

  The most prominent festival of the temple, celebrated during the month of Vaikasi.

Tips for your visit

• Look for the three-tiered gopuram, the main gateway, as you approach the temple.
• Look closely at the scar on the lingam; it is the mark the king's arrow legend describes.

Questions people ask