Kalikambal Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Chennai International Airport (MAA) is the nearest airport.

• By train

  Chennai Central station (MAS) is the nearest railway station.

• By road

  The temple is on Thambu Chetty Street, parallel to Rajaji Salai, in the Parry's Corner locality. Parry's Corner is a major hub for intracity buses.

Why devotees come here

Kalikambal Temple stands in George Town, Chennai, and is dedicated to Kamakshi as Kalikambal and to Kamadeswarar. Its sacred water is seawater and its sacred tree is the mango tree.

Legend says the deity was worshipped by demi-gods and saints, including Vyasa, Agastya, Aangeerasa, Pulasthya and Varuna. It is believed that a fierce form of the deity was worshipped earlier, and that Adi Shankara replaced it with the calm form of Kamakshi. Tamil poet Subramaniya Bharathi was a regular visitor in the early 20th century.

The temple was first on the sea shore, where Fort St. George now stands. When the British East India Company built the fort, the temple moved to its current site on 1 March 1640 CE, and construction went on until 1678. Chhatrapati Shivaji, the 17th century Maratha warrior-king, visited the temple on 3 October 1677.

A new 10-metre-high tower, the rajagopuram, was added in the 1980s. Its construction began on 22 January 1976 and finished on 21 January 1983. The temple was expanded in 2014, and the main deity faces west.

Festivals

• Tamil month of AaniVasantha Urchavam

  A festival held at the temple.

• Full-moon day of the Tamil month of AippasiAnnabishekam

  A ritual held at the temple.

• Tamil month of Aadi, 9 consecutive FridaysThotti Unjal Urchavam

  A festival held at the temple.

Tips for your visit

• Nearby sights include Fort St George Museum, Marina Beach, the Government Museum and the Armenian Church.
• Parry's Corner is one of the most congested areas of the city.

Questions people ask